Manuela Garzón is a graduate student pursuing a Master of International Public Policy at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, her passion for global politics brought her to study at the University of Western Ontario, where she graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Global Development Studies and a Major in Governance, Leadership, and Ethics.

During her undergraduate degree, Manuela served as a Research and Teaching Assistant to Dr. Neil Bradford, Chair of the Governance, Leadership, and Ethics program, where she conducted research on social capital and delivered lectures on governance and ethics. She also held professional roles as an Analyst intern and Coordinator for Transformation and Partnerships for Community Foundations of Canada, and as a crisis-management consulting intern and BIPOC Fellow at Navigator Ltd. In these positions, she has advised governmental, corporate, and non-profit partners, monitored Canadian political affairs, and deepened her interests in governance and cross-sectoral collaboration.

At Western University, Manuela served as Co-President of TEDxWesternU, Orientation Week Leader, and delegate to the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, where she represented more than 30,000 undergraduate students. Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, she values spending time with her family, friends, and her Bernese Mountain Dog, Olaf, as well as reading fiction in both Spanish and English.

Her academic interests include global governance, cross-sectoral collaboration, and the role of emerging technologies in policy development. At the Balsillie School of International Affairs, she aspires to continue to contribute to a generation of global leaders committed to redefining cooperation through innovative approaches to today’s most complex challenges.