AriaMystic

During her stay, Aria participated in Wayuu ceremonies, learned about their mythologies and the challenges they faced due to the exploitation of natural resources. She felt a deep connection to their stories of resistance and began to understand the importance of preserving not only biodiversity, but also cultural diversity. He returned from La Guajira with a new mission: to promote respect for indigenous cultures and advocate for their inclusion in conservation policies. Here, in the land of the Wayuu, an indigenous community known for their resilience and strong connection to the elements, Aria found an inner peace she had never experienced before. She spent days meditating in the dunes, watching the wind sculpt new shapes in the sand, and entire nights under a starry sky that seemed to tell the stories of the universe. After her time in the Amazon, Aria was drawn to another extreme of Colombia: the Guajira desert in the northeast of the country. The arid landscape, with seemingly endless sand dunes and a vast sky touching the horizon, contrasted sharply with the lush jungles and mountains she had explored. It was in Guajira that Aria experienced a kind of spiritual rebirth.

It was there that she realized that conservation was not only about protecting the land, but also about protecting the cultures and ancestral knowledge that have coexisted with it for millennia. This experience changed her perspective on her work and gave her a new purpose: to advocate for the rights of indigenous communities and learn from them in the conservation process. The way in which these tribes taught and embodied as a basis for their beliefs were the true qualities or characteristics that she wanted to embody in all the people she wanted to surround her, allowing her to have a clear idea of what she wanted for her life and her environment by surrounding herself with people who brought her knowledge and a deep love for nature and for being one with herself. For weeks, the group documented species that had never before been recorded. One morning, while walking along a dense trail, Aria and her team encountered a small indigenous community living self-sufficiently, as they had for centuries. Fascinated by their knowledge of the jungle and their ability to survive in one of the most hostile environments in the world, Aria stayed with them for a month, learning about medicinal plants, hunting and gathering techniques, and their symbiotic relationship with nature. The Amazon rainforest is one of the most enigmatic and mysterious places on Earth, and Aria had always dreamed of exploring it in depth. During one of her most ambitious trips, she decided to enter the thick jungle with a team of international researchers. Accompanied by indigenous guides, she sailed down the Caquetá River, a tributary of the mighty Amazon River, and into the heart of the jungle.

She took her knowledge and devised great changes in the whole community based on the elements of transformation and culture as the basis for environmental change and awareness in the whole area allowing the different communities to understand the true purpose of change and of a life where the environment and nature should be fundamental elements in our lives and the change we seek to have as human beings. The Cocora Valley was not only a place of extraordinary beauty; it was also a fragile ecosystem. Aria and her team worked tirelessly to protect this unique habitat from deforestation and agricultural expansion. They created environmental education programs for local farmers, teaching them environmentally friendly farming techniques. It was at this stage that Aria realized that true conservation required involving the people, not just protecting the land. One of the most transformative experiences for Aria occurred in the Cocora Valley, in the heart of the Eje Cafetero. There, the wax palms, the tallest trees in the world, rose majestically against the blue sky, creating a surreal landscape. Aria felt she had entered another world, one where nature dictated the rhythm of life.

After graduating, Aria and her great friend founded a research project in the Colombian Amazon. The goal was to better understand the region's biodiversity and work with local communities to create sustainable development models. Aria always remembered the words of an indigenous shaman she met during one of her expeditions: “The land does not belong to us; we belong to the land”. That phrase became the mantra of her life. It was at the university where a young scientist who shared his passion for nature was his great friend and accomplice in his adventures. Together they traveled to remote places, researching little-known ecosystems and documenting endangered species. Their friendship blossomed as they got to know fantastic and exotic places, such as climbing mountains at midnight to observe rare birds or camping in the jungle in search of jaguars. At the age of twenty-three, Aria decided to study at the National University of Colombia. She knew she wanted to dedicate her life to environmental conservation and protecting the natural wonders of her country. During her university years, Aria deepened her knowledge of Colombian flora and fauna, from the páramos to the rainforests. She also joined several student activist groups, advocating for stronger conservation and environmental protection policies.