Class 6 (2007-2009)
Willan Mendoza, Bolivia
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Department of City and Regional Planning
Willan’s interest in world peace and international understanding began when he was awarded a full scholarship to study at the Armand Hammer United World College in New Mexico. There, he learned the importance of education in order to promote international conflict resolution, and spent time volunteering in community service and search and rescue. After graduating in 1995, he returned home to begin undergraduate studies in Systems Engineering and also became an ESL Teacher. Before arriving in Chapel Hill to pursue a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning, Willan was a senior consultant at an IT company and a professor at a local university. With the knowledge he gains as a Rotary World Peace Fellow, he hopes to work to develop and implement plans to assist low income groups, especially women, to gain the skills and tools they need to improve their lives; Economic Development Policies for communities in Latin America or Latin American immigrants in the US and EU.