In November 2025, during a debate competition organized by the Debate Society at ASPAEN Alcázares High School in Colombia, Daniel Pérez, a student at Prepa UP, met Juan José Ipuz for the first time; Ipuz was a student at ASPAEN La Fragua in Neiva, Colombia.
What began as a gathering of students from different countries turned, months later, into a friendship that led them to embark on a new chapter at the Universidad Panamericana.
From Colombia to Mexico: A New College Experience
After that meeting, they both began looking for a college where they could continue their education over the next few years.
Daniel continued on his path in Mexico and decided to study at the Universidad Panamericana. Juan José, for his part, decided to leave Colombia to start a new chapter as an international student in Mexico. He chose to attend the Universidad Panamericana, where he decided to study Mechatronics Engineering.
For Juan José, moving to another country was a major challenge. However, knowing that he would have a friend in Mexico whom he already knew allowed him to face the change with greater confidence.
“Knowing that I would already have someone I knew here in Mexico—since I’m an international player—helped me a little bit to feel that sense of trust. When you’re an international player and you’re starting from scratch—you don’t have family here, you don’t have friends here—having at least one person I could trust, someone I could write to and who could help me, was a big help in my preparations for coming to Mexico,”he said.
Internationalization as Part of a University Education
For the Universidad Panamericana, internationalization is part of a comprehensive vision of education and aims to help its students develop a global perspective through exposure to other cultures, institutions, and academic communities.
This vision is brought to life through mobility programs, exchange programs, multicultural experiences, and partnerships with universities in different countries, which enable students to broaden their academic and personal development.
This experience is also fostered by the university community, which welcomes international students to its campuses and creates opportunities for young people from different countries to come together.
La Panamericana has a network of international partnerships and promotes opportunities for its students to develop intercultural skills, strengthen their professional profiles, and cultivate a global perspective.
Today, Daniel and Juan José are once again sharing spaces, projects, and experiences at the Universidad Panamericana, demonstrating that an international experience can go beyond the classroom and forge bonds that stay with students throughout their college years.
A conversation that began in Colombia ultimately led to a friendship in Mexico and reflects the purpose of a university education with a global perspective: to connect people, cultures, and opportunities so that we can learn together and look beyond borders.
