U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris during a meeting with the Indigenous Women Platform at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala June 7, 2021 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Credit: Planetpix/Alamy Live News

On June 7, the University of the Valley of Guatemala’s Central Campus was honored to host a visit from US Vice President Kamala Harris during her first international trip. On campus, Harris met with dignitaries, including Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú. Harris also met with women engineering students in UVG’s central campus makerspace, which was partially funded by USAID funds through USFUVG. NBC Nightly news also conducted and broadcast their interview with Harris from the campus.

Regardless of politics, the visit from an important US dignitary speaks to the prominence and importance of UVG as a center for learning and civil society. Ahead of the visit, UVG Rector Roberto Moreno wrote to USFUVG supporters, “This moment has been decades in the making through the investment of many partners, and the conviction that strengthening local capacity and giving young people access to education is one of the best ways to contribute to a country’s development.  We are honored to share this momentous occasion with you.”