In Colombia, Students For Liberty members led a four-part educational series examining one of the defining moments of the 20th century: the fall of the Berlin Wall.
More than a symbolic event, the collapse of the Wall marked the unraveling of a political and economic system built on coercion, division, and restricted human exchange. For the Colombia team, revisiting this history was not about nostalgia—it was about clarity.
Across four two-hour sessions, 50 participants engaged in a structured exploration of the Wall’s origins, its evolution, and its economic and political consequences. The discussions situated the Wall within the broader context of World War II and the Cold War, examining how competing systems of governance shaped millions of lives.
The program was led by Larzon Steve Cárdenas Delgadillo, María José Antonella Lombardi Llanos, Andrés Santiago Narváez Caicedo, Ana María Güiza Jiménez, and Cristian Javier Romero. Together, they guided participants through a critical analysis that connected historical events to contemporary debates about state power, economic models, and individual freedom.
Over eight hours of programming, the series consistently returned to a central question: How do political and economic structures shape human flourishing?
Participants were encouraged not only to understand the past, but to draw lessons from it—recognizing the human cost of systems that limit liberty and the importance of institutional safeguards that protect it.
By grounding today’s debates in historical memory, SFL Colombia reinforced a vital truth: defending freedom requires understanding the consequences of its absence. Education, when done seriously and thoughtfully, becomes more than an academic exercise—it becomes preparation for principled leadership.
From classrooms in Colombia to initiatives across continents, SFLers are doing more than hosting events. They are strengthening credibility, cultivating informed dialogue, and preparing the next generation to engage with the ideas of liberty with depth and conviction.
For years, Bolivia’s Students For Liberty network has built something rare: a movement known not just for its energy, but for its seriousness. Through consistent, nationwide work, the team has set a high bar for principled, thoughtful engagement with the ideas of liberty.
That reputation is now drawing interest from an even younger audience.
More and more high school students began asking how they could get involved—how they could start learning and developing before arriving at university. Rather than wait, the team decided to meet them where they are.
Horizontes Libres (Free Horizons) was born as a summer pilot program aimed at introducing students to the foundations of libertarian thought while helping them grow in practical skills: debating, critical thinking, teamwork, and basic project design.
In just four editions, the program has reached more than 200 students. The January 2026 cohort was the strongest yet. Over 40 participants from diverse backgrounds completed more than 20 training sessions, supported by two respected universities in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
Sessions featured a mix of university professors, libertarian leaders, local intellectuals, SFL coordinators, and alumni. The result was a learning environment that felt both rigorous and accessible—serious ideas, presented in a way that challenged students to think and to build.
The team also secured meaningful institutional backing. Through sponsorship from a partner university and an in-kind contribution from Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz (UPSA), every participant received a “post-title” certificate valued at USD $700. For many students, this was their first formal academic recognition tied to the ideas of liberty.
The closing ceremony brought together more than 100 attendees. Families, mentors, and community members watched as students presented the projects they had developed throughout the month in a Shark Tank–style showcase. Three teams were selected to continue refining their initiatives with ongoing support from the local SFL chapter.
What started as a focused experiment is quickly becoming something larger. Several countries across Latin America are already exploring how to replicate the model.
Horizontes Libres is more than a summer program. It is a long-term investment—planting the seeds of leadership early and equipping the next generation to carry the ideas of liberty forward with confidence and competence.
From Students For Liberty’s network that spans more than 100 countries and thousands of student volunteers, three students and three regional groups are nominated annually for the prestigious honors of Student and Group of the Year. Here are this year’s nominees. Voting will take place among students and staff, and the winners will be announced at LibertyCon Europe in Madrid, April 24-26, 2026.
The Nominees for Student of the Year
Blazej Szkudlarek (Europe)
When Blazej Szkudlarek joined Students For Liberty, our team in Poland had only a few inactive members. In short order, Blazej made strategic partnerships with businesspeople and potential donors across Poland, and took over the Austrian Economics Club, brought it under the SFL umbrella, and expanded it to host events in a dozen cities across Poland.
It all culminated in the Austrian economics conference, which Blazej led in Krakow in 2025. Further, Blazej secured an SFL presence at Miltonalia, Bitcoin FilmFest, Freedom Games and other significant events. Overall, under his leadership, the team hosted an astounding 46 events in 2025.
That included a three-day-long conference attended by 250 participants, for which Blazej managed to raise more than €10,000.
A consummate teammate, Blazej also brought the Polish network to the Ukrainian Renaissance Conference. Blazej exemplifies everything Students For Liberty stands for, and he makes an excellent nominee for Student of the Year.
Effat Jahan Efa (South Asia)
Effat drew inspiration from the likes of Ayn Rand and Elinor Ostrom to embark on an intellectual quest in free-market principles.
She launched events like the “Empower Bangladesh Social Media Campaign,” “Launchpad SFL Bangladesh,” “Innovate With Liberty,” and “Freedom Pitch,” all of which spread the ideas of liberty — even amidst a revolution and government crackdown. Under her leadership, the Bangladesh network of 60 volunteers used VPNs to lead social media campaigns to inform thousands of people globally about what was happening in their country. And she was instrumental in leading her team to push back against the regime’s clampdown on the student-led Quota Reform Movement of 2024.
Overall, in 2025, she orchestrated 27 events, which attracted a total of 1,055 participants with 62,000 online impressions.
Effat exemplified SFL’s mission and vision, even when a freer future seemed hopeless. She makes an exceptional nominee for Student of the Year.
Cristian Romero (EsLibertad)
Cristian Javier Romero distinguished himself as a leader for Colombia’s future. He accumulated the equivalent of 140 full days of volunteer service, but his commitment delivered tangible impact, too: He organized and led 56 events, reaching 1,643 people nationwide. One of those events was a debate among political candidates that attracted 340 people.
Some of the questions held those candidates’ feet directly to the fire. He asked: What will you do to advance capitalism? And: What do you think about taxes?
His events were not only frequent but also strategic. From planning logistics to delivering content, Cristian consistently demonstrated a professionalism that inspired peers and participants alike. He also wrote and published a Libertarian Constitution for Colombia, which he presented across the country at in-person events.
Through his extraordinary commitment, leadership, and the inspiration he provides, Cristian Javier Romero has proven himself to be a true force for change, and he is a very worthy nominee for Student of the Year.
The Nominees for Group of the Year
SFL Spain
Team Spain expanded rapidly over the past year; it now counts more than 60 coordinators and 100 active volunteers, with chapters active from the big cities in Madrid and Barcelona to smaller regional centers as well as the remote Canary Islands and Mallorca.
This group mobilized massive volunteer efforts to assist flood victims in Valencia — more than 40 volunteers joined the clean-up efforts and helped deliver aid. But that was just the start. SFL Spain garnered national visibility with their dozens of weekly seminars, lectures, and reading groups, as well as regional conferences including LibertyFest Galicia and the Madrid Book Fair.
SFL Spain also became a digital powerhouse. Their podcasts, YouTube shows, and social media campaigns produced hundreds of hours of content, reaching more than 500,000 impressions and tens of thousands of engagements. Our hosts for LibertyCon Europe are a deserving nominee for Group of the Year, 2026.
SFL Canada
SFL Canada delivered perhaps the strongest year in North American history. Their flagship Impact Project, Student Petition Against the Carbon Tax, saw two volunteers travel across the country to host more than 30 campus events and protests at nine legislatures. They collected 1,200 signatures, helping to abolish the federal carbon tax. And on the provincial level, British Columbia’s premier followed suit the day after SFL’s protest outside his office.
On campus, SFLers helped overturn a student-union decision that blocked the creation of a club. Meanwhile, one Canadian volunteer ran as a Libertarian Party candidate for Parliament, while another ran for City Council in Quebec.
Additionally, SEVEN Canadian SFLers and recent alumni entered the Alberta government over the past year. After hosting 174 events, reaching more than 11,000 students, and piling up 8 million Social Media views, SFL Canada is an outstanding nominee for Group of the Year.
SFL Bolivia
Team Bolivia hosted 330 events and reached 7,890 people across the country over the past year, in the process becoming a nationally recognized political force. Their flagship initiative, Horizontes Libres, empowered high school and first-year university students through quarterly training in liberal philosophy, entrepreneurship, public speaking, and project management.
The Para Emprender program further amplified this vision by connecting young people with prominent leaders from the business sector. And the team’s commitment to dialogue and critical thinking was prominent in their Frater Liberal project, a weekly space dedicated to debating current issues.
Most notably, 2025 was an election year in Bolivia, and SFL’s team there hosted two public debates: one among the vice-presidential candidates and the other among senate candidates. Both auditoriums were overflowing with people who, after 20 years of socialist rule, were — partly thanks to SFL Bolivia — freshly enthusiastic about the ideas of free markets and liberty.
SFL Bolivia had an INCREDIBLE 2025, and they are richly deserving of this nomination for Group of the Year.
From countries which have a Constitutional foundation of freedom to protect, to those in which our students and alumni are risking it all for liberty, we want to tell you how our students and alumni are making a difference.
