Welcome to Medellín, Colombia: A Photo Journey

A famous Botero statue in Parque San Antonio; rebuilt after being blown up by Pablo Escobar (see photo below to see destroyed statue).

Hola, mi amigos!

I’ve had the amazing opportunity and privilege to travel around Medellín, Colombia with MEJO 584. We’re an international projects journalism class focused on telling international stories. This year’s project deals with the ongoing Venezuelan migrant crisis and the stories of those who have traveled across the border into Colombia in search of a better life.

I am so proud to be a member of this amazing team of multimedia journalists. Here are just a few photos of the city, behind the scenes and cityscapes. And don’t forget to check out Uprooted: Venezuelan Families Flee to Colombia!

On International Women’s Day (Mar 8), Colombians take to Parque San Antonio to celebrate female empowerment.

The wonderful coaches (from L to R): Chris Carmichael, video; Pat Davison, video; Paul Cuadros, reporting; Tamara Rice, interactive.

The amazing Government team (from L to R): Landon Cooper, video; Jason Armond, video; Maria Elena Vizcaino, reporting; Xiaoke Ji, interactive; Sally Dillon, interactive.

Scenes from San Javier, a colorful region of Medellín. The neighborhood was revitalized by murals after decades of gang violence.

The hard-working photo team (from L to R): Catie Dull, Alex Kormann, Nash Consing. They pose on a children’s slide that memorializes the children who lost their lives during the violence in San Javier.

Nash and our Colombian student Laura Trujillo Arango grab portraits of a Venezuelan business owner.

Scenes of downtown Medellín.

Medellín is full of street murals in all colors of the rainbow.

Juan David Ochoa Jiménez, Laura Trujillo Arango, and Maria Alejandra Cardona Aizpurua were three local Colombian university students that helped translate, guide and report the stories collected throughout the week. They shared their town with us, ordered food for us, and offered us friendship and ❤.

Catie and Nash have some fun at a photo shoot in the neighborhood near Tricentenario Station.

Alex holds 18-month-old Kiara Antonella Farinas Rodriguez as her parents are photographed for Uprooted photo stories.

Scenes of the city from the Robledo neighborhood

The photo team visits the home of Elizabeth Tarazona, a Venezuelan who left her three sons behind in Venezuela. She now lives with her sister, brother-in-law and nephew.

Nash photographs Jonathan Freites, a Venezuelan migrant. He now works as a boxing trainer but has a background in civil engineering.

Nash photographs Raul Vargas, a champion shooter, who now vies for a spot on the Colombian national team after leaving Venezuela in 2017.

Raul shows Nash how to shoot the rifle at targets 10 meters away.

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