Isa Calero Forero

Class of 2024

Advisor: Beatriz Magaloni

Isa Calero Forero was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, and their parents are from Cali, Colombia. Isa majored in International Relations, with a concentration in Social Development and Human Well-Being, and Africa. At Stanford, they have also been interested in language learning, especially Portuguese and French, creative writing, and human rights.

While studying at Stanford, Isa spent a summer doing research on gender based violence in the armed conflict setting in Colombia with the think tank Fedesarollo, in Bogotá, Colombia, and research on public health policies with ImpulsoGov in São Paulo, Brazil. Isa has also sought to expand their knowledge on Latin American public policy and issues by co-founding and co-directing the conference series Latin American Voices in Politics, which aimed to bring together experts in the field such as researchers, politicians or civil society leaders around topics like health care policy, and environmental policy.

Last summer, Isa was the UN intern at OutRight International, the only US-based LGBTQ+ organization with permanent consultative status at the UN, where they learned more about international law and policy, especially as it concerns the LGBTQ+ community, and the role of civil society and grassroot organizations in international human rights advocacy.

Isa spent this summer in Bogotá, Colombia, doing field research for their undergraduate thesis, titled, "The Anti-Gender Movement: Impact of the ‘Gender Ideology’ Narratives on the Colombian Peace Process”. This research seeks to understand the role of disinformation and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in the discussions about the Colombian Peace Process, a topic they hope to continue exploring.

Outside the class, you can find Isa dancing salsa with their salsa team Los Salseros de Stanford, holding office hours at the Women's Community Center where they work, hanging out with La Famlia de Stanford, Stanford's Queer and Trans Latinx group, or laying in the sun. To get to know them, ask Isa about their earring collection.