As a part of our mission to lift up the voices of underrepresented nomads, in 7in7 Year 3, we created the 7in7 Scholarship Program to allow more digital nomads from less privileged backgrounds to attend this year’s conference in Medellín, Colombia.
With deep appreciation to our attendees + wider community who donated the funds that made our scholarship program possible, we are excited to announce four recipients of the first annual 7in7 scholarship program! We’d like to introduce you to…
Sodiq, Nathaly, Carolina, and Natalie!
Read on to learn more about each of these amazing nomads!
Sodiq Ajala
Pronoun: He/him
Online Existence: Current Website / LinkedIn / Twitter / Instagram
Where are you from? Lagos, Nigeria.
What has digital nomad experience been like? It’s been great. It has given me the opportunity to choose for myself. I have toured almost all the 36 States in Nigeria and it has helped me develop the abilities to put the right eyes to nature. My goal is to tour all African countries by road in 2019.
What inspired you to join 7in7 Year Three? The team energy, collective strength and immense knowledge that bonds the team. I believe this world will be a better place if we all share and help each other.
What do you hope to get out of / contribute to the 7in7 community? I hope to collaborate – learn new skills, make new friends and watch music passing by in Medellín. Would also love to interact with the locals.
What are your plans beyond attending 7in7 Year Three? My plans are to share everything – the knowledge/skills, friends, music, local interactions and experience with my nomad friends and my fans, and to make the 7in7 conference a yearly tradition.
(Bonus points: What’s a special skill you have? ✨): Sitting still.
Nathaly
Pronoun: She/her
Online Existence: Professional – LinkedIn / Personal – Instagram
Where are you from? Bogota, Colombia, and Maryland, United States. I was born in Colombia but my family immigrated to the United States in the late 90s.
What has your digital nomad experience been like? Immigrating to the United States at an early age introduced me to a life outside of the more established norms. I moved from Bogota to Florida to New York to Maryland/DC, and once I had the opportunity to start building community outside of my “home” state, I knew I was onto something exciting and of immeasurable value.
Staying open to new ways of living and building community has allowed me to get involved with program management and development work with various NGO’s and project coordination work in the arts throughout Latin America.
What inspired you to join 7in7 Year Three? I was inspired by the diversity of voices who are a part of the 7in7 community. Connecting with a remote worker and location independent community that reflects various stories is key to building a true narrative of the intersectionalities that exist in living and working in this non-traditional way.
My experience as a location independent worker has been rooted in building community with the people and places I decide to call home. I am inspired by the stories of everyone involved in this year’s conference and eager to experience the way 7in7 members are creating change wherever they go.
What do you hope to get out of / contribute to the 7in7 community? I hope to contribute a new perspective on how to navigate a location independent lifestyle while still holding a responsibility to the places we decide to call home. I hope to encourage discussions about the ways we use our skill and contribute to the betterment of our communities (physically and digitally).
I hope to learn from and connect with all the 7in7 Year Three attendees and speakers and tap into the wealth of knowledge that this community of mobile citizens of the world is bringing to Medellin.
What are your plans beyond attending 7in7 Year Three? I plan to marinate in the wealth of knowledge that will be Year Three in order to develop my brand as project manager, continue to focus on work that has a specific social impact, and build community with location independent workers that are committed to the growth of our communities. Also, I want to make it to Year 7 in Antarctica, y’all!
(Bonus points: What’s a special skill you have? ✨): I have re-discovered film photography and been shooting and working on designing and printing my own photo work. Let’s make a zine!
Carolina Suárez
Pronoun: She/Her
Online Existence: Facebook / Instagram
Where are you from? Medellín, Colombia
What has digital nomad experience been like? It’s been incredible. Nothing compares to the freedom of working from wherever you want, manage your own schedule and doing what you truly love.
What inspired you to join 7in7 Year Three? My love for meeting people from different cultures and learning from a group of more experienced and inspiring human beings
What do you hope to get out of / contribute to the 7in7 community? I hope I can learn from all the experience of other location independents. Tools, business ideas, personal growth techniques, and strategies. I also hope can contribute with the experience I have working online. Show the real face of Medellín to those who come for the first time and try to get involved as much as I can with this amazing community
What are your plans beyond attending 7in7 Year Three? Right now I’m very focused on a new business I started two months ago. So making it work, grow and be profitable is my main goal for the short-term
(Bonus points: What’s a special skill you have? ✨): I’m a Bellydancer
Natalie Corbett
Pronoun: She/her
Online Existence: Website / Facebook / Instagram
Where are you from? I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in Hudson, WI
What has your digital nomad experience been like? It’s been limited to photography (mostly climbing and other outdoorsy adventures with a little protest sprinkled in there) and writing since the life of a bicycle traveler isn’t conducive to more time-sensitive work. Which works for me since I like being on my own schedule.
What inspired you to join 7in7 Year Three? The amazing people I have met digitally in the Queer Women* Digital Nomads Facebook group. I can’t wait to meet some of you in real life!
What do you hope to get out of / contribute to the 7in7 community? I would love to learn to better network and promote myself and my art to the world. Also, be inspired by the amazing people in the community. I hope I can share with others my love of the outdoors and seeking adventure in a sustainable and Earth-conscious way.
What are your plans beyond attending 7in7 Year Three? Well, I plan to finish bicycling to Ushuaia, Argentina. Then I want to get back in the climbing world and photograph and climb my way from Squamish to J-Tree before hopping back on my bicycle and riding from Portugal to New Zealand.
(Bonus points: What’s a special skill you have?) Keeping my head in an emergency or crisis situation. Either that or crocheting.
