Santiago Tijerina



Ochylski Family Foundation Grant Award


Enabled the strategic long-term investment in a 2025 Mazda BT50 to solve issues related to transportation in rural Honduras, including support for the growth of a magnet school, local church activities, medical emergencies, the movement of cash crops to local markets, and more.

Impact Video: The Children’s Initiative, September 2024





Maine Humanities Council Major Grant Award


Powered the impact campaign for and production of Courts of Belonging, a documentary short that captures the intimate stories of immigrant youth who find strength in community and soccer.

Maximized the potential of storytelling for impact by spearheading a campaign to engage the public and bridging the worlds of policy and documentary filmmaking by shedding light on human stories behind global issues.

Documentary Short: Courts of Belonging
Featured: Portland Press Herald





Honors College Service Award


Recognition for outstanding dedication and commitment to the Honors College Community.

Actively recruited prospective students and mentored accepted students during their transition to higher education, representing both the Office of Admissions & Recruitment and the Honors College.

Participated in prospective and accepted student days, open houses, ceremonies, convocations, orientations, panels, campus tours, marketing communications campaigns, community building events, and more.

Organized free and recurring soccer programs with the Office of International Programs and Campus Recreation, successfully mobilizing hundreds of international students year-round.

Featured: We Are UMaine





Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) Fellowship & Symposium First Prize Award


Powered the production for Climate Action at the University of Maine – captures the vibrant student activism at the core of the University of Maine’s climate action movement, and the collective advocacy efforts behind convincing the University of Maine System Board of Trustees to divest from fossil fuels.

This Fellowship in conjunction with the Honors College Charlie Slavin Research Grant supported the qualitative research requirement for the Honors Thesis.

Documentary Short: Climate Action at the University of Maine
Featured: 
Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center





Fulbright Canada Killam Fellowship & Cultural Awareness Program


Thrived academically in a direct exchange study abroad program at a top tier and globally recognized Canadian research institution, University of Alberta.

Organized community building events for international students year-round.

Recipient of the Fulbright Canada Cultural Awareness Program, which enabled cultural exchange at University of British Columbia & McGill University.

Featured: University of Maine News (June 2021)University of Maine News (May 2021)