Bogota has never been cold enough for Colombia native Andres Garcia Alejo (’18, ’24). Rolling up to Iowa State University on a frosty January night, he was garbed in a hefty winter coat and undaunted.
I knew I wanted to be a chemist, so Iowa State was my first choice,” says Garcia Alejo, who had learned of the university in the heart of Iowa from a recruiting fair in his home country.
Standing outside on the eve of classes that January, Garcia Alejo had no way of knowing how much of an impact this school and town would have on his future. As a transfer student, he jumped right into campus life — he served as president of the chemistry club, helped with International Students and Scholars Office events, and participated in undergraduate research. It was his research work that inspired him to pursue his doctorate in quantum chemistry.
“After applying, getting accepted, and visiting different schools, I realized not only were the quantum chemistry groups here the best, but ISU is where I wanted to be,” Garcia Alejo says.
He knew that all work and no play wouldn’t do during his graduate studies, so he joined the campus Latin dance club.
“Colombians are really good dancers, but I wasn’t,” Garcia Alejo says, laughing. “At home, I was embarrassed to try. Here, I had the chance to learn from scratch. At one social, the instructors told us to pair up. I looked across the hall, and there she was.”
“She” was Sarah Norvell, Garcia Alejo’s now-wife. “We had really good chemistry,” he says, no pun intended.
After completing his doctorate, Garcia Alejo left Iowa for Hawaii to pursue his postdoctoral studies at the University of Hawaii.
“Hawaii is nice, but it isn’t Ames,” he says. “I made a pledge to myself that I wanted to return and work for ISU in order to give back to the community that had given me so much.”
Garcia Alejo secured a role that combined his passions for science and Iowa State in the Science Bound Program. As a program specialist, he visits high schools across the state, preparing students for success in STEM, agriculture, and education studies at ISU.
“We make sure they have all the tools to succeed — not just academically, but in life,” Garcia Alejo says of his Science Bound scholars.
Garcia Alejo’s return to Iowa State was also a return to his new Midwest family; his wife, as well as his in-laws, all work for the university.
“We are a happy Cyclone family,” he says.
