|
|
Rafael
Giraldo was
born in Medellin, Colombia on June 23, 1963. As a member of
a diplomatic family, he experienced extensive travel early
in life. Raised in Prague, Czechoslovakia during the cold
war of the 1970's, he attended the International
School of Prague at Schoenborn Palace..
During this period, he had the opportunity to enhanced his
understanding of the immense cultural diversity of the
world, by first hand interaction with other students
representing a multitude of nationalities, backgrounds,
religions and ethnic origins.
After living in Europe for six years, in 1977, Rafael
returned to Colombia. In 1982, he graduated from The
Columbus School in Medellin. He obtains both the
American High School and the Colombian Baccalaureate
Degrees.
Between 1983 and 1988, he studied law at Universidad de
Medellin. During this period, he became deeply immersed in
learning about the complex socio-political and economic
dynamics of this developing country. As an avid sportsman,
wishing to enhance his first hand knowledge of Colombia, he
hitchhiked throughout the country. He backpacked in the
everlasting snow covered peaks of the Cordilleras of the
Andes, as well the jungle of El Choco and the desert of La
Guajira. His travels took him to numerous other regions of
the Colombian Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
|
Rafael
with daughters Katherine & Alexandra
|
Between
1983 and 1988, he studied law at Universidad de Medellin. During
this period, he became deeply immersed in learning about the
complex socio-political and economic dynamics of this developing
country. As an avid sportsman, wishing to enhance his first hand
knowledge of Colombia, he hitchhiked throughout the country. He
backpacked in the everlasting snow covered peaks of the
Cordilleras of the Andes, as well the jungle of El Choco and the
desert of La Guajira. His travels took him to numerous other
regions of the Colombian Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Between 1990 and 1992, he was involved in a variety of overseas
assignments for U.S. Corporations in Latin America. In late 1992,
he returned to the U.S. and entered St. Thomas University in South
Florida where he obtained a B.A in sociology. Since 1992, Rafael
Giraldo has resided in South Florida.
Several corporations ranging from start-ups to multinationals have
employed him in executive and/or consulting capacities. As the Executive
Director of the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce
in Miami, from 1994-1995, Rafael Giraldo coordinated numerous
promotional events including the
Colombian
Chamber presidential breakfast during the Summit of The Americas,
economic
development roundtable discussions
and trade
and investment seminars
with corporate
executives
and foreign dignitaries.
Several of his U.S. companies along with his professional activity
have been featured on TV, Radio and in various publications such
as:
El
Nuevo Herald,
The Discovery Channel - Latin America,
El
Tiempo (Portafolio),
CBS
Market Watch,
Florida Trends, RCN Miami 1660 AM and
Yahoo
Finance.
To this day, Rafael Giraldo maintains an unquenchable thirst for
general knowledge. He has been involved in a diversity of projects
of private enterprise in the areas of: Agricultural industry,
automotive
services,
aviation,
international trade, telecommunications, electronic
product-service development,
electronic
media,
the Internet,
food
processing technologies
and education.
In 2004, after more than 17 years in the business world, Rafael
Giraldo embraced two new callings. He became a writer
and a history
teacher.
This turning point has taken him to pursue graduate
courses in both the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute and
Universidad de Salamanca in Spain. Rafael Giraldo is presently
a graduate anthropology student at Florida Atlantic University.
************
Update
- March, 2008
By
spring 2008, Rafael Giraldo will be publishing Blessings Given. It is a memoir.
It is a
story of love and deliverance. It is the account of
a personal experience narrating the chronicles of the
author's narrow escape from the grasp of Colombian terrorists.
Events take place in the Colombian countryside, deep in the
mountains of the Andes in the year of 1985.
Blessings
Given will be available to the public between April & May, 2008
BLESSINGS
GIVEN
|
