Receives International Award for Promoting Peace in Childhood Through Music

• With her project Onda Regia, Lucía Castillo has found in cumbia and vallenato a powerful tool to foster community unity and strengthen cultural identity, earning her the international Newman Civic Fellowship 2025–2026.

Lucía Castillo, a seventh-semester student of the Information and Communication Sciences program at the Universidad de Monterrey, was recognized with the Newman Civic Fellowship 2025–2026, an international distinction awarded to young changemakers committed to the well-being of their communities.

Originally from the Independencia neighborhood in Monterrey, Lucía has transformed her love for cumbia and vallenato into a tool for social change. She is the founder of Onda Regia, a project that promotes identity, unity, and community belonging through music education and art therapy, primarily targeting children ages 10 to 12.

Lucía is part of the 11th generation of Formar para Transformar, an UDEM initiative that supports students with a vocation for service in developing projects for sustainable social impact.

“Formar para Transformar challenges you to discover your purpose and supports you throughout the journey. More than a program, it has become a family,” she said.

The project, which emerged thanks to Formar para Transformar, has benefited more than 249 children and youth and has collaborated with local and international artists, including La Sonora Dinamita and Junte Sabanero.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of Formar para Transformar, where I discovered that I could help my community with something I loved and that was part of who I am,” she explained.

In addition to driving social transformation in her community, Lucía has been invited to several spaces for dialogue and reflection, such as the World Meeting on Human Values, where she has shared her experience on how art and music can serve as tools to rebuild the social fabric.

These experiences have strengthened her leadership and reaffirmed her commitment to inspiring other young people to actively engage in their communities.

Thanks to this recognition, Lucía traveled from October 16 to 18 to Chicago, United States, where she represented Mexico and UDEM during the international gathering of the Newman Civic Fellowship, sharing best practices with other changemakers from around the world.

I am deeply honored to represent my community and where I come from. I look forward to learning from other experiences and bringing that knowledge back to Mexico to continue promoting change from UDEM,” she concluded.