Agostina Colla holds a bachelor's degree in International Studies and is currently pursuing amaster's degree in Communication and Marketing Management at the School of Graduate and Continuing Education in Communication and Design.
She was selected as one of the winners of the 2025 Projects for Peace program.
This international initiative funds youth-led proposals aimed at building peace from a local and transformative perspective.
The award is one of 125 projects selected worldwide, each of which receives $10,000 in funding to be implemented in various communities around the world.
Universidad ORT Uruguay not only represents the country in this program, but in 2024 it was also the only Uruguayan institution to participate and one of the few worldwide to secure funding for more than one project.
A video game to promote the inclusion of young migrants
The project by Agostina Colla and Fabián Álvarez takes a creative and contemporary approach: a visual novel in video game format titled *Otra Orilla: Empezar de 0*, which focuses on the experience of a young migrant starting high school in Uruguay.
The proposal was developed with the guidance of advisor Sabrina Bianchi and has institutional support of Sara Goldberg, who leads the project at ORT.
Throughout the game, the choices the player makes—primarily through dialogue— influence the outcome of the story.
The narrative spans a school year, and the main goal is for the character to fully integrate through experiences such as being invited on a trip to the beach or the graduation trip.
The pitch for the video game is: the player is a student from a Latin American country (to be determined) who has to spend a school year at a Uruguayan high school. Will he be able to make friends? Will he be excluded? Or will he be the one who chooses not to fit in?
The game also includes a mid-game evaluation:
" Halfway through the game, the player will be 'evaluated' based on whether or not they are invited to a major event (a party or a quinceañera)," Colla said.
This approach aims not only to foster empathy among players, but also to highlight the integration challenges faced by migrant adolescents, from a playful and educational perspective.
A program that promotes youth leadership
Projects for Peace, an initiative of Middlebury College (Vermont, United States), seeks to empower young people around the world to develop innovative, community-based, and scalable solutions to the most pressing social issues.
Since its inception, it has supported thousands of students who, like Colla, combine creativity, social commitment, and strategic vision.
Each proposal is first evaluated by an internal committee at the applicant's home university.
In the case ofORT University Uruguay, the committee “is particularly interested in supporting projects that have an impact and leave a lasting impression on the target population.”
Universidad ORT Uruguay: Regional Leadership in Impactful Education
Universidad ORT Uruguay established Universidad ORT Uruguay as one of the leading Latin American institutions in this type of international initiative. Participating for the second consecutive year, it stands out both for the quality of its projects and for its commitment to an education that promotes social change.
- You might be interested in: Universidad ORT Uruguay its commitment to the Projects for Peace program in 2025
Students and graduates like Agostina Colla clearly demonstrate the transformative potential of young talent when it is channeled through creative, technological, and purpose-driven tools.