Santiago Potes is eighteen. When he first showed up to Atmósfera's activities in Cali, he quickly brought the room to life. Everyone was glad they had come whenever Santiago was around. From the moment programs began earlier this year, his presence could be felt everywhere: participating in every activity, pitching ideas, making friends, and best of all, leading others to laughter.

Then one day, unexpectedly, he brought sad news to the Atmósfera team. He was moving to Spain, and he was leaving in fifteen days.

The team could hardly bear the thought of him leaving.

His family had already emigrated to Spain, and staying in Cali would have meant continuing to live alone. The team spent Santiago's final week at program celebrating his life and hanging on to every moment before he left the country. When they asked what he'd miss most, he said cheering for América (the local soccer team) at the stadium, playing the drums, school, and Atmósfera itself.

On his last day, the team baked a cake, signed a card, and prayed over him before he left for a continent he'd never seen before.

He hasn't left the Atmósfera WhatsApp group since. He reacts to every message, promises to log on for virtual classes, and eagerly awaits messages from his old classmates. On some Fridays he surprises the team by joining via video call. Recently, for a photography embroidery workshop, Santiago diligently stitched a childhood photo of himself, then stayed on the thread afterward and praised every classmate's finished piece.

Now that he is in Spain, his communication tends to say the same thing:

The team has stayed as close to him as distance allows. They know he carries the quiet weight of having to start over, and the slow work of learning to belong somewhere new. We at UPLAM know Santiago will be okay, because he is a strong young man, and seeds of resiliency, creativity, and hope have been planted deep into his soul over the last couple of years. But strength was never meant to carry a person alone. That's exactly why a photograph, an embroidery needle, and a group chat that refuses to let him go still matter.