Javier Aranzales migrated to the United States as a child from his native Colombia. Since an early age, he developed a love for ballet and was awarded a scholarship at the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet in Miami. Javier later attended New World School of the Arts at Miami Dade College and trained with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the North Carolina Dance Theatre before being admitted to Harvard University. He is interested in how the arts, especially dance, can be embraced for youth development in low-income communities. This interest has led him to work with arts education initiatives in China, the Philippines, Colombia, Uganda, and Puerto Rico. Javier is currently in Nairobi, Kenya, working with Anno's Africa, an arts education program in two of the largest slums in Africa, and setting up the inaugural Nairobi International Dance Festival.