Saved from violence by his violin

When Moreno turned 18, he knew he was going to face some tough decisions. He wanted to go to college but never dreamed that he’d be able to afford it.

The first door to TCU opened when Maria was let go by the Arboledas. Her release wasn’t punitive. It was just time for the two families to part ways, said Moreno. As remuneration for her years of service, Arboleda offered Maria a lump sum of money. Rather than take it for herself, Maria asked her to support Edinson through college. Arboleda honored the request, and Fundarboledas offered Moreno a scholarship to The Conservatory of Fine Arts in Cali.

Halfway through the music program, another door opened. One of Moreno’s friends, Jose Miguel, was accepted into the music program at TCU. The school’s director of instrumental studies, German Gutierrez, also a Colombia native, was intrigued by Moreno’s story and credentials.

“German Gutierrez contacted me and said, ‘There is this opportunity, and it offers full tuition,’ ” Moreno recalled. “So two years before I finished my time at the conservatory, I decided to apply.”

Gutierrez said offering scholarships to low-income students abroad comes with few guarantees.

“When I allow these students to come on scholarship, it can be a lottery,” Gutierrez said. “I’ve had students who came with a full scholarship that I send back to Colombia. Sometimes they come here, and they don’t work and would rather chase girls and party. But I’m sure that [Moreno] is going to be successful. He’s very conscious of where he came from and how much it cost to climb that ladder.

“It was a very high ladder to get here,” Gutierrez continued. “He’s very humble.”

The application and paperwork were extensive, and an unforeseen snag caused a yearlong delay. To satisfy visa-related requirements, Moreno had to find an underwriter for his TCU scholarship. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service requires that foreign students have a financial sponsor who can assume any of a student’s debts during his or her time in the country. Moreno didn’t have that connection. As the year passed, he felt worse and worse about his chances of ever finding help.

“There were many [barriers for Moreno] like money, visa, and language,” said Janeth Lotero, the mother of one of Moreno’s classmates at the Arboledas’ school and a longtime supporter of and advisor for the boy. “Looking for an American citizen who, without knowing [Moreno], would agree to pay any debt that arose during his studies” was more difficult.

In 2011, a director at The Trinity, a school where Moreno was working, passed away. Several of the school’s founding members who resided in the United States traveled to Cali to attend the funeral.

Lotero saw the moment as an opportunity to find an underwriter for Moreno. After the mass, she spoke with the visiting directors.

“She explained that I was already accepted to this U.S. college,” Moreno recalled. “My whole life depended on that moment.”

Lotero was able to convince the brother-in-law of the school’s owner to sign the document.

But there was one last thing.

Finding his way in a foreign country.

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