2025 SOSA Winner
Wiley Skaret
$100,000 raised. Nine scholarships. Music as a vehicle for justice.
Colombia · Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs · Eligible Family Member
Wiley Skaret is a concert pianist. He is also the founder of James 1 — a U.S. 501(c)(3) that provides university scholarships to the children of Colombian National Police officers killed in the line of duty, families that grief and poverty had rendered largely invisible. To build the coalition this mission required, Skaret moved through rooms most volunteers never enter: police generals, supreme court justices, ambassadors, diplomats, corporate leaders, and the families of the fallen themselves. And when words weren't enough, he played. He launched a nationwide awareness campaign by recording music videos across Colombia with a piano transformed into a traveling memorial — painted by a CNP graffiti artist — before it was permanently installed at the CNP Museum in Bogotá. Through benefit concerts on two continents, national media appearances, and the creation of an international scholarship board, he elevated James 1 from a local initiative into a global effort. The foundation has raised more than $100,000 and awarded full or partial university scholarships to nine children of fallen officers, four of whom have now graduated. New applications are under review.