▁Nic ar agu an ▁amb assador ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁Nations ▁from ▁ 1 9 8 6 ▁to ▁ 1 9 8 8 . ▁ ▁Early ▁life ▁and ▁education ▁Ast org a ▁was ▁born ▁to ▁a ▁religious , ▁upper - middle - class ▁family ▁in ▁Man agua . ▁She ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁child ▁of ▁Seg undo ▁Ast org a , ▁a ▁l umber ▁exp orter ▁and ▁ran cher ▁with ▁connections ▁to ▁the ▁powerful ▁r uling ▁Som o za ▁family , ▁and ▁his ▁wife ▁M ier rel ▁G ade a . ▁In ▁her ▁youth ▁she ▁was ▁a ▁dev out ▁Roman ▁Catholic , ▁often ▁doing ▁char itable ▁work ▁in ▁the ▁poor ▁neighborhood s ▁of ▁Man agua . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 6 7 , ▁Ast org a ▁announced ▁to ▁her ▁family ' s ▁dis may ▁that ▁she ▁supported ▁Fernando ▁Ag ü ero , ▁not ▁his ▁oppon ent ▁An ast as io ▁Som o za ▁Deb ay le , ▁in ▁the ▁president ial ▁election . ▁For ▁her ▁personal ▁safety ▁and ▁to ▁" stra ight en ▁her ▁out ," ▁her ▁family ▁sent ▁her ▁to ▁study ▁medicine ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁where ▁she ▁remained ▁from ▁ 1 9 6 7 ▁to ▁ 1 9 6 9 . ▁However , ▁the ▁animal ▁dis sections ▁dist urbed ▁her ▁and ▁she ▁had ▁to ▁abandon ▁her ▁studies . ▁She ▁said ▁of ▁the ▁years ▁she ▁spent ▁in ▁Washington , ▁D . C ., ▁" What ▁im pressed ▁me ▁most ▁about ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁were ▁the ▁social ▁contrast s ▁and ▁above ▁all ▁the