Venezuela’s student movement emerged in May of 2007 in response to a government‐​ordered shutdown of the nation’s oldest private television station, RCTV. In the face of ongoing death threats and continual intimidation due to his prominent and vocal leadership, 23‐​year‐​old law student Yon Goicoechea, recipient of the 2008 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, plays a pivotal role in organizing and voicing opposition to the erosion of human and civil rights in his country. In his commitment to a modern Venezuela, Goicoechea emphasizes tolerance and the human right to seek prosperity.