Born in the small town of La Gloria de Colombia, Soriano obtained a college degree in Spanish literature after studying with a professor who visited his village twice a month. In his town, children saw violence everyday instead of setting their imagination free with books.

Soriano spends his free time operating a "biblioburro," a Spanish term for a mobile library on two donkeys, that offers reading opportunities to children living in Magdalena.

Every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning, Soriano and his two donkeys named Alfa and Beto carry books to 15 selected villages. Off with his mobile library, he travels into the hills and through the fields to the villages beyond where children await his geography lessons. The “nomadic” teacher said, “in rural regions, a child must walk or ride a donkey for up to 40 minutes to reach the closest school. They have very few opportunities to go to secondary school.”

Soriano said a shortage of teachers is a big problem. He has seen a lot of students in poor villages who can’t find materials to finish their studies. Beginning with 70 books, Soriano’s library has grown to more than 4,800 books, most with a children’s adventure theme. He and his wife manage the biggest free library in Magdalena. Soriano and his biblioburro have been featured in a children’s book and a documentary.