Ensena por Argentina in underprivileged schools

Alexis was not always a strong student. In his final years of high school, he began participating in Model United Nations simulations—an experience that sparked his desire to address major social challenges. He went on to study International Relations and volunteered with the Argentine Youth Organization for the United Nations, working on youth empowerment initiatives across several provinces.

In 2016, he was selected as a Fellow of Enseñá por Argentina to work in the Inclusion and Completion Program in Córdoba, supporting students aged 14 to 17 who had dropped out of school. There, he learned that keeping students engaged in education is not only about academic content, but about relationships: trust, closeness, and creating a safe space.

Many of his students faced contexts of violence and exclusion. This experience became a turning point in his career. Alexis realized that beyond teaching in the classroom, he wanted to influence the structural conditions limiting his students’ opportunities. He decided to pursue a career in public policy to expand his impact.

His status as an Alumni of Enseñá por Argentina was instrumental in securing a role at the Secretariat for Social and Urban Inclusion in Buenos Aires. There, he coordinated vocational training programs in Barrio Padre Carlos Mugica (formerly Villa 31), aimed at improving employability for youth and adults.

The team began by walking the neighborhood, identifying community leaders and building trust. The training offer combined two key factors: participants’ interests and real labor market demand. They also implemented differentiated learning levels to address diverse starting points.

The results were significant: the graduation rate increased from 30% in the first year to 60% in the second. All graduates were automatically connected to the City Government’s employment network, and partnerships with private sector organizations strengthened job placement opportunities.

Alexis deepened his commitment by dedicating his Master’s thesis in Human Development to the urban transformation process of the neighborhood. He later served as Finance Director at Enseñá por Argentina and currently coordinates the Delivery Unit at the Ministry of Education of the City of Buenos Aires, ensuring the effective implementation of education policies.

His journey reflects the program’s multiplier effect: a teacher who once accompanied 30 students now helps implement public education policies that reach thousands across the City of Buenos Aires. Yet he carries the classroom with him. The lessons he learned—about trust, belonging, and the daily realities students and teachers face—continue to guide his work, ensuring that policy decisions remain rooted in what schools truly need.

Context
When Argentina was facing the 2001 economic crisis, Pablo was a 17-year-old student who felt deeply worried about his country’s future. He saw the struggles of his father’s small business and began volunteering through his local parish, preparing meals for people living on the streets. That early experience of solidarity sparked in him a lifelong commitment to social change.

After studying Political Science, Pablo started working in the private sector but soon realized something was missing: purpose. “I felt that what I was doing had no real impact on society,” he recalls. “I wanted to be part of something that could truly change people’s lives.”

Challenge
Searching for that sense of meaning, Pablo came across a call from Enseñá por Argentina — part of the global Teach For All network — recruiting young professionals to teach for two years in vulnerable communities. He applied and became part of the first cohort of 14 fellows in 2011.

Assigned to teach Citizenship, Sociology, and Political Economy in three public-subsidized schools, Pablo faced classrooms filled with students carrying big dreams but few opportunities. Many wanted to pursue university studies yet lacked confidence or role models who had done so.

Transformation
Determined to connect learning with students’ realities, Pablo redesigned his lessons to make them meaningful and empowering. “I wanted them to see that education could be their bridge to a better life,” he says. He took students on visits to universities, the National Congress, and local councils — helping them imagine futures beyond their neighborhoods.

Over time, he saw remarkable change: students who once doubted themselves started applying to higher education and believing in their own potential. Pablo also traveled to San Francisco through Teach For All to exchange experiences with educators from around the world — an experience that broadened his understanding of educational transformation.

After completing the Programa de Liderazgo Colectivo (Collective Leadership Program), Pablo won a Chevening Scholarship to pursue a Master’s in Education Policy at the University of London. Later, he returned to Enseñá por Argentina as Program Director and then as Executive Director between 2018 and 2019.

Lasting Impact
Today, Pablo leads his family-owned company with the same principles he learned in the classroom: empathy, collaboration, and purpose-driven leadership. He has implemented a triple impact strategy, building partnerships with schools (many through Enseñá por Argentina alumni), offering internships, and donating equipment to educational institutions. Inside the company, he created a Diversity & Inclusion Committee and encourages employees to design community impact projects.

“Teaching transformed my leadership forever,” Pablo says. “I still carry into my work the same lessons I learned in the classroom: build goals together, listen deeply, empower others, and never stop learning.”

His journey from teacher to CEO illustrates how transformative leadership — once sparked in a classroom — can ripple outward, creating lasting social change in every sector of society.