Everything is Changing
Last year, after graduating, I was filled with mixed emotions. Like anyone would be, I was incredibly happy to have completed university. But at the same time, I felt an overwhelming sense of uncertainty. I had graduated a bit later than expected because I changed my major fairly late in the process, from being a Computer Science student and a professor’s assistant, I made the decision to start over. Time, as always, felt limited.
My graduation felt ominous. The world seemed more uncertain, faster-paced, and ever-changing than ever before. A flood of new graduates were entering a tough job market, and I couldn’t help but wonder: What now?
Before Lead & Learn came to life, I had started a project called Mujeres y Negocios, Women and Business in English. Through it, I offered volunteer business consultancy to women entrepreneurs in rural Costa Rica. I would meet them virtually and go over their business plans. But before we could talk about strategy or finance, I realized something deeper: many of them didn’t see themselves as “women in business.”
These women, often the sole breadwinners of their families and, in many cases, single mothers, are the backbone of local economies in rural Costa Rica. Their small businesses are essential to the country’s economic fabric. And yet, something was missing. They had internalized a system that made them feel they weren’t competent or capable enough to even call themselves businesswomen.
That’s when I realized the conversation wasn’t just about business. It was about leadership.
So, I transformed Women and Business into Lead & Learn: a space to rethink what it means to lead, to listen to the stories that often go unheard, and to learn through action. It became my way of navigating complex contexts and challenges, from grassroots economic empowerment to climate diplomacy and public policy.
Lead & Learn is my personal and professional journey, and an invitation to grow alongside others who are also asking, “what now?” in a world that’s constantly changing.