Access to higher education for the
most disadvantaged is a challenge for Latin America, according to UNESCO.
Despite its expansion in recent decades, university access remains highly
unequal: the lowest income half of the population accounts for only a quarter
of university students. Moreover, the university is outdated. For the World
Bank, the incorporation of information and communication technologies in the
region's higher education systems remains low and has not focused on updating
pedagogical methods.
For Viviana Rojas, a graduate in
Business Administration from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and
from a lower-middle class family, going to university "was a financial
challenge for her family." After obtaining a scholarship to further her
studies in Europe and Asia, she decided to return to her country to apply the
knowledge acquired abroad to improve education and work in Latin America.
The young Peruvian has created
DigitalMente, a platform that defines itself as a social innovation laboratory
that seeks solutions for the future of education and work. Her start-up trains
young people in the skills needed to excel in the future of work and at the
same time supports the transformation of universities for the Future of
Education. This initiative has earned her recognition as one of the Innovators
under 35 Latin America 2023 chosen by MIT Technology Review in Spanish.
DigitalMente works with two lines
of action. One of them is the Academy, which helps young Latin Americans to win
prestigious international scholarships such as the Erasmus Mundus that Rojas
enjoyed, helping them further their studies in subjects related to the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, she trains them in
the digital skills and mindsets needed for the future workplace. The courses
designed by Rojas are based on innovative pedagogy such as Design Thinking and
project-based learning.
The other leg is her Innovation
Lab. There she supports and empowers universities in their transformation
towards a more Digital, Sustainable, and Collaborative world. DigitalMente
encourages universities to take an active leadership role in facing the challenges
of the Future. Currently, it is focused on developing international cooperation
projects between institutions in Europe and Latin America. The platform
encourages universities to interact with the outside world. Rojas seeks to
strengthen the relationship and collaboration between universities, business,
government, and civil society.
DigitalMente is present in
Spanish-speaking Latin America and its creator estimates that it has helped its
users to raise 2.7 million euros in grants. Now, it hopes to partner with
governments and other organizations to make its courses available to more
people and develop more international projects.
