In a small Central American country, despite decades of adversity, people still believe in education’s power to transform lives. I grew up in El Salvador, where classrooms lacked resources, technology, and even teachers - but never hope. That hope became my compass, leading me to a life of service. My story is not one of triumph, but of how education, guided by ethics and purpose, can uplift communities and public institutions.
Since early on, I believed education was not just a right but a shared responsibility. While studying law at the University of El Salvador, in 2014 a professor invited me to serve as a virtual tutor in the OAS Judicial Facilitators Program. That experience introduced me to grassroots legal empowerment and sparked my commitment to public service.
A few years later, I entered the public sector - first in an administrative role, then as a legal assistant - where I witnessed how weak ethics and transparency eroded public trust. Still, I sought ways to grow and contribute. In 2019, I earned a scholarship to study anti-corruption strategies at the National School of Administration in France. That same year, I was unexpectedly asked to deliver legal training. Though unsure, someone believed in me. That chance led me to design and lead my first programs on transparency, auditing, public ethics, and compliance - more than theory, they became blueprints for institutional change.
Over the years, I have led training sessions for public officials, and directed projects on transparency, ethics, and accountability. I also helped design the Diploma in Systematic AntiCorruption. In each session - virtual or in person - I found my mission renewed. Participants became multipliers, applying what they learned to improve institutional transparency. The pandemic accelerated innovation in how we trained and connected with public servants remotely.
Teaching alone wasn’t enough. I saw technology as a tool for change, which led me to create ESA Legal Assistant - the first public, free ChatGPT-powered tool for Salvadoran constitutional law. It bridges citizens and justice by democratizing access to jurisprudence. I also helped launch my institution’s first virtual Code of Ethics course. ESA has supported over 500 conversations and continues expanding, with national impact potential. My vision is to scale AI tools that empower youth, fight corruption, and strengthen civic education.
Of course, the road has not been easy. I have faced resistance, budget constraints, and the ever-present challenge of inspiring change in systems designed to remain unchanged. Yet in every challenge, I have found deeper purpose. Today, I serve the state as a department head, information officer, and facilitator - roles that reflect a path built with patience, resilience, and a deep commitment to serve. These barriers have pushed me to be more creative, to look for new opportunities, to connect with international organizations like UNODC and the GRACE Initiative - as a winner of their global essay competition on ethics, anti-corruption, and civic engagement - and to bring global learning to local solutions.
The impact is real and growing. Thousands of public servants have completed courses I codeveloped and now lead their own transparency efforts. Thanks to my institution’s trust and commitment to national improvement - something I deeply value - I also serve as a lecturer in El Salvador’s first postgraduate program on ethics and anti-corruption, created with a Salvadoran university and 20 public institutions. Young law students use my virtual assistant, and more importantly, communities now feel that institutions are beginning to listen and respond.
What have I learned? That integrity must be taught. That innovation must be grounded in ethics. And that true transformation starts when we stop asking what the system can give us, and start asking how we can serve it better.
I dream of an El Salvador - and of Latin American countries - where education is a true national priority, one that equips every student not just with knowledge, but with the critical thinking and civic courage to challenge injustice. I want to reinforce training programs so they can reach even more public servants and broader segments of society. I want to use innovation not to replace human effort, but to enhance it, connecting communities that make change possible.
I am not alone. There is a generation that is rising - young people who are tired of corruption, inequality, and silence. If my story can offer them a map, a spark, or a reason to believe that change is possible, then every hour spent will have been worth it.
I share this not as a summary of achievements, but as a pledge: to keep walking, teaching, innovating, and lighting the way for others to follow. Because education, powered by integrity and technology, is not just a tool for change - it is the change itself.
