Originally posted on LinkedIn
I first heard of Juan David Aristi 15 years ago, from a distance.
I was in AIESEC at university when he gave this incredible talk about social impact and education.
I ran into him again last year, while researching education for Ignia. He was the third person out of the 107 interviews I conducted.
He took a meeting with me on short notice — and was extremely generous with his time, knowledge, and experience.
The most impressive thing: his passion for education, entrepreneurship, and this country was completely intact. Actually, scratch that — it had multiplied.
In December he invited me to a dinner at his home, along with other ex-AIESECers gathered by Estefania Grajales Rojas.
He told us he was going to run — but he didn’t invite us to campaign. He invited us to be heard. What issues were really hurting the country?
At the end he said — and I’m quoting: “Those who want to join and help — together we can try to fix those problems.”
We need more leaders like JuanDa. People who breathe purpose. Who have a contagious fire. Honest, hardworking people. People who, above all else, actually do things.
I joined his campaign that day as a volunteer CTO. It was an honor to build technology in service of a better country — and running a campaign with a startup mindset was an incredible experience.
This is my first political post in my life, and I write it with absolute conviction. On Sunday I’ll vote for Juan David, number 111 of Nuevo Liberalismo for the Bogotá Chamber of Representatives.
If you care about Education, Entrepreneurship, Employment, and building a country worth staying in — there is no better candidate.