It’s clear that longterm brand success is becoming more influenced by an organization’s ability to prioritize both people and profit. Social impact is a distinctive, growing field, with professionals and organizations championing opportunities for businesses to commit to doing better. 

We’re profiling Social Impact leaders to engage their insights into how CSR is transforming and growing, what inspired them to enter the field, and advice for others who either operate in or are looking to enter the space.

Alejandra Lopez is an entrepreneur and intrapreneur who is passionate about social impact, technology, education, and innovation. She works at Amazon Web Services as a Global Go-to-Market Lead for education programs that target the K-12 vertical. She has more than 15 years of experience working for a variety of industries and sectors. She has led and co-funded global education programs and social impact projects with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in countries such as: Uganda, Peru, Colombia, Thailand, the U.S, and Cambodia. Alejandra is passionate about working on projects that seek to reduce inequality and eradicate poverty worldwide. 

What inspired you to begin working in social impact?

There are three things that inspired me to work in social impact: 

1)My parents, 2) Colombia, 3) a “simple” question.

1) My parents: They are volunteers and leaders of social projects that target underserved and underprivileged populations. At a very early age, my parents made sure to engage me in the social projects they were part of. At first my role was to observe and listen, but then as I grew older, my role evolved and the feeling of wanting to help others increased. I was no longer the kid who would tag along with her parents, but I became interested in taking actionable steps to help eradicate inequality worldwide.

2) I was born and raised in Colombia. A developing country, with a population of 51.52 M people. In 2019, around 2.5 M people lived on less than $1.90 per day. In 2021, Colombia was the most unequal country in Latin America based on the degree of inequality distribution measured by the Gini Coefficient (Colombia’s Gini: 54.2, Source: World Bank). Despite Colombia’s inequality distribution, I love Colombia. It is a country that opened my eyes to the lack of equal access to socio-economic resources. Even though, I do not live there anymore, it is a country that fills my passion to offer education access to children and Youth worldwide.

3) A few years ago, I enrolled in Social Enterprise courses. It was a great opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with others who are passionate about working on projects that had a social purpose.

I remembered a question that was asked in one of the classes and that I will never forget: “When you die, what do you want to be remembered for?” That was a “simple” question, but with a deep meaning that made me question myself and realized the work I was doing needed to change.‍

What is your favorite project that you have or are currently working on?

Currently, I am working on developing go-to-market strategies to bring AWS Spark and AWS GetIT to youth 12-18 years old worldwide. These are two AWS Training and Certification education programs that seek to inspire young learners to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). Both programs are currently offered at no cost.  To learn more about how you can enroll and the programs’ global availability go here: AWS GetIT and AWS Spark.

What would you tell others interested in pursuing a career in CSR or social impact? 

Every little step counts. You do not have to wait until you find a corporate job or launch your start-up to make an impact in society. Ask yourself if what you are doing is part of the legacy that you want to leave behind. Is the work you are doing full/part-time something that will improve the life of others and make the world more equal to all of us living in it? If the answer is no, it is time to take actionable steps to change what you are doing or haven’t done yet. Life is too short to continue living in a bubble, there are people out there who need our help.

Why does increasing the number of people working in social impact matter?

Increasing the number of people working in social impact matters, but increasing the impact delivered matters more. We can have thousands of people “giving a man a fish,” but the work that really matters is when “the man is taught how to fish.” In other words, it is not about the number of social projects companies have or the number of people working on those projects. Instead, it is about the sustainable value and the impact we can deliver. 

Discover a New Way to Create Social Impact

If you're interested in an opportunity to to discuss your social impact initiatives, your story, and how your company is creating impact, email vanessa@paragonone.com

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