Marcela Berrios was raised in the United States, where she was born after her parents fled Nicaragua’s civil war. When her family returned there when she was 12, she realized that her life’s work would be giving back to the community.
“I wanted to stay there,” says Berrios, “and work there with my people and my roots.”
In the summer of 2012, she met someone working for Global Glimpse, which she says changed her life. Now she serves as vice president of strategic partnership for the organization.
The nonprofit sends students to different countries to experience the developing world firsthand. The goal, says Berrios, is to nurture a new generation of young Americans who think and act as responsible global citizens.
Founders: Abbas Hasan
Year founded: 2007
Employees: 12 in the U.S., 7 others around the world
Where we’re based: WeWork River North
Moment of inspiration: “I realized how special this program is because they really take you to learn about a country fully—not just about poverty, but also about global business, and culture, and education,” says Berrios. “I see these students transform before my eyes. They are different people on the last day of the trip.”
Biggest hurdle: “The first hurdle is that we are growing really fast, but we need to make sure we grow strategically and keep the quality of our program,” says Berrios. “The second is the struggle with how we can offer this opportunity to more students. How do we grow so that we can reach more schools?”
How we want to change the world: “We want to create accessibility to students who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to travel and learn about the world,” says Berrios. “We work with juniors in high school who are going to be the decision makers one day.”