In Colombia, finishing high school remains a significant achievement, but it is not always enough to break the cycles of inequality. For thousands of young people, especially those in vulnerable contexts, access to tertiary education—technical, technological, or university—marks the difference between merely surviving and having real opportunities to transform their future.

Tertiary education not only improves job prospects; it also strengthens life skills, expands the ability to make informed decisions, and contributes to the social and economic development of regions. However, access to this level of education remains unequal, conditioned by economic, social, and educational factors that begin long before graduation from school.

Tertiary education: more than a degree, an opportunity for transformation

To talk about tertiary education is to talk about social mobility, autonomy, and dignity. Young people who manage to continue their education after high school are more likely to find formal employment, improve their income, and actively participate in building their communities.

In a country where educational gaps widen depending on place of origin, the quality of primary and secondary education is crucial. When schools manage to offer meaningful learning, emotional support, and vocational guidance, tertiary education is no longer perceived as a distant dream but becomes an achievable goal.

Furthermore, it is essential to recognize that there is no single valid path. Technical and technological education represents a valuable and relevant alternative for many young people, allowing them to enter the workforce more quickly and offering them the possibility of continuing their education throughout their lives.

Quality education from the ground up: the origin of educational trajectories

The decision to continue studying is not made in the last year of school. It is built up throughout the entire educational journey, based on school experiences that reinforce confidence, a sense of belonging, and motivation to learn.

In schools supported by the Pies Descalzos Foundation, this vision translates into a comprehensive commitment to educational quality. From childhood onwards, children and young people find safe and stimulating learning environments, with adequate infrastructure, well-trained teachers, and constant support that recognizes both the academic and socio-emotional dimensions of development.

This approach allows students not only to remain in the education system, but also to look toward the future with greater clarity. The school thus becomes a space where imagining what comes next is possible and legitimate.

Results that reflect continuous trajectories

The impact of this work is evident in the trajectories of graduates. Between 70% and 80% of students who graduate from schools supported by the Pies Descalzos Foundation continue their education in tertiary programs. Today, many of them are technicians, technologists, and professionals in fields such as medicine, law, engineering, administration, and education.

Beyond the numbers, these young people become positive role models for their families and communities, demonstrating that education can be a real driver of social transformation. Each story reflects how a solid educational foundation broadens horizons and multiplies opportunities.

Expanding opportunities also means recognizing different paths.

Guaranteeing access to tertiary education means recognizing the diversity of interests, contexts, and life plans among young people. Not everyone follows the same path or at the same pace, and all educational routes are valuable when they respond to the aspirations and abilities of each student.

From this perspective, the Pies Descalzos Foundation promotes a broad view of educational continuity, in which technical, technological, and university education are complementary, not mutually exclusive, options. The important thing is that every young person has the necessary tools to choose freely and build their own life project.

Looking ahead, the Foundation plans to strengthen this impact through strategic alliances with higher education institutions, technical and technological training programs, and public and private sector actors, with the aim of continuing to expand educational opportunities for its graduates.

Investing in higher education means investing in the country.

Guaranteeing access to tertiary education is, in essence, guaranteeing that more young people can choose. Choose to continue learning, choose to expand their opportunities, and choose to build life projects with greater autonomy and dignity. In a country like Colombia, where educational gaps continue to shape the destiny of thousands of young people, strengthening these trajectories is not a luxury: it is a necessity.

Experience shows that when basic and secondary education is experienced with quality, meaning, and support, the transition to technical, technological, or university education becomes a real possibility. It is not just a matter of graduating, but of doing so with academic, social-emotional, and personal tools that allow students to look to the future with confidence.

Based on this conviction, the Pies Descalzos Foundation works to ensure that every child and young person has access to an education that broadens horizons and opens doors. An education that recognizes different ways of learning, multiple educational paths, and the value of every decision that students make for their lives.

Investing in tertiary education means investing in individual and collective development. It means investing in young people who, given real opportunities, can transform their communities, strengthen the social fabric, and contribute to the country's development. Because when education is continuous, relevant, and of high quality, opportunities cease to be the exception and become a shared possibility.