Student Spotlight: Two Latinas Selected as Global Energy Fellows

Two outstanding Latin American graduate students, Catalina Toro from Chile and Alejandra Valdivia from Peru, have been selected as part of the 2025 cohort of the Leuschen Global Energy Fellows Program at the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). This highly competitive fellowship provides students with the resources, training, and professional network necessary to become future leaders in the global energy sector.

Now in its third year, the Global Energy Fellows Program brings together a diverse group of graduate students from multiple Columbia schools to tackle pressing energy and climate challenges. The fellowship offers a range of professional development opportunities, including training, career workshops, networking opportunities and funding for summer internships in the energy and climate sector. As part of the program, students engage with CGEP experts, Distinguished Visiting Fellows, and leaders from government, the private sector, and civil society.

Catalina Toro: Advancing Energy Market Innovation

Catalina Toro holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from Universidad de Chile and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration (MPA) at SIPA, concentrating in Climate, Energy, and Environment. Before joining Columbia, she spent four years working in decarbonization consulting, helping companies set and achieve their emissions reduction goals. She is particularly interested in energy regulation, market design, and technology innovation as tools to accelerate the energy transition.

She aims to bridge the gap between engineering and public policy to drive forward the energy transition. Her interests lie in regulation and market design, and how these can accelerate the adoption of clean energy technologies. She is also actively engaged in Columbia’s student community, serving as the Treasurer of two student-led organizations: the Latin American Student Association (LASA) at SIPA and the recently founded Chileans at Columbia (CHIAC). Beyond academics, Catalina is an amateur triathlete and is currently training to complete a half Ironman by the end of the year.

Catalina first learned about the fellowship from other Chileans who had been part of previous cohorts. She shares that while the application process was intense and competitive due to the high level of interest across Columbia, she highlighted why Chile has much to contribute to the energy transition discussion, particularly given the country’s large resources of critical minerals. “With some of the best conditions for solar energy generation, yet also facing challenges related to the transmission system, socioeconomic inequality, and geographic diversity,” she explains.

“The Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) was one of the main reasons I chose Columbia for my graduate studies—the quality of its researchers and the diversity of topics they cover is fascinating. I believe discussing and learning about energy issues in a diverse environment like CGEP, where students and researchers from around the world bring different perspectives, is incredibly enriching,” says Catalina. Looking ahead, she hopes to work in an international organization focused on energy issues. “Achieving a sustainable and just energy transition cannot be solved solely at the local level. I would like to see Latin America collaborate more closely across countries to achieve sustainable development and position the region as a leader in low-emission energy systems.”

Alejandra Valdivia: Driving Renewable Energy Finance

Alejandra Valdivia is a Master of Public Administration student at SIPA, also specializing in Climate, Energy, and Environment. With a strong academic background in energy engineering, she graduated from Peru’s University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) and also holds a Diploma in Energy Markets and Regulation and a Specialist Diploma in Municipal Solid Waste Valorization. She has previously worked on renewable energy projects in Peru, conducting market research on solar and battery technologies and performing technical and financial analyses for new energy projects. Passionate about financing the energy transition in Latin America, she sees this fellowship as a pivotal step in her career.

Her studies at Columbia are made possible by the highly competitive Beca Generación del Bicentenario 2024, a merit-based scholarship awarded by the Peruvian government. She is also a co-founder of Red de Jóvenes por la Transición Energética (Youth Network for Energy Transition), a youth-led organization that promotes engagement between young professionals and decision-makers in the energy sector. Her work has taken her to global energy events such as COP26 in Glasgow, the Global Clean Energy Action Forum, and the Vienna Energy and Climate Forum.

Alejandra’s journey to the fellowship was unique. Unlike most fellows, she was accepted into the CGEP Fellowship at the same time she was admitted to SIPA. “I feel truly humbled to be selected at a very early stage, and I am grateful for the amazing fellows I will get to work with this year,” she says.

“My focus is to specialize in financing the energy transition in Latin America, and I am confident this fellowship will enhance my skills to tackle this pressing challenge and become an energy leader in the region. My background in energy engineering and experience in developing solar energy projects in Peru ignited my passion for renewable energy.”

Growing Latin American Presence

Chilean students have been part of all three Global Energy Fellows cohorts, with Gabriela Manríquez and Tomás Guevara representing the 2024 cohort and Felipe Verástegui, a PhD student at Columbia Engineering, joining the inaugural cohort in 2023. The continued participation of Latin American students highlights the region’s growing role in the global energy transition and the increasing need for cross-border collaboration on energy challenges. This year, two additional Latin American students were also selected: Nicolás Herrera, a master's student at the School of Professional Studies and Santiago Guerrero, who is pursuing his master’s at SIPA.

“As the global policy community continues to navigate the complex challenges of an energy transition, energy security, and the energy needed for economic development, it’s essential that universities like Columbia invest the time and effort needed to train the next generation of leaders on these issues,” states Jason Bordoff, Founding Director of CGEP. “I’m thrilled to see the Center on Global Energy Policy’s robust network of experts from government, the private sector, and civil society engaging directly with our incredible cohort this year to give them the resources they need to succeed amid the global energy challenges of tomorrow.”