Verónica Undurraga (LAW’95) and Mariana Costa (SIPA’13) Honored with the “Karen Poniachik Woman of the Year” Award

In commemoration of International Women's Day and in continuation of a tradition that began in 2021, Columbia Global Centers | Santiago presents the 'Karen Poniachik Woman of the Year' Award, an annual recognition that honors outstanding women who exemplify leadership, innovation, and dedication to positive change in their respective fields.

This year, we are honored to celebrate two inspiring Columbia alumnae: renowned legal scholar Verónica Undurraga (LAW’95) and Mariana Costa (SIPA’13), social and tech entrepreneur from Peru, who is the co-founder and President of Laboratoria.

The award seeks to highlight the contributions and careers of the hundreds of Chilean women who have passed through the halls of Columbia University. These include educators, feminist leaders and renowned professionals, such as Graciela Mandujano, Amanda Labarca, Corina Vargas, Irma Salas, Olga Poblete, Ana Figueroa, Erika Himmel, Ximena Bunster and Delia Vergara, among many others. Initially known as 'Women who Inspire', the award was renamed in memory of Karen Poniachik, Columbia alumna, founder and director of the Santiago Center who died in 2022. Poniachik was the first woman to lead the Chilean Ministry of Mining during the first government of Michelle Bachelet. A pioneer in the defense of gender equity, she evidenced the need to open spaces for female participation in all spheres of society.

Verónica Undurraga

Verónica Undurraga Valdés (LAW’95) is a prominent Chilean lawyer and legal scholar. She studied Law at Universidad de Chile, pursued an LLM at Columbia Law School, and holds a PhD in Law as well as a Diploma in Modern Institutions of Family Law from Universidad de Chile. Her main areas of study include constitutional law, human rights, diversity and inclusion, and gender studies, particularly focusing on issues related to sexual and reproductive rights, health, and non-discrimination.

Last year Undurraga stood out as the President of the Expert Commission during Chile’s second constitutional process. Elected unanimously by all commission members, she, along with Vice President Sebastián Soto (LAW’13), led the development of a preliminary draft of a 14-chapter constitutional text, which was submitted to a Constitutional Council elected by popular vote. On the day of the Commission's installation, she reminded her colleagues: “We are here to serve, through actions and not just words. We are 24 men and women to whom our representatives in Congress have entrusted a very specific task for a limited time.” She also called on citizens to be “protagonists in the ongoing construction of democracy.”

Since 2011, Undurraga has taught at the School of Law at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. Prior to that, she served as the director of the Women and Human Rights program at Universidad de Chile’s Human Rights Center and was a visiting scholar at the University of Toronto. She has also worked as a consultant for international organizations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) and Human Rights Watch (HRW). Additionally, she is an active participant in various civil society organizations, serving as a board member of Fundación Pro Bono and the think tank Espacio Público, and as advisor at Comunidad Mujer. She is also part of the Latin American Network of Scholars of Law (ALAS), and was a founding member of the Chilean Society of Public Policies.

In November 2023, she was recognized as one of the 100 Women Leaders in Chile by El Mercurio and Mujeres Empresarias in the public service category.

Mariana Costa

Mariana Costa (SIPA’13), a social and tech entrepreneur, is the President and co-founder of Laboratoria, a social tech company that offers coding and programming courses to economically disadvantaged women.

After graduating from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) with a degree in International Relations in 2007, she worked for four years coordinating the Universal Civil Identity Program at the Organization of American States (OAS). From 2011 to 2013, she pursued a Master's in Public Administration in Development Practice at Columbia SIPA. She then returned to Peru, where in 2014 she — along with fellow SIPA graduates Gabriela Rocha and Rodulfo Prieto — co-founded Laboratoria, a tech startup aiming to address the disadvantages women face in accessing quality jobs in the growing digital economy.

Laboratoria works to transform the lives of Latin American women through a career in technology, by providing immersive bootcamps in technical and life skills over six months to women seeking professional careers. “At Laboratoria, we are working to shape a more diverse, inclusive, and competitive digital economy in Latin America that can create opportunities for every woman to develop her potential,” states Costa. Graduates are connected with software developer and UX designer jobs to kick-start their careers, while also joining a supportive alumnae community.

What began as a pilot project with 15 students in Lima a decade ago, has grown into a multi-country operation, spanning from Peru to Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, México, Panamá, Paraguay, and Uruguay. To date, Laboratoria has empowered over 3,800 women, leading to their employment by more than 1,300 companies.

In 2023, Costa and her partners introduced Laboratoria +, an initiative tailored for mid-career women seeking to refine their skills and expand their professional networks to advance into roles of increased responsibility and influence. The platform offers leadership programs, mentorships, and professional growth opportunities. “Laboratoria+ is the next step to where we want to go, to be that place where more women grow and dare to say: today I want to manage a team or lead a company,” said Costa during the launch.

Costa’s work and dedication has garnered recognition: in 2015 she was selected for the MIT Technology Review “Innovators Under 35” list, the following year she took part in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit alongside former US President Barack Obama; and in 2022, she was recognized as one of Google.org's seven “Leaders to Watch.” In addition to her role as President of the Laboratoria board and leading Laboratoria +, Costa holds positions on the boards of Es Hoy, AVP Ventures, and RIMAC Seguros.

At the Santiago Center we acknowledge Verónica's contributions to legal scholarship and her commitment to social justice and strengthening democratic institutions, and we recognize her efforts in working towards fundamental change and progress within Chilean society. We also recognize Mariana's decade-long commitment to reducing gender disparities in the region by empowering women to believe in their abilities and to occupy spaces in historically male-dominated fields. She has dedicated her career to breaking down socioeconomic barriers and gender stereotypes, motivating women to take on leadership roles throughout Latin America. Both women embody the award's spirit of progress and social impact through their work in advancing legal frameworks, empowering women, fostering inclusivity, and building a better future.