Diego León, an inspiring 2025 Aspire Leaders Program alumnus from Bolivia, leverages his academic and professional experiences to help vulnerable individuals interested in technology access greater opportunities for growth. Through his initiative, Tech for People, he facilitates their development in the field through accessible tech education, ethical innovation, sustainable job opportunities, and collaborative initiatives that drive meaningful social impact.
León hopes that through his work, he can provide youth with the educational opportunities he wishes he’d had early in life.
Mentorship Nurtures an Early Love of Technology
León was born into a tight-knit family in El Alto, Bolivia. After expressing interest in technology at a young age, his uncle, a telecommunications engineer, took León under his wing and mentored him nearly every day for three years.
“He gave me the first tools in my life to work,” León said. “He taught me about computers, satellites, telecommunication — everything related to that. So I had a really good chance that [other] children didn’t have.”
Under his uncle’s guidance, León gained invaluable skills that set him up for future success. He easily worked his way through both elementary and high school, and by the time he started his university studies, he was already taking on a professional role.
The Power of Perspective and Finding a System that Works
While still in school, León and his family relocated to La Paz for his mother’s new job. There, he noticed striking contrasts between his hometown and Bolivia’s administrative capital. The city’s diverse opportunities and non-traditional paths to career success resonated deeply with León and complemented the experience he already possessed.
“In La Paz, I had a chance to recreate myself — but with the basis that El Alto gave me.”
At 19, León landed his first job as a software developer right before beginning his university studies. The tailored knowledge he accumulated while under his uncle’s mentorship had given him a head start in his chosen field and, after some time at university, he stepped away to work full-time. More opportunities opened up over the years, and he continued to advance in his career.
León’s eventual transition to IT administration brought with it the need for additional knowledge on hardware and administrative IT. He sought the opportunity to develop high-level skills in these areas and returned to university — this time, in the United States.
León initiated this move after political unrest in Bolivia created an unsafe environment for him. Following an incident that put his house in danger of being burned down, he left the country and came to Miami, Florida where he continued his studies at Miami Dade College.
“I was not looking to move to any other country,” he said. “I [wanted] to study [and] try to do the things that I couldn’t do before in my country.”
In the U.S., even more doors opened for León, and he was able to work in various areas of the tech space. One of his proudest accomplishments came soon after when he founded his initiative: Tech for People.
Empowering Youth through Tech Education
León’s non-traditional academic and career path — carefully tailored to his unique goals and strengths — played a key role in his success in the U.S. Once he realized there could be others like him that would also benefit from customizing their own career journeys, he built Tech for People from the ground up.
“I have options and opportunities that other people in my country would like to have,” he figured. “We’ve got to take the chance, got to explore the potential, and got to do what we gotta do, right?”
Tech for People (TFP) was created as a technical development initiative for all who wish to explore, learn, and break barriers in technology. Through tech workshops, project placement, and job opportunities, this online initiative empowers youth and adults alike, helping them develop career-ready skills and drive scalable social impact through their work.
“We catch people from schools and universities, and we provide them with their first job,” he said. “We prepare [and] teach them how to reach their goals, because they have potential and we have experience.”
Finding Synergy with Aspire
León learned of the Aspire Leaders Program through a social media post made by Marcelo Claure, Founder & CEO of Claure Group and a member of Aspire Institute’s Leadership Council. Always on the lookout for opportunities, he joined the program in 2025 and was thrilled to find a community of peers that was just as ambitious and community-driven as he.
My goal is to build a strong community [and] build bridges, because that’s what we need.
“I feel that something very important here in Aspire is that you are not building only persons,” he said. “You are building leaders – something that is really needed in the world.”
León also noted the similarities between Aspire’s mission and that of Tech for People.
“You provide something that we are trying to provide also in Tech for People — you provide options,” he said.
Aspire is proud to welcome León as one of our Technology Domain Leaders. In this role, he aims to empower first-generation students in Miami who share a passion for technology, while fostering connections between Miami and Bolivia through virtual seminars designed to encourage networking and collaboration.
“My goal is to build a strong community [and] build bridges, because that’s what we need,” he said.
In the future, León wishes to continue strengthening Tech for People and its impact, keeping it growing to feed into his other main goal: reaching those who need TFP and helping them join the high tech world through the opportunities they provide.
