"From adversity to purpose: a young man from southwestern Colombia who, thanks to the support of the ILO and SENATIC, now believes in the positive use of technology
"Every time I was mistreated as a child, I learned to rise stronger. Today, I use technology to build" says Luis Felipe Ñañez Ibarra, a trainee in the SENATIC project an initiative led by the Ministry of ICT, SENA and the ILO that is transforming lives through digital skills training.
7 July 2025
Luis Felipe was born and raised in Pasto, capital of the Nariño department in southern Colombia, where he grew up under the loving care of his grandmother. His mother, also from Pasto, gave birth to him at the age of 14, and his father passed away when he was very young. His childhood was not easy: he suffered years of school bullying, a situation he never fully understood. "I never understood why they bullied me, but I knew I had to do something to change it," he recalls. When school authorities failed to act, his grandmother stepped in. Later, Luis Felipe found the strength to stand up for himself and gradually earned the respect of his peers. This marked the beginning of his journey towards self-confidence and belonging.
He performed well during secondary school, although the COVID-19 lockdown presented new challenges. Being at home felt comfortable, but his academic performance declined. Once back in the classroom, however, he reconnected with his goals, recovered his grades and returned to the top of his class. His favourite subjects are philosophy and biology, as he says they help him find meaning in things.
Last year, through SENATIC, he began his journey into technology by enrolling in a course on teleinformatics systems. Initially it didn’t spark much interest, but he soon realised he could use digital tools to improve his life. What once seemed abstract to him took on real value. He reflects maturely on the role of technology today: “Technology is very advanced, but the problem lies in how we misuse it.” He believes people are becoming too reliant on convenience and unaware of how we engage with the resources available to us.
Outside of school, Luis Felipe enjoys boxing, martial arts and outdoor sports. Although not keen on parties, he has a close group of friends with whom he cycles and plays video games. He dreams of studying medicine and combining it with biomedical engineering a bridge between his desire to serve others and his growing interest in the digital world.
To other young people, his message is clear: technology must be used with awareness, purpose and critical thinking. Programmes like SENATIC, he says, are valuable because they help us understand tools we use every day, but don’t always know how to make the most of.
Luis Felipe Ñañez Ibarra is a powerful example of how education, guidance and human-centred technology can change lives. From a childhood marked by exclusion, he now stands as a strong, thoughtful and determined young man, supported by his instructor Melissa Guerrero at INEM school in Pasto, and driven by a vision of a meaningful future.
