Inspiring a new generation of professionals to address real-world policy challenges
During 2020, in the midst of challenging national and global circumstances, a new scholarship fund for Chilean students with a vocation for public service was set up at the School of Public Policy at LSE with support from the Luksic family.
The scholarships, awarded exclusively by LSE following a needs-based assessment, were established to provide financial aid to Chilean students enrolled in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) or the Master of Public Policy (MPP) at LSE. So far, this fund has allowed 16 Luksic Scholars to study these programmes, supporting these talented young professionals to gain knowledge and skills they will later use to improve lives and livelihoods throughout their careers.
Luksic Scholars describe the profound impact the scholarship and their LSE experience have had on them:
The experience of studying at LSE opened the doors to new ways of looking at the world, analyse problems and seek innovative and quality solutions for the world’s most challenging issues. Today I am back in Chile, working at the Public Policy Centre of the Catholic University of Chile and I intend to continue learning and contributing to solving the problems of my country. My main interest is to improve migration policies in Chile and Latin America, which is a growing challenge that requires innovative solutions. What I learned at LSE certainly gives me tools to carry out this work, and this would not have been possible without the Luksic Scholarship.
The Luksic scholarship allowed me to fulfil one of my greatest dreams, to study a master's degree in Public Policy at LSE. The academic excellence, cultural diversity, and quality of teachers and students made that year one of the best experiences of my life. I am deeply grateful to have had this tremendous opportunity, which has allowed me to grow personally, academically and professionally, opening a horizon of new challenges in my career.
Thanks to the Luksic scholarship I was able to study a Master in Public Policy in one of the most outstanding universities in the world. After graduating from my master’s, I got a job at an economic consultancy firm in London. I am now working in competition economics, which I believe is the perfect combination of my undergraduate studies in Economics and my Master in Public Policy at LSE.
Professor Andrés Velasco, Dean of the School of Public Policy at LSE, commented, “I’m delighted to have played a role in building this vital partnership with the Luksic Family. It takes a special kind of person to devote their career to public service, and the scholars of this programme have a special opportunity to study in this great university and to give back to Chilean society. It is a pleasure to work with the Luksic family, one of the pioneering philanthropic families in Chile, who work with vision and with purpose.”