Kelly Alegría Rodríguez, originally from Buenaventura, has spent the last five years in Cali, focused on a project that seeks to transform the reality of her hometown.
Her work as a lawyer has been fundamental, especially during the three years in which she was involved with the Petronio Álvarez Foundation in La Bocana, a beautiful but often forgotten sector of Buenaventura.
His efforts focused on sharing his knowledge with the community, addressing issues such as solid waste management and providing guidance on legal processes such as the right to petition and guardianships.
“Empowering the community and offering them the necessary legal tools has been my main focus,” Alegría emphasized.
In addition to his community work, Kelly leads a law firm with an expanded vision, establishing a group of 240 judicial clerks throughout Colombia.
This strategy not only reduces costs for clients and optimizes lawyers’ time, but has also broken down barriers in several cities in the country.
The firm has proposed to cover all legal areas, an unusual decision, but one that has allowed them to establish strategic alliances both locally, in Cali, and internationally, thus enhancing their reach and collaboration.
Buenaventura: beyond stereotypes
Kelly highlights the tourist potential of Buenaventura, with its forests, seas and beaches, including the largest port in Colombia and one of the most prominent in South America. However, he regrets the lack of visibility that the city has.
“The sector has been somewhat forgotten, but it has latent tourism potential that is often not shown in the media. It is vital to show the true face of Buenaventura, far from the usual stereotypes,” Alegría explained.
Through his project with the Petronio Álvarez Foundation, he sought to empower and give voice to the community, aiming to change the narrative of a city historically marked by violence and ignorance.
Illuminating the future of Buenaventura
In his vision for the future of Buenaventura, Kelly highlights the need for more political leaders and the implementation of laws and visits that allow youth-driven projects to be visualized and supported.
It recognizes that the materialization and execution of these projects is lacking to see a tangible change in the city.
Its approach focuses on the need to make visible and support more massively to materialize the desired results.
Additionally, Kelly highlights the impact of her legal training on her understanding of empathy. She recognizes that this skill, enriched during her training and experience, has not only improved her personal performance, but also her work performance.
For her, empathy is an essential tool that has allowed her to understand and collaborate more effectively with people in her work and social environment.
“There is much to learn in the world. Knowledge must be materialized and shared so that this world grows with massive globalization in terms of the knowledge that can be acquired,” she added.
María del Rosario Carvajal, president of the Board of Directors of the Vallecaucana Action Unit, recognized Kelly’s work with the following words: “Living up to her last name, Kelly is a person who radiates Joy, a characteristic of her leadership that allows her to connect with people, building a city from their professional training.
Offering her knowledge for free to communities that need it reflects the social sense of this legal professional who deepened her knowledge through the Strategic Governance diploma.