Fabrizio Peralta

Fabrizio’s story begins in La Chacarita – Paraguay’s most impoverished neighbourhood – where flooding, poverty, and limited opportunity are everyday realities. But from these tough beginnings emerged a remarkable changemaker. Fabrizio’s ability was identified at an early age, and at just four years old, he became the first scholarship recipient of Colegio Estado de Israel, a top school in Paraguay. Supported by his parents, Fabrizio has repaid their faith by excelling in every domain. He now holds a perfect GPA and was awarded the national academic flag distinction in 2024, marking him as the top student of his graduating class.

Fabrizio is a three-time finalist in Paraguay’s national math Olympiad (OMAPA), robotics team co-founder and runner-up in a national competition, and a top four finisher in a national payload design challenge organized by the Paraguayan Space Agency. In 2024, he was awarded a full scholarship to attend the prestigious Yale Young Global Scholars programme in the track of Innovations in Science and Technology, where he worked with students from all over the world, and worked on a neuroscience-related capstone. 

Fabrizio was also selected by the US Embassy as a Youth Ambassador and spent time in Texas engaging in leadership workshops and social impact discussions with peers from Latin America. In addition, he is currently a scholarship recipient of the US State Department’s Opportunity Funds Programme; this provides outstanding Paraguayan young students financial aid and advice to apply to universities in the United States. 

Informed by his own experience with stress and anxiety, Fabrizio founded SPORTESAI, a nonprofit that promotes mental health in sports and everyday life. His workshops have reached +300 young Paraguayans, offering tools for resilience and emotional wellbeing. 

Fabrizio’s commitment to helping his fellow students is just as deep. Through KESHER, his school’s volunteer society, he has led social media campaigns, academic tutoring programmes, and civic volunteering efforts over the last three years. He also co-founded the school’s first debate club and speaks six languages at varying levels, including Spanish, English, Portuguese, Guaraní, Hebrew, and Japanese.

Fabrizio is now serving as a member of the INTERACT Club’s board of directors, contributing to youth-led service projects across the country. He has volunteered with Teletón Paraguay, supporting fundraising and awareness events for children with disabilities, and has also collaborated with TECHO to fundraise and support housing initiatives for families in extreme poverty. 

To help his family survive in the financial aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fabrizio has also worked four hours every night of the week at a local restaurant – all while carrying on his other projects and maintaining the highest performance in his studies. He now dreams of studying electrical engineering in the US and then returning home to improve Paraguay’s national infrastructure and expand opportunities for youth in under-served communities. 

If awarded the Global Student Prize, he plans to invest in his neighbourhood community in terms of education, security, and healthcare programmes. He would also expand SPORTESAI’s workshops, improve its organizational structure, and equip its volunteers with new tools and training. 

Fabrizio’s story is a powerful reminder that brilliance can come from anywhere – and when met with support and belief, it can light the way for others too.