From Poverty to President:
USF Graduate Elected President of Peru
University of San Francisco graduate Alejandro Toledo, once a poor shoeshine boy and the son of an Andean sheepherder, won the presidency of Peru in a close election June 3, defeating former president Alan Garcia. Toledo is the first president of Indian descent to be elected in Peru, a country with a large indigenous population.
When Toledo came to the University of San Francisco in 1967, his family remained in Chimbote, on Peru's north coast. His home there had no running water or electricity. The roads were unpaved and there was a large open sewer behind his house.
USF gave Toledo a scholarship to study in a special program for non-English speaking students. Violette Jacob, former director of the USF foreign students office, remembers Toledo as a good student, a good listener, and a person who was proud of his Indian ancestry.
"We offered Alejandro the scholarship to come to the U.S. because we saw he had big potential," she said. "It is the University of San Francisco's mission to welcome diversity and to recruit students like Alejandro who come from different ethnic backgrounds."
Donato Tapia, Toledo's former Phelan Hall roommate, said Toledo did not have political aspirations during his time at USF. "Alejandro never thought of being president," Tapia said. "He just wanted to be a businessman. Back then, he cared much more about girls and his soccer team than about the intrigues of politics."
Steven Negoesco, who coached Toledo on the USF soccer team, said Toledo was aggressive and determined. "Alejandro was a really short guy, maybe 5 feet 5," Negoesco remembers. "This could have been a drawback for a soccer player, but he used his intelligence and enthusiasm to overcome his disadvantage in height."
Toledo graduated from USF in 1971 with a degree in economics (his yearbook entry is pictured here). He went on to earn degrees at Harvard and Stanford before becoming an economist with the World Bank.
"This is an example of the positive effect of a USF education," said Gerardo Marin, senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "It's an education that emphasizes educating the whole person and training leaders who will make a difference and promote social justice."
Toledo's victory was not without controversy. The election was marked by widespread mudslinging from both sides, with Toledo accused of everything from cocaine use to infidelity. Still, a slight majority of Peruvian voters placed their confidence in Toledo and his centrist party, Peru Posible, and its pledge to improve social conditions in Peru, particularly in the areas of health, education, and nutrition.
Political analysts agree that Toledo now faces an uphill battle. The country's economy is plunging and its democracy is fragile. He also takes charge amid a political scandal that has diminished the trust Peruvians place in their political leaders. His predecessor, Alberto Fujimori, is accused of violating human rights, selling influence in his government, and rigging the previous presidential election.
"People are expecting a radical change," says David Hidalgo, a reporter with the La Republica newspaper in Lima. "They are tired of being fooled and of so many problems, and they are very skeptical for now. Let's see if Toledo can really fulfill their expectations for an improvement of social well-being."
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