Member of Argentine Congress
You could say Alejandro Cacace has been in politics his entire life because, well, he has.
When he was born, his father was a legislator. When Alejandro was two, his father became mayor of the city where Alejandro lived, sometimes taking him to cabinet meetings and other political events. By the ripe old age of 10, Alejandro was reading all the classics of political philosophy, and shortly thereafter began distributing ballots and working on campaigns in his province. As Alejandro grew older, his responsibilities to his country’s radical civil union party (similar to the U.S. democratic party) grew, too. Today Alejandro is one of the youngest members in the Argentine House of Representatives; on the budget oversight committee; and teaches constitutional law at the university. While he starts his day with yoga to keep calm, he ends it with jujitsu to relieve stress. “It’s a great way to get all the conflict I deal with daily in politics out of my system.”
So, why the Public Leadership Credential (PLC) program at Harvard Kennedy School?
“In my mind, I have always had this idea of studying public policy: looking at how society actually is and how to reform it to make it better. Because of Harvard’s renowned international reputation, I began exploring the HKS website looking for an opportunity to learn online at the Kennedy School. That’s when I discovered the PLC.”
Of course, in addition to being in politics his whole life, Alejandro has also been a lifelong learner, having studied law, philosophy, economics and political science at universities around the world. But none of those programs were as relevant to his work as the PLC. “ What the Kennedy School does so well with the PLC is to gather knowledge from other disciplines and apply it specifically to public policy and administration. It’s very eye opening and useful to know how to analyze data, evidence and information. It changes your mindset, and it enables you to change your country.”
Another feature of the Public Leadership Credential that intrigued Alejandro was the potential pathway it provided to Harvard Kennedy School’s Mid-Career Master’s Degree in Public Administration. So, shortly after Alejandro completed the PLC, he applied and was accepted to the MC/MPA and can count his credential for three of the eight courses the program requires. This will reduce the amount of time Alejandro will need to spend in person on Harvard’s Cambridge campus. “Because I am an active member of congress, being absent for the full year that it normally takes to complete the MC/MPA would be impossible given my level of responsibilities as a public Argentine official. Having the flexibility to do the online PLC from home and then study at HKS for one term instead of two is much more manageable for me and a tremendous opportunity.”
And what does Alejandro plan to do after he returns home from Harvard? “I will likely run for the Senate next and eventually want to become President of Argentina.”