Carolina Ribera

Carolina Ribera was born on 1 May 1990^[1] to Tadeo Ribera and Jeanine Áñez. Ribera was raised in the field of politics; her father, Tadeo, served as mayor of their home city of Trinidad, capital of the Beni Department, from 1996 to 1999.^[2][3] However, it was through her mother, Jeanine Áñez, that Ribera gained an interest in politics. When Áñez was elected as a constituent in the Bolivian Constituent Assembly, Ribera moved with her mother to Sucre, where she initially chose to study dentistry at the University of Saint Francis Xavier, later returning to Trinidad to practice her career. As Áñez's political career continued, however, Ribera changed interests and began studying law at the José Ballivián Autonomous University of Beni.^[2]

Seeking to begin a political career of her own, Ribera attended the Higher University of San Simón in Cochabamba, where she graduated with a diploma in gender and political science. Additionally, through the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Ribera received political training in Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay, among other countries, and in various Bolivian institutions with which she worked. When Áñez sought reelection as a senator as a member of the Social Democratic Movement (MDS), Ribera became a leader in the party's youth wing. During this time, she supported her mother in raising awareness through various social campaigns relating to gender and health, specifically covering women's rights and oral hygiene for peri-urban youth in Beni. During the 2016 constitutional referendum, Ribera participated in the civic mobilization that succeeded in achieving the rejection of the abolishment of term limits.^[4] Her initial intent was to seek a seat on the Trinidad Municipal Council before then moving to national politics.^[2]