When Enseña Perú alumna Nicole Ames began teaching in the rural Ancash region, she prioritized meeting with the families of her students and listening to their aspirations for their children and the future of their community. Together, Nicole and her young students identified an issue that they wanted to address: smoke from the wood stoves families used to cook was causing health problems for many members of the community. Collectively, they came up with the idea of working with an engineer to design and construct a biodigester—which uses organic waste to produce gas and ultimately electricity—demonstrating how academic mastery can provide students with the skills to become changemakers in their community.