[1] Later, during the second Mayor's Office of Enrique Peñalosa, served as Secretary of Social Integration of Bogotá and as manager of TransMilenio.

She studied Finance and International Relations at the Externado University of Colombia and is a specialist in Government, Management and Public Affairs from the same institution.

She was director of the José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden during the administration of Enrique Peñalosa as Mayor of Bogotá (1998-2000) and of the city's District Institute of Recreation and Sports, under the government of Antanas Mockus (2001-2003).

After resigning from her position as chancellor she went on to serve as postgraduate director of the Faculty of Finance, Government and International Relations of the Externado University of Colombia.

On 19 February 2007, she resigned from her ministerial portfolio[3] following the arrest of her brother, Senator Álvaro Araújo Castro, investigated and charged with giving support to paramilitary groups active in the country's ongoing internal conflict.