 He attended Duke University through a partial football scholarship, where he earned a bachelor of arts in Economics and History.Peñalosa began his political life by attending the liberal presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan's Youth groups of followers in Bogotá while working for the state-owned water supply company, "Empresa de Acueducto de Bogotá (EAAB)".He later supported Julio César Sánchez, a Cundinamarca local political chief, who in return, helped him get elected as that department's Deputy.