Students participating in the agreement between Montefalco School, El Peñón Foundation and the Universidad Panamericanasuccessfully completed their studies at our university, for which reason they held a meeting with the rector of our university, Dr. Santiago García Álvarez. Dr. Santiago García Álvarez. At the meeting, those present commented on their experience growing up in a marginalized community, what their time at El Peñón or Montefalco meant to them, and what it meant to them to graduate from Panamericana.
Colegio Montefalco and Fundación El Peñón, located in the municipality of Jonacatepec in the State of Morelos, are two institutions that form part of the social work of the UP-IPADE Foundation. are two institutions that form part of the social work of the UP-IPADE Foundation.. Both schools have been forged for 60 years as educational references that seek to have a positive impact on the development of the community in which they are located.
To begin the meeting, Dr. Garcia thanked the attendees for their presence and welcomed them: "on behalf of the Universidad Panamericana, these types of meetings are a privilege, we feel extremely proud to see the evolution of the students from El Peñón and Montefalco".
Afterwards, Evelyn Salazar, an Industrial Engineering graduate, thanked Panamericana for the opportunity given to her and said to the active members of the board of trustees: "I congratulate you enormously for everything you do, for everything you are going to do and for all the growth you will have throughout your life".
Evelyn also talked about her experience being part of the programme, initially getting an 80% scholarship and getting involved in various university projects; she also thanked all those who supported her during her journey at the university: "thank you very much for making us part of this family and being part of this community of university students, it is an invaluable honour, nothing compares to having this opportunity, nothing compares to living these experiences.".
The graduates of the project then talked about the career they studied as part of the project, what their short- and long-term goals are and what they are currently doing. One example is Kevin Anzures, who studied Mechatronics Engineering in the 2013 cohort and is currently an implementation consultant.
Active members of the project also took the floor, such as Magaly García, a fifth-semester student of the Bachelor's Degree in Finance, who thanked the programme for the opportunity it gave her: "If you had asked me a while ago where I saw myself studying at university, I wouldn't have thought of the UP, because of the possibilities I had, but thanks to this programme, the doors have opened..
Continuing with his experiences, Salvador García explained that during his time at Panamericana he experienced several challenges that, despite being very hard, he is now on the "other side" and very grateful for the opportunity to have studied at UP: "I am very grateful for all the opportunities, not only academically, but personally I have learned very positive things".
Currently, the agreement between Fundación El Peñón, Colegio Montefalco and our Panamericana has seven graduatessome of them currently studying for a master's degree or immersed in the working world, as well as with 22 active students in the Universidad Panamericana. The program will seek to continue supporting young people from these schools to promote the development of marginalized communities.
