Purdue has been Alma Mater for many outstanding women from all disciplines and nationalities. It is estimated that over 50 Colombian females have finished their graduate studies at Purdue University in the last decade. Here, we will focus on the inspirational stories of five female boilermakers that are transforming Colombia in their daily lives by setting the bar "one brick higher" through education, research, and industry advancements.
Maria del Pilar Hurtado earned her M.Sc degree in Industrial Administration from Krannert School of Management in 2010. "My overall recollection of Purdue is of s a real multifaceted experience that allowed me to get close to other cultures, other professionals in different fields and to understand that differences are a source of enrichment," explains Maria del Pilar. She now works as a Product manager at Smurfit Kappa Colombia.
Smurfit Kappa is a multi-national leader in the production of paper-based packaging solutions and has focused its efforts on sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices. Maria del Pilar is the leader of a commercial team and her responsibilities include the design and implementation of marketing and sales strategies for cardboard, pulp and paperboard in Colombia. She affirms that her time at Purdue University trained her to see work situations from a wider and more strategic perspective and to become a better leader. Among many Purdue things, Maria del Pilar misses her classmates, teachers, and Greyhouse coffee shop. "I miss the interesting conversations, the constant nurturing of knowledge and the networking - the jovial atmosphere even at the more intense studying times," says Maria del Pilar.
Mariana is passionate about Engineering Education. She is characterized by her kindness and hard-working spirit. Mariana earned her B.Sc and M.Sc in Electrical Engineering and Engineering Education respectively from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia. She was recipient of a Fulbright fellowship in 2011 which allowed her to pursue a doctoral degree at Purdue University in Engineering Education. "I chose Purdue because the whole community and university culture is about collaboration and diversity," says Mariana. Her research focused on understanding how adults approach technological challenges using Mixed Methods; a novel methodology that couples qualitative and quantitative research and provides more complete and comprehensive understanding of the research problem. Mariana finds this methodology extremely powerful, and has adopted it as a key research concentration at her current position as Assistant Professor in the Education department, and STEM Education Coordinator at Universidad de Los Andes.
Mariana impacts many lives at her work. Most graduate students in the Education department at Universidad de Los Andes are teachers in public schools from underserved communities in Cundinamarca. "I love to see how my job as an educator makes a first-hand impact in their lives and the community," explains Mariana. She is grateful to her Alma Mater for teaching her research rigorousness, cultural adaptability, and risk-taking skills. Mariana remembers her time at Purdue with nostalgia. "I truly miss how Purdue facilitates the access to resources and opportunities, life in campus, the dynamism of weather seasons, and my friends and colleagues."
From human gut microbiota to pest management in agricultural commodities, Andrea Clavijo has demonstrated the importance of microorganisms in our daily life. She is a Biologist from Universidad de Los Andes and finished her Ph.D in the Interdisciplinary Life Science (PULSe) program at Purdue University in 2013. Her research concentration was Microbiology. After a two-year post-doc position at Purdue University, Andrea joined the Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research (CORPOICA) as a Ph.D investigator. She is currently part of several Integrated Pest Management projects on agricultural commodities, such as avocado, and tomato.
Andrea selected Purdue University because of the interdisciplinary program, and because of its cultural and academic diversity. "If you were to make a world map and put a pin on all the places where you have friends and colleagues, you would probably end up marking most of the map," says Andrea. She is thankful to Purdue for giving her academic and mentoring skills that she uses every day at her work. "Purdue taught me how to be more tolerant and empathetic with my co-workers and it is something I try to apply in my daily routine," adds Andrea "If you want to enrich yourself culturally and academically, Purdue is the place to be."
Katherine is an Industrial Engineer, native to Cali, whose passion is the assessment of environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product's life. She finished her Ph.D. in the interdisciplinary program ESE (Ecological Science and Engineering) at Purdue University in the summer of 2014, where she researched the re-manufacture of wind turbines. She is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Industrial Engineering department at Universidad ICESI in Cali, Colombia.
Katherine was a Fulbright scholar who chose Purdue University for her doctoral degree because of the interdisciplinary program and because of the overall ranking of the institution.
"Purdue University is life-changing and makes you get out of your comfort zone" says Katherine when asked to describe her overall experience at Purdue. The advice she gives to future Boilermakers is to choose their academic advisor carefully. "Look for an individual who has high human qualities and work ethic." Besides the Blue Nile restaurant, Katherine misses the academic networking opportunities at Purdue, the seasons, and cultural diversity.
Jackeline, or Jacky as her friends call her, is a Civil and Survey Engineer from Universidad del Valle whose research line focuses on the determination of optimal timing for rehabilitation of public infrastructure such as highways and bridges. Jacky earned her Master and Ph.D in Civil Engineering from Purdue in 2013 and 2016, respectively, and currently works as an Assistant Professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics at Universidad del Valle.
Purdue has been the most valuable experience of Jacky's life. "It was a great opportunity from both a personal and a professional perspective," explains Jackeline "I have the best memories from my time at Purdue, every experience made the journey and the time away from home fully worth it." She is grateful to Purdue and to her advisor, Dr. Samuel Labi, for shaping her professional career with constructive criticism, encouragement, and guidance.
Purdue Colombian alumni and alumnae are our most valuable assets and we feel proud of all of them for moving the world forward with their jobs and dedication, and for becoming role models for future generations. If you are a Purdue graduate, we invite you to update your alumni profile. We would love to hear your story.