On International Women's Day, and as part of our campaign titled 'It’s Not Just a Day, It’s Not Just a Month, It’s a Lifetime,' we want to highlight the work of Professor Adriana Guzmán from the University of Cauca. As the founder of the Physical Therapy Program, and after dedicating a significant part of her life to building the university, she is beginning a new chapter in her life as a retiree.

Professor Adriana Guzmán holds a degree in Physical Therapy from the Universidad del Rosario, a specialization in Manual Therapy from the Escuela Colombiana de Rehabilitación, and a Master’s in Occupational Health from the Universidad del Valle. She has pursued studies in various areas, including Myofascial Induction Techniques, Acupuncture, Dry Needling, and Comprehensive Strategies of Eastern Sciences, among many other formative processes she has undertaken to enrich her work. Currently, she is also pursuing a Master’s in Yoga at the Universidad Tecnológica de Madrid, a discipline that has significantly influenced her practice.

Adriana began her journey as a professor at the Universidad del Cauca in 1997, at which time the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr. Jaime Alberto Nates Burbano, and Dr. Rafael Eduardo Vivas, who was serving as the rector of the Alma Mater, entrusted her with the task of initiating the Physical Therapy Program. "I always believed that my true calling was to be a teacher. In fact, in high school, I used to teach algebra classes to some nuns who were validating their secondary education, and I enjoyed it immensely. The opportunities presented themselves, and I had to do it in the best possible way. So, when Dr. Nates asked me to create the document to support the program, I discovered that there were many high school graduates who wanted to become physical therapists, but the program did not exist in the city. Moving to other places was economically impossible for them. Only a few could manage to move to Cali or Manizales, leaving their homes at a very young age, sacrificing the company and protection of their families, which sometimes led to abandoning their dreams and returning to Popayán,” Adriana shared, moved to recount this important experience in her professional journey.

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Thus, during this month in which we commemorate International Women's Day, from various spaces, we seek to highlight all the roles that Unicaucan women perform masterfully in their diversity, as it is these collective actions that allow this institution to strengthen and grow. “I am a firm believer in Colombian women; I believe they are tenacious, responsible, and determined. From my experience, the only suggestion I could offer is to build from love; everything done with love endures and bears fruit. Let ego function as a consciousness alarm, and let everything be done from the heart: this way, the clouds will dissipate without overshadowing. So do not abandon your dreams because our institution is here to support you,” said Professor Adriana, who also added, “The message I would like to send today refers to ‘inner’ peace, which is the only peace we can achieve with certainty. Peace does not come when everything is controlled; in fact, it is the opposite. Peace comes when we stop trying to control everything: let go of arrogance and vanity; we are not gods. Life should flow without blockages or excessive struggles; let the heart guide us, not the ego.”

After many years of service, to be more precise, after 27 years of shaping young dreamers within this institution, a new adventure awaits Professor Adriana: it is now her time to enjoy her time and dedicate it to other activities in her new role as a retiree. Although her departure leaves us with a sense of emptiness and we will miss her daily presence at the university, we know she will continue to enrich her knowledge, which she will share with us from different spaces.

Thank you, Professor Adriana, for all the teachings; thank you for being an example of a #UnicaucanWoman! From this Excellence and Solidarity university, we wish you much success in this new stage of your life.