#StoriesThatInspire: Teacher's Day Special

Throughout life, we encounter opportunities and challenges that, depending on how we approach them, can provide us with great lessons and change our path. At Unicauca, this journey is enriched by various experiences thanks to the collaborative work of professionals from different disciplines, allowing us to broaden our perspective and explore new approaches that help us step out of our comfort zone. Let’s get to know Professor Yenni Conde, the woman with the inspiring smile whose creativity in a highly competitive world led her to become the first Doctor in Marketing at our university.

21 years of university experience, two decades filled with anecdotes, back the protagonist of our third micro-story associated with the special we created for Teacher’s Day, recognizing the noble work of those who choose to dedicate their path to teaching others. The solid academic background of Professor Yenni Conde, which she has cultivated over 21 years of work, is not the focus of this story. However, it is impossible not to highlight that she is a Business Administrator from our Alma Mater, with a specialization in Marketing from the Catholic University of Uruguay, a Master’s in Organizational Psychology from the University of Valle, and a PhD in Marketing from the University of Valencia. She currently serves as a professor in the Department of Administrative Sciences at the Faculty of Accounting, Economic, and Administrative Sciences.

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Remembering how this path full of challenges and opportunities began was a very special exercise. Professor Yenni fondly recalls how, in 2004, as an occasional professor, she was assigned to organize the Business Fair; a fair that was held at the Claustro de Santo Domingo. However, on that occasion, it coincided with a student movement camp in the same cloister. "So we moved the fair to the Claustro del Carmen, but first it was necessary to talk to the student camp representatives. The students organizing the fair and I explained that we had been working on it for months and that there were commitments with companies and others. In the end, we were allowed to proceed. I remember with pride that after the meeting, the camp students said that the fair professor was a ‘cool’ one. That made me very happy because we managed to mediate and everything went well," said the professor with a sparkle in her eyes as she recalled this first challenge she faced at the beginning of her teaching career.

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On the other hand, Professor Yenni nostalgically recalls another situation that, in the end, brought her many lessons. There was a time when she was assigned to teach the course "Business Project I" in the Graphic Design Program. "At first, I wasn’t very well received by the students, as they claimed that commercializing their art diminished its relevance. They were a bit dismissive of my class, which was very disheartening for me. However, my husband, who is a graduate of the Fine Arts program, advised me to stay calm, saying that many of them, once they graduated, ended up hitting a wall because they knew very little about the business world. So I simply told them that the course involved developing a project based on what they liked to do the most, and if they didn’t want to attend, it didn’t matter, but they had to present their project at the end. It was very nice to see how, little by little, they connected with the subject, and in the end, they not only presented spectacular work but also signed a letter asking me to continue with the next course, which was Business Project II,” Yenni recounted, sharing this anecdote that illustrates the importance of keeping an open mind when receiving all the teachings from professors. Sooner or later, life will present us with the opportunity to make the most of what we have been taught with heart.

Without a doubt, Professor Yenni has countless anecdotes, as is probably the case for everyone who dedicates themselves to shaping new generations. In her particular case, taking her knowledge to other disciplines adds a special flavor and challenge, as she pointed out: “There have been many moments lived, students from the Business Administration Program who make my day when they tell me that studying Marketing with me has shown them that it is a very important area. Students from programs like Economics who have sought my advice, as they don’t cover it in their curriculum, ingenious engineers looking to commercialize their innovations, and even from the Nursing Program, one of the most difficult to connect with, but where it was ultimately affirmed that knowledge of customer service and care is indeed necessary for patients, and from Physical Education programs, which have led to the creation of significant fitness centers and sports training schools in the city.”

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With Professor Yenni's anecdotes, we highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach; an approach that we can access at Unicauca as different faculties are always ready to provide the necessary support to enrich processes, contribute to our immediate context, to its people, and ultimately to the development of the country.

To close this new installment of stories that inspire us to keep working together, we want to share Professor Yenni's words of gratitude: "Thank you to the Universidad del Cauca for allowing me to be, in the words of historian Álvarez Llanos, a 'teacher' for fulfilling a professional role, a 'professor' for performing a pedagogical role, but above all, a 'mentor' because I have made teaching my life's project, giving it a human dimension. As Albert Einstein said, 'The most important art of teaching is to awaken in your students the joy of knowing and creating.'

For more information:

Faculty of Accounting, Economic, and Administrative Sciences

Email: fccea@unicauca.edu.co