The first semester students of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional gathered in a room where they began to make their dream of becoming teachers come true.
Adolfo León Atehortúa Cruz, Rector (e) of the institution, greeted the students with emotional words of congratulations to those who have the privilege of entering the Great House of Education in Colombia. He also emphasized the responsibility that these young people have to represent all those who have not had access to UPN and the importance of the opportunity to influence new generations.
They also received a warm welcome from Jairo Alejandro Fernández, Academic Vice Rector, who reminded them that education is the path that allows societies to grow and develop. Magda Patricia Bogotá, Vice Rector for University Management, also addressed the participants, saying: “One of the noblest tasks is to accompany a person in his or her formation process, to teach another person to be happy and to find out who he or she really is.”
On the other hand, the student representatives welcomed their fellow students, inviting them to participate in the different spaces and to be curious about knowledge. In addition, there was a musical performance by the Fivebrass Quintet, which delighted the participants with several pieces of classical and Colombian music.
Sofia Rojas, a new student in the Pedagogy program, affirmed during the event that she felt very comfortable in this space, even though she did not fully know what she was getting into, and that she chose UPN for her training process because it was recommended by several of her acquaintances as the teacher trainer par excellence.
It is important to note that the conference “Thinking with the Body: Contemporary Tensions and Challenges” was also held, with the participation of Manuel Roberto Escobar Cajamarca, who addressed the issue of the body in social studies in contemporary society and the challenges it poses for pedagogy.
Finally, the “UPN Expedition: Habitat and History of the UPN” was held, where the new members of our community got to know the most representative places of the UPN through a guided tour that included the Plaza de la Memoria, the Pedagogical Museum, the Casita de la Vida, the itinerant Museum of Physical Education (Central Library), and the Casita de Pensamiento, among others.
