Yelitza González: successful social worker and teacher. A woman who inspires
When Yelitza González was just a teenager, she had her first child. He had just left high school where he had obtained a Bachelor of Science and it was at that moment that he had many doubts about his future and even came to believe that it would be almost impossible to study a career. Coming from a home with modest resources, back in Nuevo Caimitillo, she thought that things would get complicated for her and that her destiny was uncertain on a professional level. Despite this scenario, Yelitza did not give up.
Her mother, dedicated to dressmaking, encouraged her to continue studying.
"I remember that she always told me that only through studying would it be possible to improve myself and have a better quality of life."
After a tour of several universities, this young woman arrived at the Metropolitan University of Education, Science and Technology - UMECIT - and there she discovered a world of options that would pave the way for her to be what she is today: a successful social worker and teacher. He dedicated Saturdays to study and his desire to transform society and be an agent of change was greater than adversity.
“At the University they always gave me the opportunity to grow and improve myself. I never suffered discrimination for having to go to classes with my son, they always opened the doors for me to study and I began to see the light, ” Professor González tells us
Dropout is very common in these cases and also occurs at the higher education level, when many women are in vulnerable and complicated situations and choose not to continue their studies.
“It is very important when you find that support and above all from people who tell you: you can do it”. Yelitza tells us that she also made the decision to start the path of higher education in order to transmit what she learned to others.
“There was no better place than UMECIT to start teaching. It is my alma mater, it is my House of Studies and that is where I came from. I am very grateful to my University”. Said the social worker during an interview with UMECIT Informa.
Today Yelitza González not only has a degree in Social Work and Human Development, she also has a master's degree in Prevention of Gender Violence, a master's degree in Higher Education and a diploma in Research Methodology at UMECIT, among other titles.
She currently works as the National Director of Gender Equality and Equalization of Opportunities of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MITRADEL), where she has achieved the publication of the First Protocol to Identify, Prevent, and Address Gender Violence in the business environment of Panama. and has managed to manage studies on domestic work
in the country.
“Social workers are part of a social restructuring, and for example today women are more aware of their rights and how to identify both physical and verbal aggression. Domestic violence, that which occurs within the home, is leading to extreme cases like the ones we are seeing,” The professor who was also the main speaker at the UMECIT 2022 Gala Night concludes.
Within the framework of World Teachers' Day, without a doubt, Yelitza González is an inspiration, she is a story and a living example that "wanting is power" and that there are no unattainable barriers in a world that is increasingly changing and with greater challenges. .
“We always can. There is always a way and a way out. You are your own barrier and limitation, but if you believe and trust there will always be a way," This successful teacher ends by saying that today she is a proud graduate of our house of studies.