The Universidad Industrial de Santander celebrates its graduation ceremonies this September 23 and 24, during which 845 students receive their undergraduate and graduate degrees. Behind every diploma are years of effort, learning, challenges, and dreams that are now becoming reality.
For years, the classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and learning spaces of the Universidad Industrial de Santander have been the setting for stories that are now reaching one of their most anticipated moments: graduation.
On September 23 and 24, 845 graduates from different academic programs receive their degrees during the ceremonies organized by the University.
The schedule includes ceremonies for students from the Faculties of Sciences, Physical-Chemical Engineering, Physical-Mechanical Engineering, Human Sciences, and Health, as well as graduates from the Institute for Regional Outreach and Distance Education, IPRED.
A Profession to Understand the World
But behind these figures lies something that numbers cannot fully convey: the personal stories that made it possible to reach this point.
For Diana Carolina Torres Gómez, receiving her degree in Biology represents the opportunity to turn one of her greatest passions into a way of understanding the world around her.
“Science has always been something that inspired me. I like understanding how things work,” she says excitedly, alongside her dog Darwin, her faithful companion.
Throughout her studies, she found in biology a way to get closer to the world she had always wanted to understand. Her journey was supported by her professors, her family, and the University, but also by a very special companion: Darwin, who was there during her field trips, laboratory sessions, and different moments of her university life.
Her story also represents a call for inclusion. Diana is an autistic person, and her father, Héctor Torres, highlights the support she received throughout her education, as well as the importance of society moving toward spaces that are increasingly respectful of people with neurodivergence.
“She has always fought hard, worked hard, and struggled for her dreams and aspirations, and this was one of them. Ever since she was little, she has loved nature, biology, animals, and everything related to them.”
Today, as a biologist, Diana is already thinking about her next challenges. Her fascination with fungi inspires her to dream of researching their potential for creating biopolymers and seeking alternatives that could help reduce environmental impacts associated, among other things, with the use of plastics.
Her message to those who feel afraid when facing a challenge is clear: give it a try. “Sometimes we are afraid to do things; sometimes we feel that we won’t be able to do it or that we won’t have support, but if you never try, you will never know,” she says.
A Degree That Is Also a Tribute
For María Camila Ramos Arias, who receives her degree in Chemical Engineering, this day carries a particularly profound emotion. Her diploma represents patience, perseverance, and resilience, but it is also a tribute to her mother.
The photograph accompanying her during this moment holds a special meaning: it portrays the person who supported her throughout her journey and to whom she dedicates this achievement, even though she can no longer be physically present.
“I wish my mom could be here with me, but I know she is here in my heart and by my side,” she says.
Her father and sister were also fundamental in helping her complete her degree. For that reason, the joy of this day is accompanied by the sadness of an absence, but above all, by the satisfaction of having fulfilled a dream.
To those who are just beginning their university journey, María Camila leaves a recommendation: do not give up. She acknowledges that the process can be difficult, but also says it is a wonderful experience and highlights the support she received from UIS professors and professionals.
The Country’s First Deaf-Signing Electrical Engineer
There are hundreds of stories, including that of Jesús Felipe Segovia Jiménez, who graduates as an Electrical Engineer, becoming the country’s first deaf-signing electrical engineer.
After several years of effort, dedication, and learning, he has now achieved this important professional milestone. To support him during this special moment, UIS provided a Colombian Sign Language interpreter, ensuring his participation throughout the celebration.
“Honestly, I feel very grateful to the university because they provided me with interpretation services. It has not been an easy process. The constant struggle is what has allowed me to overcome these challenges and prove to myself that I can do it, to show that I can help change the future at the university, in the process of inclusion and accessibility, so that it can become part of democracy,” he says proudly through his interpreter.
Among the graduates are also students receiving Cum Laude distinctions in different undergraduate and graduate programs.
Thus, as 845 new professionals receive their degrees, UIS once again becomes the setting for hundreds of stories of effort, support, perseverance, love, and hope… Because behind every figure there is a name. And behind every name, a story that began long before reaching the graduation stage.
