My name is Nelson de Jesús, and I was born in the municipality of Venecia, Antioquia. However, I hold a very special affection for Apía, Risaralda, because it was there that many of my learnings and dreams began.
I arrived at FUNDAEC in 1988, when the SAT program reached my rural village of El Jardín, offering farmers the opportunity to complete high school, something that at the time seemed unattainable. I was 19 years old when I began this path, which not only allowed me to study but also to become a tutor while continuing my own education.
My academic journey was interrupted by mandatory military service, but even during that time I continued my studies thanks to the support of Magíster Francisco Javier Alzate, who would send me the books and collect my assignments at the battalion. After returning, I completed my degree and took on the commitment of accompanying my first group of high school graduates, who later began shaping their own life projects.
For more than 20 years, I worked as a tutor in the SAT program, accompanying young people and adults in different rural villages of the municipality. Many of them greet me today with gratitude, recognizing the mark that this educational process left on their lives. For me, these gestures are an invaluable gift, a confirmation that education can transform individuals and communities.
Today, I am a teacher and am currently in the process of retirement. Although I no longer work directly with the SAT program, I continue to apply the principles I learned at FUNDAEC in my daily work with children, always striving to place the formation of the human being first, even before academic content. I deeply believe that education should be oriented toward the construction of values, love for the environment, and service to others.
FUNDAEC has marked my life with humility, gratitude, and purpose. Through this process, I discovered that my vocation was in education, a field where I felt I could contribute more directly to the well being of others. Although at one point I had the opportunity to pursue a military career, I understood that my path needed to be directed toward formation and service to communities. For me, FUNDAEC represents principles, service, and a vision of life that transcends generations.
I dream of an education that continues to form well rounded human beings, capable of transforming their communities and projecting those values into the future. I believe that FUNDAEC’s principles are not only a 50 year legacy, but a lifelong guide for humanity.
