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Weaving dreams from the north of the department: this is how we welcome a new gen...

Weaving dreams from the north of the department: this is how we welcome a new generation from the University of Cauca in Santander de Quilichao!

30 April, 2026

With excitement, hope, and a deep sense of commitment to the region, the University of Cauca welcomed new students to its North Campus in Santander de Quilichao, this time also receiving the first cohort of the Nursing program; an educational initiative that responds to the historic call of young people from the northern part of the department and reaffirms the institution as a driver of peace and social transformation. This is how dreams are woven from and for the territory.

Friday, February 13 will remain a significant date for northern Cauca. For the first time, seventy young people began their professional training in Nursing after a highly competitive process in which more than 800 applicants expressed their interest in joining the program. The opening of this degree in Santander de Quilichao not only expands access to public higher education, but also represents a direct response to the voices of the region that for years called for training in the health field, convinced that educating their youth is the most solid path to transforming realities historically marked by inequality and conflict.

The welcome day took place within the framework of #FestiU, a space designed for students to get to know their faculty, their academic program, and the institutional services that will accompany them throughout their university journey, including the activities of the PermaneSer Program, as well as everything related to culture, sports, and health, an effort coordinated by the Vice-Rector’s Office for Culture and Wellness. The celebration included circus acts, magic, oral storytelling, stand-up comedy, souvenir distribution, and a parents’ school, allowing not only students but also their families to feel part of this new stage, reinforcing the idea that the University is a community that welcomes and supports.

This new group reflects the diversity that characterizes the northern part of the department, bringing together Afro-descendant, Indigenous, and rural students, as well as young dreamers from different municipalities who see higher education as a real opportunity to build a different future for themselves and their communities. In this regard, Santiago Mera Mejía from Santander de Quilichao stated: “What motivated me is that I like serving others, interacting with people, helping them, and the University of Cauca is very well recognized here at the departmental level; I consider it one of the best. I feel very happy and excited to have been admitted to this University, it is a very important achievement for me.”

For her part, María Camila Navia Medina, also from Santander de Quilichao, highlighted the family and collective meaning of her admission: “It is exciting because it is something I had been imagining and dreaming about. It is a source of pride to continue the legacy, since my mother is a graduate. In addition, the University not only teaches academically, but also on a personal level; it welcomes people regardless of where they come from, whether Indigenous, Afro-descendant, or rural, it feels like a family.”

Other students highlighted the social impact of the program, such as Mariana Arrechea Carabalí, who stated that studying in the region “is a great opportunity for those of us who do not have the resources to go elsewhere,” while Yinner Alexis Yule Pechene, from Jambaló, emphasized his vocation for service and his desire to “continue contributing to the community.”

Thus, the arrival of this program in an area historically affected by violence not only enriches the academic offer, but also represents a powerful commitment to peace, because every student who enters the University of Cauca represents a life story that moves away from war and toward the care of life. In this way, this house of study, #HeritageOfAll, continues weaving dreams from the territory, demonstrating that when public education reaches where it is most needed, it not only trains professionals, but also plants hope and a future for an entire region.