The engineer Victoria Eugenia Muñoz Valencia managed to advance her career in Civil Engineering while working as a geotechnologist in the Soil Laboratory of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, at a time when the gender gap in the field of engineering was much wider. For this reason, in a new installment of the #FacesOfALegacy, she is the protagonist.

The Faculty of Civil Engineering currently includes the programs of Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Architecture, and Geotechnology, the latter created on October 2, 1975, with the firm purpose of training geotechnologists capable of performing activities associated with geotechnical works and with the commitment to responsibly assume quality control of civil works. Thus, within the framework of the celebration of the 150 years of this legendary faculty, which we began in April, on this occasion, we bring you an inspiring story with which we want to highlight how a woman managed to open doors for university officials to work and study at our Alma Mater. Join us!

One morning in May, we met engineer Victoria at the popular café in the Faculty of Civil Engineering. There, the engineer began her story, recounting a fairly common event at our University. Like many other young people, she did not get into Civil Engineering the first time she applied, so she decided to study a similar career with the intention that when she managed to secure a spot, she could homologate some subjects. However, Geotechnology captivated her so much that she decided to stay and complete it: "Well, I really knew little about Geotechnology because it was a program that wasn't widely publicized. I'm talking about the year 1993 more or less, and at that time, the known programs were Civil Engineering, Law, and Medicine. So, I enrolled in Civil Engineering but didn't pass. I waited 6 months and thought about the option of Geotechnology. The idea was that by studying this program, I could eventually study Civil Engineering since there were related subjects. I entered, and when I thought about transferring to Civil Engineering, I didn't want to. I grew fond of it, saw the advantages it had, and liked it a lot. I stayed, completed it, and graduated happily from my program. Additionally, at that time, the professional profile of a geotechnologist, being the only one in Colombia and South America, had a very high job offer; we were very few, and they paid very well. Indeed, with Geotechnology, I have reached where I am."

Eight days after graduating, the teacher already had a job offer in the city of Bogotá and decided to leave, along with two other colleagues, to work on the double lane of Briceño, Tunja - Sogamoso. But "It was really complicated due to family issues. My mom was a widow, and we were in a difficult emotional situation, so I decided to return. My idea was to stay in Cali because there was more work there, and here at the University, there was a Geotechnologist position, but they wanted a man, and the men were offered the job, but they didn't want it because the salary was very low compared to what they paid outside," she recalls, somewhat pensively.

Faced with this new situation, engineer Victoria, along with a colleague, decided to contact the laboratory manager, who at that time was Engineer Antonio Chavarro, to submit their resumes. She recalls that they personally delivered them because at that time, there were no emails, institutional networks, let alone social media; in fact, job announcements were published in the newspaper. So, the colleagues submitted their resumes, and Engineer Victoria specified that her intention was to work in the city of Cali, but destiny had a different proposal: "Curiously, my colleague wanted to work at the University, but for some reason, on July 28th, they called me and said they had just hired me and were waiting for me on Monday at 8 in the morning in the soil laboratory. It was a surprise. I wanted to work in Cali because the environment here was a bit difficult; everyone was men, and I was very young. So, I was afraid to face their dynamics. I was going to be their boss, and they were experienced people; that was my fear more than anything else. But, well... I started working in the laboratory, breaking many paradigms as a woman, being young, having a technological career, and entering a specific position, in an environment where everyone was very gentlemanly. So, it wasn't easy to break with all the dynamics they had, but over time, they became familiar with me and understood that all I wanted was to work," she tells us, somewhat nostalgic, recalling her early days in the workforce.

After some time working in the soil laboratory, Engineer Victoria decided to try to enter the Civil Engineering program again. She applied, passed, and entered the career she had always wanted. However, she faced significant challenges: "It was very tough because when I requested permission to study, the dean at that time told me no. He said that I studied or worked, that I couldn't do both here. The University was not going to pay me to study. So, at that time, they renewed my contract from January to April, from April to August, and from August to December. He said that if my contract expired on April 30, we were going to do something: I had to leave the career or leave the job. I had until April 30 to go up to his office and tell him what I was going to do, but definitely, I couldn't work and study at the same time. My advantage was that there was a change of rector, a change of dean, and the people who came in had a different vision, and they saw that my replacing time allowed the laboratories to have more flexibility in schedules. So, it was different, but still, I registered for two subjects per semester. When I had vacation from work, I took summer courses, and I took fifth-year subjects and above in the evenings from six to eight, which helped me progress a bit."

She had successfully overcome the first obstacle but now had to maintain herself, both in her work and studies: "It was quite a challenge because it was something no administrative staff member had done at the faculty. So, I had to talk to many people, ask for permissions, say that I was going to work and study, but that I was going to take two or three subjects per semester, depending on my job. So, the first thing I wanted to do was fulfill my work, and in my free time, I could study. I took classes from seven to nine and had to be at work by 8. So, from 8 to 9, I asked for permission, and then I made up the time."

So, in small but sure steps, Engineer Victoria achieved her professional title in March 2005, not without setting a precedent. "I graduated as a Civil Engineer, working, studying hard, and fighting because there was always some discomfort among my colleagues. They said, 'Why her and not us?' But in the end, I told them that if they wanted to study, they should knock on doors and do it. Since at that time, nobody had done it in the faculty, my experience impacted, and those who wanted to study could do it. After that, my relationship with them was very good. I was still the only woman, and I ended up getting along very well with them."

After realizing that she could achieve whatever she set her mind to, Engineer Victoria continued her studies with a Specialization in Pavements, also offered at our Alma Mater. "The specialization was on Fridays and Saturdays. I only asked for permission on Friday afternoons, but the requirement was to make up the time. At that time, I had to return 100% or more; now, one returns 50%. However, I did it with a lot of enthusiasm," the engineer said, who, after completing her specialization, continued with a Master's in Road Engineering. "The day I graduated from the specialization, I realized I was pregnant, but I had already arranged to do the master's at the University. With the same group that came from the specialization, we entered the master's. So, at that time, it wasn't just working and studying; I also faced the experience of being a mother. The advantage was that everything fell into place, thanks to God. When I was about to have my baby, we were all working on our research projects. So, I had my baby and went on maternity leave. Additionally, the colleague with whom I developed my thesis project, along with his wife, had also just had a baby, so he understood my situation, and we managed to balance. In fact, we were the first two to graduate from the master's. We were strong, and the advantage was that the girl was very judicious, which benefited me a lot because it gave me space to work and study."

Once she finished her master's, Engineer Victoria took the University's Diploma in University Teaching and the following year began teaching in the Geotechnology program. After spending many years at Unicauca, she decided to take an unpaid leave and went to work for a private company in Buga, but family circumstances brought her back. The positive aspect of this period in her life was that she returned with a new perspective, a new perspective that encouraged her to continue her academic training. "In 2015, I went to study in Manizales and did a Specialization in Geotechnics. It was tough because I had to travel every 15 days and make up the time, but that was what I wanted to study, and it was within my reach. I graduated in January 2017."

In 2018, Engineer Victoria decided to dedicate herself entirely to teaching. "Engineer Eugenio, who returned to be the department head, asked me if I was sure since I had been in the administrative part for 21 years, and I had a stable employment contract there. But as a teacher, I didn't have that stability. However, my decision was already made because teaching was what I had always wanted to do all my life. I fulfilled my cycle in the laboratories and did what I had to do. So, on February 1, 2018, I entered as a full-time occasional teacher, and to this date, I continue. I stayed in my department, and within my academic workload, I have students from Geotechnology and Civil Engineering. Additionally, I am a student in the Doctorate in Environmental Sciences at the University of Cauca."

So, after recounting the most significant events of her time at the faculty, Engineer Victoria recalls one of the anecdotes that caught her attention the most. Between 1996 and 2002, Father Genaro Rojas, Chaplain of the University of Cauca, organized a pageant among all the faculties to raise funds, and from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, two queens emerged: one from Civil Engineering and one from Geotechnology. That was how the program became known. "It was very curious because the queens were asked which program they were from, and when they said 'Geotechnology,' nobody knew the program, and that was how the technological career became known. The pageants were really cool. The queens participated in parades, and a whole schedule of activities was carried out, ending with the gala party and the coronation of the queen. It was very interesting because there was a lot of integration, and at that time, there were more university parties, and there were no problems. They had the field day from 11 in the morning, people filled the whole park, there were games, music at night, and the party started. It was impressive; it was packed, and there was no way to get in," Engineer Victoria recalls with great joy.

Therefore, with this remarkable story of struggling to make a mark in Civil Engineering at a time when the gender gap was much wider, we wanted to continue our special Faces of a Legacy. Stories like this invite us to prevail against life's resounding "no," to fight for the dreams we want to fulfill, to knock on doors and seek possibilities to make them come true.

At the University of Cauca, we are aware that throughout history and even today, in the context, the opportunities for men are not the same for women and for people who are part of sexual and gender dissidences. It is also complex because traditionally these individuals have been deprived of the public and spaces of power. Hence the importance of highlighting stories like this, which remind us that we must break gender stereotypes because everyone is capable of achieving what we set out to do and much more.

We will continue to seek more inspiring stories, and soon we will return with our special #FacesOfALegacy, an activity driven within the celebration of the 150 years of our beloved Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Cauca.