The Unviersidad de Colima Aids Student and Paralympic Athlete

The Universidad de Colima Aids Student and Paralympic Athlete

The Presidents of the university, José Eduardo Hernández Nava, met with student María Monserrat Gutiérrez Cabrera and her father, Jesús Gutiérrez Martínez, who were extremely grateful for the support on behalf of the UdeC, which allows her to attent the preliminary competitions for the Paralimpic Games held in Brasil.

Montserrat Gutiérrez, who is in her sixth semester, thanked the President for the financial aid to attend the preliminaries.  She added that she is training for the next juvenile paralimpic games that will take place during the first week of June in Acapulco.  President Hernández Nava commented that "if she is capable, and improves every day, she should continue" and moreover that "we will find a way to continue helping her."

The student explained that she enrolled in the School of Education, majoring in Physical Education, to which the President commented that this just exemplifies the ooportunities the university has for people with a disability.  

He also spoke of the MUSE project which includes European and Latin American Universities working together to ensure an inclusive framework and support centers for students with disabilities in participating institutions. Universidad de Colima and Tec de Monterrey are the participating universities from Mexico.

Likewise, "the project aims to create a regional network to increase collaboration and the exchange of best practices between universities with regard to inclusion.  This also helps to respond to demands of social equity." 

The Center for the Development of a Familiar University, directed by Alicia López de Hernández; the School of Education; the Department of International Relations; and the School of Foreign Languages all participate on behalf of the Universidad de Colima.

Before leaving, the student gave a gift to the President, who gratefully accepted and encouraged her to continue to work hard on her training.

María Montserrat Gutiérrez Cabrera swims the 400 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 50 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, and 100 butterfly.  Since beginning competitions in 2011, she has won 3 gold medals, 5 silver medals, 7 bronze medals and was awarded the Municipal Prize in 2013.

Montserrat Gutiérrez´s father, Jesús Gutiérrez Martínez es a general service worker at his daughter´s school.