By Career Development & Alumni Experience
The classrooms of INCAE are home to a diversity of professionals from different countries, men and women who are trained to lead and contribute to society with the knowledge and skills they acquire. But, if we take a look at the past, more than 50 years ago, most of the students in master's programs were men. Even so, the first student to break with the stereotypes of her time was Virginia Zecca Rodríguez, the only female student in the MAE I program.
Virginia Zecca Rodriguez on her graduation day
It was 1969, graduates of different nationalities - mainly from Central America - proudly received their degree as Incaístas and their passage into history as the first generation to achieve this important academic goal. Among them was Virginia, originally from Costa Rica, who during the graduation ceremony gave a few words of thanks, without imagining that her discipline, intelligence and enthusiasm would be the source of inspiration for many women who today carry their degree from Incaístas and are leading important companies and projects.
Presentation of a Certificate of Recognition and Dedication of the First MAE I Class to Rector Clark L. Wilson, presented by Virginia Zecca Rodríguez.
Virginia demonstrated that leadership has no gender, and her example has been fundamental in fostering an environment where more and more women conquer new goals. INCAE has been working hard to promote equality, to the point of achieving the number 1 position in the world in women participants and international programs, according to the Financial Times magazine ranking, in the year 2022.
MAE I graduates during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of their graduation, at the Walter Kissling Gam campus in 2019.
During the graduation ceremony on May 10, 2024, 111 new graduates joined Incaístas, of which 37 are women from 13 different countries. A group of graduates of the Executive Master in Business Administration (EMBA 2023 II) decided to pay tribute to Virginia for being the first graduate of a master's degree program at INCAE.
After the ceremony, the group of 12 Incaístas, accompanied by Rector Enrique Bolaños and members of the faculty, unveiled a statue in honor of Virginia as a symbol of gender equality and the progress that society has made in education.
Rector Enrique Bolaños addresses the attendees
55 years after Virginia's graduation, her legacy remains immortalized in the halls of INCAE, inspiring professionals to challenge obstacles and demonstrating that a first-class education, such as the one provided by this Alma Mater, has a positive impact and leaves its mark throughout the years.
Reading of the statue plaque
The EMBA 2023 graduates participated in this tribute to Virginia:
