August 2018 Humphrey Secretariat Post
Hi! I am Marcela Aguilar Rodriguez from Mexico your Secretariat as Humphrey fellow for August 2018. I work as the Academic Exchange and Project Manager for the Secretariat for Education of the State of Jalisco in the International Relations Office where I have had different positions like Officer for Cooperation with USA and Canada (2004-2007), Liaison for international education project for the K12 Vice Minister (2007-2010), Academic Exchange Coordinator (2010-present).
I am a specialist in project management in International Education, basically I have been dedicated to negotiate international educational cooperation, as well as design and operate projects over 14 years, such as: Exchanges of high school and university students , professional internships abroad, exchange of specialists, exchange of teachers and scholarship information, educational delegates reception in order to find partnerships among local and international higher education institutions. At the same time, I had the opportunity to be invited to educational fairs and universities in Jalisco, Mexico to give talks on how to look for scholarships, modalities and general requirements that different organizations and foundations grant. I have been involved in the search, networking and negotiation with different parts in Latin America, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The experience has been incredible!
Education is the best tool for change, and international education gives the opportunity to expand and share our points of view with different cultures and nations sharing our common concerns and goals.
Fun facts about Mexico!
I’m from Guadalajara, Jalisco the second largest and most important city of the country (just behind Mexico City). In the State of Jalisco you can find Mariachi and Tequila (origin denomination) Tequila landscape its Human Heritage by UNESCO.
About Education in Mexico, The official school year for basic education started on August 20th,2018. Did you know schools may choose their calendar? Basic education schools (kindergarten, elementary, middle and junior high school) can choose having a 200 days school days calendar or 185 days. If a school chooses the 185 days calendar, students and teachers have a longer day to day journey. You can see the calendars here Mexican K9 Academic Calendar More than 26 million students returned to school in August to continue their basic education. An average of 4.7 million students will attend their High School and 3.5 million will enter a university for the first time.