At 84 years old, Celina García Vega shows that there are no limits to fulfill a dream. In a ceremony carried out under strict sanitary measures, she received the certificate from the State Distance University (UNED), which accredits her a master’s degree in Social and Family Violence Studies.
“I needed to know more, understand more about the whole process of violence. We urgently need an institute for peace, to tell us where exactly the people who have suffered abuse are.
I studied at UNED because it is the only one in Costa Rica that gives a lot of freedom of movement and offers creativity, there is nothing that restricts you to investigate what really interests you,” said García Vega.
The degree acceptance was held last Thursday at the Fernando Volio Jiménez university campus, the UNED headquarters, strictly following the health regulations against the Pandemic.
García Vega has dedicated the last 30 years to deal with violence and has studied and worked in national and international universities. In addition, she stands out for her contributions from the Center for Peace Studies, a non-profit foundation created by her to address the phenomenon of violence in Costa Rica.
Very meritorious
With great effort, she completed the UNED curriculum and presented an investigation that, achieved important results by applying an alternative program to violence for a group of incarcerated people from the Jorge Arturo Montero Castro Comprehensive Care Center, known like La Reforma.
Since its foundation, Doña Celina has focused her efforts on caring for people deprived of liberty and people who suffer aggression, which she says has led her to find a purpose in her life.
“Working 30 years in prisons, training in the culture of peace, linked me to this particular master’s degree. I urge older adults to keep doing what they love, keep going,“she added.
For her part, the rector of the UNED, Rodrigo Arias Camacho, highlighted “the overcoming, courage and desire to move forward that characterize Doña Celina. This degree awarding ceremony is a very clear manifestation of the mission of the UNED, to open opportunities for improvement, to carry out studies for all people, without any discrimination, for any reason, not even by age”. “Doña Celina is a lady with a desire for improvement and lifelong learning, she is an example for our entire country”, concluded Arias Camacho.
