Aurora Vergara
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Aurora Vergara Figueroa (born May 14, 1987) is a Colombian sociologist, academic, and professor who served as Minister of National Education from 2023 to 2023 under President
Gustavo Petro Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (; born 19 April 1960) is a Colombian politician who is the 34th and current president of Colombia since 2022. Upon inauguration, he became the Pink tide, first left-wing president in the History of Colombia, recen ...
, Vergara served as Deputy Minister of Higher Education from 2022 to 2023. Born in
Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...
, Cauca Valley, she holds a degree in
Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
from the
University of Valle The University of Valle (), also called Univalle, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university based primarily in the city of Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is the largest higher education institution by student populatio ...
and a master's degree in Academic Affairs from the
University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...
. In 2022, she was a member of Gustavo Petro's presidential transition team and later in August assumed the position of Deputy Minister of Higher Education, a position she would hold until 2023, when she would become Minister of National Education.


Early life

Aurora Vergara Figueroa was born on May 14, 1987, in
Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...
, Cauca Valley, to Aristóbulo Vergara and María Teresa Figueroa. Her parents moved to Istmina, Chocó, when she was four years old. Her father worked at
Emcali Empresas Municipales de Cali (informally: Emcali) is a state-owned company providing water, telecommunications, and electricity services in Cali, Colombia. In 2006 it had an income of 1.5 billion Colombian peso The Colombian peso (currency sign, ...
, while her mother was a housewife and cleaning lady at the Istmina courthouse. Vergara studied at the Escuela Normal Superior de las Mercedes, where she finished high school at 16. After completing her studies and faced with a lack of opportunities in Itsmina, she tried to enter the Chocó monastery, but her mother persuaded her to enroll in university. After writing History of Chocó she won the 2003 Andrés Bello Convention Award in history, which allowed her to move to Cali to study at the
University of Valle The University of Valle (), also called Univalle, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university based primarily in the city of Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is the largest higher education institution by student populatio ...
, where she graduated in
Social Sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...
. Vergara was awarded a scholarship to study at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...
, where she pursued a master's degree and later a doctorate in Sociology. Later she did postdoctoral study in sociology at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
.


Deputy Minister of Higher Education (2022-2023)

Vergara actively participated in Petro-Márquez presidential campaign, serving on the presidential transition team alongside Mauricio Lizcano, Carolina Corcho, and Daniel Rojas. She was later appointed Deputy Minister of Higher Education by Vice president
Francia Márquez Francia Elena Márquez Mina (born 1 December 1981) is a Colombia, Colombian human-rights and environmental activist, feminist, lawyer and politician who is the 13th and current Vice President of Colombia since 2022. She was born in Yolombó (vill ...
, taking office on August 7, 2022, as the right-hand woman to Education Minister Alejandro Gaviria.


Minister of National Education (2023-2024)

In February 2023, following the resignation of Alejandro Gaviria as Minister of National Education, Vergara was nominated and later confirmed by President
Gustavo Petro Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (; born 19 April 1960) is a Colombian politician who is the 34th and current president of Colombia since 2022. Upon inauguration, he became the Pink tide, first left-wing president in the History of Colombia, recen ...
as the new Minister of National Education. She was the eigth woman and the first
Afro-Colombian Afro-Colombians (), also known as Black Colombians (), are Colombians of total or predominantly Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Colombia has one of the largest African diaspora, Afro-descendant populations in South America, with government ...
to hold the position.


References


External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Vergara, Aurora 1987 births Living people Politicians from Cauca Valley Colombian academics Colombian women academics Colombian sociologists Colombian women sociologists 21st-century Colombian politicians 21st-century Colombian women politicians University of Valle alumni University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Education alumni Soy Porque Somos politicians Women government ministers of Colombia Petro administration cabinet members Ministers of national education of Colombia Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit People associated with the 2022 Colombian presidential election