A professor who champions the work of caregivers while balancing her professional career with motherhood. A graduate who creates new opportunities and strengthens the voices of rural communities. A student who leads in spaces traditionally dominated by men. A staff member who has managed to do it all: studies, household work, institutional responsibilities, and time for herself. Daniela, Mayra, Arianna, and Olga are four of the hundreds of women’s voices who are part of EARTH and who, through both large and small actions, are sustaining and transforming the world.
On International Women’s Day, we share their stories:
A Woman Who Mothers and Teaches
For Daniela Astorga, Professor of Health, Well-being, and Human Development, it is impossible to talk about gender without addressing care and motherhood. Not because all women always are or have to be mothers, she clarifies, but because despite sociocultural changes around the world, the role of care continues to be closely linked to women’s experiences.
Although this domestic work can be a heavy burden, Daniela believes there are unique qualities that deserve recognition—such as the ability to carry out the “silent” and often invisible tasks within the home while also remaining persistent enough to study, assume leadership positions, and work outside the home.
One day, during a meeting of the EARTH faculty, her daughter came looking for her. Yanine Chan, the University’s dean, was leading the meeting. She noticed the girl standing at the door and invited her into the room to sit beside her mother. That small gesture meant a great deal to Daniela and reinforced something she firmly believes: women need structural support in every area of their lives. They need networks, people, and leaders who help them feel supported while they fulfill the different roles that are part of their lives.
“Women—and especially mothers—need more empathy, like the wonderful gesture Yanine made. Those small actions make you feel supported so you can keep moving forward,” she says.
A Woman Who Builds and Leads
Mayra Ruíz (Class of 2000, Colombia) comes from a coffee-growing family. Knowledge about cultivating and producing high-quality coffee reached her at a young age, as part of a fourth generation determined to keep that tradition alive.
After graduating from EARTH, she wanted to return to her hometown and continue working in coffee production. However, the armed conflict in her country forced her to put that dream on hold. Meanwhile, she worked on agricultural development projects promoting agroecology and productive diversification. Later, she led agricultural export initiatives in Bogotá and coordinated processes in the coffee sector in Tolima, one of Colombia’s most important coffee-producing regions.
Making her way as a woman in historically male-dominated spaces was not easy.
“When a woman enters these environments, she often does so under the shadow of others’ doubts about her abilities,” she explains.
For Mayra, every decision had to be justified with results, and every proposal required twice the effort to gain legitimacy. The work was demanding—but worth it.
Eleven years ago, she made a decision that marked a new chapter: she finally returned to her hometown. Today, she leads a specialty coffee project that integrates production, export, and community development. She works with rural youth, promotes educational initiatives in schools, and encourages environmental conservation within the region.
For Mayra, education should not only be a tool for individual social mobility but also a collective commitment to the communities people come from. It is an idea she embraces and the way she practices leadership.
A Woman Who Communicates and Empowers
Arianna Gutiérrez Cevallos (Class of 2026, Ecuador) has two brothers who are agronomists. Perhaps because of that, she initially wanted to follow a different path. However, after an immersive experience that helped her reflect on her professional future, she discovered that Agricultural Sciences could offer her a space to connect with communities and build her own identity.
“I feel that agronomy is a world where you will never stop learning and never get bored.”
During her time at EARTH, Arianna has taken on leadership roles in several academic projects. During her third-year Internship, she coordinated the construction of a greenhouse with a team composed mostly of men.
Not all of the instructions she gave were received openly. She faced ironic comments and challenges to her authority. Rather than stepping back, Arianna strengthened her ability to communicate and defend her technical criteria. She learned that leadership also means standing firm in your own voice—even when the world is not used to hearing from a young woman.
With graduation just months away, a dream is beginning to take shape: she wants to return to her hometown to promote circular economy models, share her knowledge of sustainable agricultural practices, and support small producers. She believes in an agriculture with both a social and environmental focus—and in the need for more women to participate in decision-making within the agricultural sector.
A Woman Who Dreams and Perseveres
Olga Brenes Reyes began working at EARTH 30 years ago, when she was only 20. She was the mother of a young child who was just learning to walk and say his first words. Though she was young herself, she quickly learned to balance motherhood and household responsibilities with a new job opportunity that filled her with hope.
She started working at the University’s telephone switchboard while learning to juggle her time so she could leave meals prepared, laundry done, and the house in order. She remembers sleeping very little, but the job gave her economic independence and the motivation to keep learning.
Over time, she became an Administrative Assistant in the Maintenance Department, where for many years she was the only woman on the team. Even so, she always felt respected.
Olga has witnessed the institution grow. She has seen nearly every graduating class pass through and has watched the transformation of the Guácimo Campus. She has grown as well: she had more children whom she loves deeply, grandchildren who have changed her life, and opportunities that strengthened her—such as completing her secondary education and learning another language.
Now she is preparing for a new challenge: earning a university degree to teach English. Her story speaks of perseverance, discipline, and a quiet strength that sustains both family life and institutional life.
Four different stories, four paths shaped by brave decisions, lifelong learning, and persistence. From the classroom to the rural landscape to academic projects and administrative work, Daniela, Mayra, Arianna, and Olga represent the many women who, day after day, sustain our communities, families, and organizations.
Recognizing their work is not merely a symbolic gesture—it is a necessary step toward a more equitable society.
