Sol Aramí Brizuela Báez, 22, from Ciudad del Este, became a mechanical engineer with the highest academic distinction — Summa cum laude — from Tufts University, located in the cities of Somerville and Medford, near Boston, Massachusetts. The young woman was one of the top graduates among about 150 Latino students at the university's Latino center.
Graduated from Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús school in Ciudad del Este in 2020, during the covid-19 pandemic, Sol secured a scholarship and paid for her own move to the United States. Her mother, Sandra Báez, who traveled to Boston for the ceremony, stated: “She reached the university on her own and managed to get the university to grant her a scholarship. It is a reward for effort.”
On Sunday, during the graduation ceremony held on the university grounds, Sol raised the Paraguayan flag and wore a sash with the national colors and coats of arms. In her speech, she greeted those present in Guaraní: “Mba’eichapa,” before continuing in fluent English. She recalled the challenges of leaving Ciudad del Este, adapting to a new culture, and learning a new language, standing out among hundreds of students.
The mother concluded: “It is very moving that people know Sol's story. She graduated from school in 2020, in the year of covid-19, but that did not stop her from reaching the United States and fulfilling her dream. We must encourage young people to fight for their dreams.”