Graduate with the vision of contributing knowledge

Kevin Julián Aya Roa, a professional nurse from UCundinamarca and a student of the Master of Science in Nursing in Mexico, is researching depression in diabetics.

From the city of acacias to the world, Kevin Julián Aya Roa, a 23-year-old researcher passionate about nursing, reading and sports, traveled to Mexico more than a year ago on a Conacyt scholarship to deepen his knowledge in his field, generate knowledge, but with the dream of graduating with honors from the master's program.

That dream is within reach, as he is the youngest in his class and the first Colombian to be admitted to this master's program at the University of Guanajuato, Celaya Salvatierra Campus; he also boasts one of the highest GPAs in the semester. His academic and research background dates back to his undergraduate studies and has been further strengthened by the significant experience of pursuing his master's degree.

The scholarship wasn't easy to get, but she got it. As soon as she received her professional license, she went to work at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Honda, Tolima, where she worked double shifts to save money and support herself in Mexico during the first few months while she waited for the scholarship to arrive.

His biggest expectation at this moment is to continue with his doctorate at this same university, but with a clear objective: to return to UCundinamarca to replicate all his knowledge, learning and research to new generations.

“I am proud to be a graduate of my University of Cundinamarca. This alma mater shaped me, gave me the professional foundation to become passionate about nursing, and is also the institution that employed my mother in various jobs. She and my father worked tirelessly to raise me. I am the result of that effort and the education I received from the professors at UDEC.”.

Kevin Julián is currently working on his master's thesis on the following topic: “Relationship between family functioning and depressive symptoms in people with type 2 diabetes”, He is also working on the publication of two scientific research articles in indexed journals, as well as the production of two other articles.

The thesis presented by the graduate in his research work arose from the need to address the lack of interventions carried out in Mexico, which is a challenge for nursing and mental health research, given the high incidence of people with diabetes in Mexico.

The research focuses on how mental health nursing could decrease the level of depression and its symptoms, positively impacting quality of life, anxiety, glycemic control, self-efficacy, coping and stress, especially in type two diabetic patients.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that, in June, Kevin Julián was a speaker at the V Forum for Dissemination and Research in Nursing with the lecture Analysis of the challenges for nursing professionals in Mexico: A student's perspective.

At the conference, he presented a general analysis of the Nursing in Mexico, He pointed out, supported by theorists in the field, that the disciplinary development of the profession in each country in Latin America is different, and that new nursing knowledge that addresses problem-solving in practice allows nursing to be a science.

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