December 7, 2018

Distinguished members of the Board of Regents and Academic Council of INTEC

Dear managers, professors, students, graduates and other members of the inteciana community

Dear professors and students from other institutions

Dear teacher Yvelisse Prats Ramirez de Perez, Mr. Mario Emilio Perez, sons and daughters, grandchildren, great-granddaughters and other relatives and friends

Ladies and Gentlemen 

As an expression of commitment to Dominican youth, the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo is pleased to recognize a young talent from Dominican politics and teaching, Yvelisse Prats Ramírez de Pérez. The intention is to record our admiration for an exemplary life, which for almost six decades of public work, has not diminished the capacity to be amazed and, even less, the capacity to astonish us. She represents the values ​​that the international community professes, and in paying her this simple tribute we do so with a healthy mix of admiration, gratitude and respect. 

I have no claim to describe in this intervention the long trajectory of our honoree, as it would be like a foolish attempt to enclose a sea within the limits of a small lake. For the sake of brevity, I will limit myself to a short reference to her conditions as a teacher, with which she has passed with equal dedication through the public school and the university chair; I will make a simple mention of her contributions as a union leader and political leader, which allowed her to become the first president of a political party in the Latin American region; And I will conclude by referring to what may be the area that has generated the greatest satisfaction, which is her condition as a mother, through which she overcame loneliness and occasional unemployment to raise several children that today fill her with pride.

This variety of roles gives the impression that Dona Yvelisse discovered the perpetual motion formula and makes those who know her describe it in ways that are close to myth. Personally, I have the impression that she is one of the few figures in our environment who can be classified as "legendary" without this being an exaggeration, and I have no doubt that there will come a day when future generations will speak of her with the admiration with which today we speak of our most illustrious teachers, such as Salomé Urena, Petronila Angélica Gómez or Ercilia Pepin, just to name a few. 

On the other hand, it is fair to remember that the story of our honoree could not be written without making some reference to Mario Emilio Pérez, a Romeo with an unusual appearance in whom a mature Juliet found what perhaps she was no longer even looking for. Don Mario Emilio has been an unrepeatable traveling companion for Doña Yvelisse, and the relationship between them seems to be a kind of miracle of the kind that only occurs when two beings meet who, to use a popular expression, seem to have been “cut by a same scissors ”despite their many differences. In a way, recognizing her is also recognizing him, and we recognize them both with equal enthusiasm. 

To finish, I leave you with a question that I have asked myself for many years: what is the secret that explains the surprising vitality of our winner? My personal hypothesis is that the key lies in your absolute certainty that it is possible to transform the world into a better world. In his own words, he has told us that he believes in utopias but tries to make them concrete. Inspired by that belief, she wakes up every day with the conviction that, as Terencio would say, nothing human should be alien to her, and in a political world convulsed by disagreements and intrigues, she continues to testify with her actions the value of generosity.  

Thank you, dear teacher, for giving us a valuable example of passionate teaching and honest leadership. Your life trajectory makes us proud to be your disciples even if you don't remember having been our teacher. And we humbly hope that you enjoy every second of this tribute that we have prepared for you with much love.