Social Responsibility Award

Good evening.

I humbly accept this award that my alma mater, the Technological University of Panama, has seen fit to grant me. I thank its authorities for the initiative of these awards, and the organizers for the effort they have put into tonight’s event. I would have wished to be present to receive it in person, but at this moment I am in the city of Boston, pursuing my doctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Throughout my life, I have had the good fortune of receiving, ahead of time, recognitions that in the moment I feel I have not earned, and that move me to justify the honor through redoubled efforts. Serving my community, sharing with my fellow human beings what life has given me, has always been for me—more than a responsibility—a pleasure. José Ingenieros sees social solidarity as a contemporary manifestation of love. I share his view, and I accept this award humbly and on those terms, as an encouragement to go on serving, out of love, the community that has been so generous to me.

Thank you very much.