Guillermina Uribe Bone facts for kids

Guillermina Uribe Bone (1920 – 2018) was a very important civil engineer. She made history by becoming the first woman to get a civil engineering degree. She graduated from the National University of Colombia in Bogotá in 1948.

Early Life

Guillermina Uribe was born in Guatemala City in 1920. Her father was Guillermo Uribe Echevarría, an accountant. Her mother was Maria Teresa Bone Romero. Guillermina had seven brothers and sisters.

Her older sister, Rebeca, was also a pioneer. Rebeca was the first woman to earn an engineering degree in Colombia. This shows that their family believed in education for girls.

In 1928, Guillermina's family moved to Colombia. They settled in the city of Medellín.

Education

Guillermina finished high school in 1941. After that, her family moved to Bogotá. Her parents strongly supported all their daughters' education. They especially encouraged Guillermina to study civil engineering.

She started her engineering studies in 1943. Guillermina later shared that her father was "ahead of his time." He had big hopes for women. There were about 40 students in her class. Only one other woman, Rosalba Pachón Gómez, studied civil engineering with her.

Guillermina studied at the Central Technical Institute first. Then she moved to the University City Campus. She worked hard and graduated on December 18, 1948.

Career

In 1949, Guillermina started working for the Ministry of Works. She joined the National Buildings section. Her first project was for the Post Office building in Cali.

She also helped check the design for the Olympic Stadium in Santa Marta. She worked at the ministry for two years. The first year was before she graduated. The second year, she was a fully qualified engineer.

Family Life

Guillermina married another engineer named Francisco Stella Ibáñez. They had nine children together. Seven of their children went on to study at university. This shows how important education was in their family.

Recognition

In 2011, Guillermina Uribe Bone was honored. This happened at an exhibition celebrating 150 years of engineering in Colombia. The President, Juan Manuel Santos, was there. Guillermina was the special guest.

She was 94 years old at the time. This was the first time her important role as a pioneering woman engineer was publicly recognized.

In 2020, a group called Icohtec made an online film. The film showed how Colombian women entered STEM careers. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The film wanted to highlight amazing women like Guillermina. It aimed to inspire modern girls and women.

Today, about 32% of engineering students in Colombia are female. The film hoped to encourage even more women to choose engineering.

Guillermina Uribe Bone passed away in Bogotá in 2018. She was 98 years old.