Julieta Castellanos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julieta Castellanos
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Castellanos in 2016
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| Born |
Julieta Gonzalina Castellanos Ruiz
8 January 1954 |
| Nationality | Honduran |
| Alma mater | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras University of Costa Rica |
| Awards | Martin Luther King, Jr. Award International Women of Courage Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Sociology |
Julieta Castellanos (born 8 January 1954) is an important Honduran sociologist. A sociologist studies how people live together in groups. Since 2009, she has been the head of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH).
Castellanos is well-known for working against violence in Honduras. She has focused on reducing crime and improving the police force. She believes that both the justice system and the police need to change. In 2004, she started the Observatorio de la Violencia (Violence Observatory) at UNAH. This center collects and studies information about crime in Honduras. She also helped the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This group worked to understand what happened during the 2009 events that removed President Manuel Zelaya from power.
Early Life and Education
Julieta Castellanos Ruiz was born on 8 January 1954. Her birthplace was San Francisco de Becerra, in the Olancho region of Honduras. Her father, Rafael Castellanos, was from Santa Bárbara. Her mother, Ernestina Ruiz, was from Olancho. Julieta grew up in the countryside where sugar is grown.
In 1968, her father helped her take an exam. This exam was for a teaching school for girls in Tegucigalpa. She passed and finished her teaching degree in 1973. The next year, in 1974, she received two scholarships. These helped her study Social Work at UNAH and Social Sciences at the College of Teachers. She later earned a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Costa Rica.
After finishing her studies, Castellanos became a professor at UNAH in 1978. She led the Social Sciences Department from 1997 to 2001. She was also the President of the Association of Teachers during that time. In 1986, she was President of the Association of Professors for the University Center of General Studies. Since 2005, she has been the coordinator of the Violence Observatory. She has also worked as a consultant for important organizations. These include the Arias Foundation for Human Progress and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). She is also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue, a group that discusses issues in the Americas. For 13 years, she wrote a column for a newspaper.
Leading the University
In 2009, Julieta Castellanos was chosen to be the Rector of the National Autonomous University of Honduras. This is like being the president of a university. She was chosen for a four-year term. Before this, she was already leading the UNAH Violence Observatory. She also directed the Institute for Democracy, Peace and Security (IUDPAS). This institute was created with help from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It also had support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
Castellanos took over from the previous rector, Jorge Abraham Arita. The College Board president, Olvin Rodriguez, praised Castellanos. He said she was respected by everyone at the university. She was also respected by people across Honduras and around the world.
Soon after she became rector, President Manuel Zelaya was removed from office. During a student protest, police pushed Castellanos. She was trying to stop them from breaking up the student gathering. As rector, she has had disagreements with SITRAUNAH. This is the union for the university's employees. Some people criticized her for letting go of 60 employees in 2009. These employees were protesting on university grounds.
During her time as rector, Castellanos oversaw many new buildings. These included a sports complex, an administrative building, and a university clinic. The university invested a lot of money, about 1,500 million Lempiras, in these projects.
Her first four-year term as rector ended in April 2013. She continued as interim rector for a short time. In September 2013, she was chosen again to lead the university for another term.
Awards and Recognition
Julieta Castellanos received the first-ever Martin Luther King, Jr. Award. This award was given on 20 April 2012. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation and the Instituto Hondureño de Cultura Interamericana sponsored the ceremony.
In March 2013, Castellanos also received the International Women of Courage Award. The U.S. State Department gives out this award. It was presented to her by US Secretary of State John Kerry and First Lady Michelle Obama.
See also
In Spanish: Julieta Castellanos para niños
