Mexican biotechnologist accepted to study in Saudi Arabia

When Nashiely Ojeda arrived at Tec de Monterrey, she was an introverted young woman who had recently left San Luis Potosí and was living alone in Monterrey.  

Today, she is about to embark on another journey: to study for a master’s degree at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. 

Nashiely went to Monterrey campus to study biotechnology, a degree that included everything she was passionate about, with support from a 100% Leaders of Tomorrow program scholarship. 

“I was a very introverted person. I’m from San Luis Potosí and going to live alone in Monterrey and starting university made me much more open, and more extroverted. I was able to develop skills that later characterized me in my social circle. 

“I chose biotechnology because when I was looking into all the degree options I thought at first, ‘I want to study medicine, or I want to study food engineering, or I want to study environmental issues,’” she said. 

While studying biotechnology, Nashiely took advantage of every opportunity the institution offered her to acquire skills beyond her field of study. 

She participated in student groups, played basketball, swam, climbed, and was part of the Storytellers program for which she created social media, covered events, and wrote articles for CONECTA, the Tec’s news site. 

StoryTellers is a Tec de Monterrey institutional program that began in 2016, originally under the name Communication Ambassadors, with the aim of having students narrate their experiences of university life. 

“I was in student groups; I was in CARE, which is for foreign regional associations; I was in an environmental group, an art group, and in Girl Up. 

“I swam; I’d play volleyball pickup games; and I’d say: ‘Oh, what sport haven’t I done?’ and that’s how I got into climbing,” she recalled. 

In addition to her extracurricular activities, the Tec graduate acknowledges that the Educational Model provided her with a résumé that helped her be accepted into the master’s program.  

“What I always liked about the Tec were the collaborative projects and opportunities to work with companies. Although it’s a lot of work, when you graduate, you realize that this is a great differentiator: it adds a lot of experience to your résumé. 

“I had the opportunity to do my specialist work at the Guadalajara campus, where I studied pharmaceutics,” she added. 

What’s more, she carried out several projects, such as generating bioplastic from organic waste, and participated in various entrepreneurship competitions, one of them being ‘Jump Chile 2024,’ a university entrepreneurship competition in which she reached the semi-finals. 

During her university studies, Nashiely went through a difficult situation: she lost her father, which caused her to stop for a while and rethink her next steps, as well as decide whether to find a job or continue with graduate studies. 

“That event had many repercussions on my life in the sense of spending a little more time with my mom, getting some closure, and taking my time so as not to rush things,” she told CONECTA. 

Although she is excited by this opportunity, Nashiely confesses that she was afraid about making the decision to leave home once again. 

“I’m excited, but I’m also scared. I’ve been here with my mom for a long time and we’ve reconnected. She thought I was going to leave her completely alone. 

“My family made me realize that you have to make your own way and make decisions based on what you like and what will make you happy,” she shared. 

Just as with the Tec’s Leaders of Tomorrow program, Nashiely won a 100% scholarship, allowing her to live in Saudi Arabia for the next two years and study plant science at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. 

Leaders of Tomorrow (LDM) is a Tec de Monterrey initiative that provides scholarships each year to young people who have both a history of successful social transformation and socioeconomic need. 

“As part of the LDM scholarship, you have introductory talks at the beginning of the program. They help you to find a support network and other people who are looking for the same thing as you,” she said. 

In fact, it was at a Leaders of Tomorrow session where Nashiely Ojeda learned about KAUST and became interested in its graduate program. 

The San Luis Potosí native will join the induction course in August, before starting the master’s course.