Tec and MIT will introduce girls and young women to STEM this summer

In 2017, when she was still a teenager, Lourdes Cajica got her start in engineering thanks to the Patrones Hermosos(Beautiful Patterns) summer course, not realizing that it would become her passion. 

This experience motivated her to study computer engineering. Once she enrolled at the Tec, she returned every year as a mentor to encourage other girls to explore STEM fields—such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

This summer, a new generation of girls and young women will be able to explore these fields thanks to Patrones Hermosos.

Patrones Hermosos is a five-day camp resulting from a collaboration between the MIT Geospatial Laboratory and the Tec’s School of Engineering and Sciences, whose goal is to introduce girls and young women ages 13 to 17 to STEMfields through hands-on activities.

This year, the event will celebrate its ninth edition at 20 in-person venues in Mexico, Ecuador, and Costa Rica, and will also be offered online.

Over the course of five days, participants will take part in activities designed to show them what the STEM fields are really about and introduce them to engineering-related careers.

According to Rosa Guadalupe Paredes, coordinator of Patrones Hermosos, one of the program’s main goals is to reduce the gender gap in engineering:

“Our goal is to reduce the gender gap in engineering careers, so that people know this isn’t just for boys—girls can do it too, and if it aligns with their interests and skills, they can choose this career path.”

As of last year, nearly 8,000 girls and young women had participated in this program.

Now in its ninth edition, Patrones Hermosos will be held at 20 in-person venues across three countries, in addition to an online format. 

During the camp, participants will develop algorithmic thinking skills through various hands-on activities.

The activities include exercises for learning binary code using bracelets, activities related to encrypting and decrypting messages, and workshops with guest companies. 

In a recent workshop, for example, the company “Cuidado con el Perro” taught fabric-dyeing techniques.

More than 8,000 girls and young women have participated in Patrones Hermosos since its creation.

Tec students inspire future female engineers

Although there are professors in charge at each campus, the workshops are designed and led by female students from Tec de Monterrey.

“Every year, we organize a training camp where we train students, instructors, facilitators, and staff so they can lead activities for the girls. 

What’s more, we explain to them how to plan their week, figure out what materials they’ll need, and what they can do each day, but they’re the ones who help come up with new activities,” said Rosa Guadalupe Paredes.

In the program’s early years, MIT students trained the Tec students and collaborated directly on activities aimed at girls and adolescents. Over time, the Tec students took on that role and replicated the model at various campuses.

One of them is Lourdes Cajica, who, after participating in Patrones Hermosos as a teenager, studied Computer Engineering at the Tec and returned to the program as a mentor.

This Tec graduate has even taken the program’s activities to a small community in Puebla, where she aims to introduce more girls to engineering in the hope that one day they will become her colleagues.

Costa Rica, the new guest at Patrones Hermosos

As well as in Mexico, institutions in other countries have also taken part in Patrones Hermosos. 

Costa Rica is joining the program for its ninth edition through Fidélitas University, while Ecuador will once again be part of the program through the Catholic University of Cuenca.

“Our goal is to reduce the gender gap in engineering programs.” - Rosa Guadalupe Paredes, coordinator of Patrones Hermosos

Where and when will Patrones Hermosos 2026 take place?

Here are the locations and start dates for the 2026 summer camp:

• Starting June 15
• The Tec’s Aguascalientes Campus
• The Tec’s Querétaro Campus
• The Tec’s León campus
• The Tec’s Sonora Norte Campus

• Starting June 22
• The Tec’s Laguna Campus
• The Tec’s Puebla Campus
• Catholic University of Cuenca (Ecuador)
• Patrones Hermosos Online

• Starting June 29
• Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP)
• The Tec’s Mexico City Campus
• The Tec’s Santa Fe Campus
• The Tec’s Guadalajara Campus

• Starting July 6
• The Tec’s Hidalgo Campus
• The Tec’s Toluca campus
• The Tec’s San Luis Potosí campus
• The Tec’s State of Mexico Campus
• The Tec’s Monterrey campus
• Agricultural and Technical High School

• Starting July 13
• The Tec’s Cuernavaca Campus
• Sonora Institute of Technology (ITSON)

Breaking stereotypes starting in adolescence

According to Rosa Guadalupe Paredes, homeschooling, gender stereotypes, and the lack of female role modelscontinue to be some of the main obstacles preventing more women from considering a career in engineering.

“Often, when girls say they want to study mechanical engineering, their father will say no, due to the belief that it’s not for women, and tell them they should study something else.” You might think that, by now, the impact would be less significant, but no: that mindset is still very much present.

There are several factors, but mainly misinformation, fear, homeschooling, and social influences.”

Closing that gap is one of the core objectives of Patrones Hermosos. This program not only introduces participants to STEM fields but also aims to strengthen their computational skills and algorithmic thinking (the skill to solve problems using a logical and orderly sequence).

It also aims to broaden participants’ career horizons so they can choose a career based on their interests and skills,without gender stereotypes limiting their decisions.

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