Chapala’s Instituto Tecnologico Superior (ITS) hailed its fourth generation of engineering students at a graduation ceremony held Friday, May 23 at the Hotel Real de Chapala in Ajijic.

While there were plenty of proud parents at hand at last week’s Chapala Tech graduation ceremony, no two were more chuffed than Arturo Machuca and Maria de Jesus Barajas whose eldest son took away double honors for academic excellence. The star student’s father works as a gardener while mom picks up housekeeping jobs, saving every peso they can to provide the best education possible for all four of their offspring.

Schwarzblat took a turn at the mike to advise the departing students to strive for high ideals, bidding them to contribute to making Mexico “a more productive and humane country” by displaying initiative, discipline and the cultivation of ideas as they pursue new endeavors.  

The group of budding local professionals included 17 graduates in the field of industrial engineering, seven specialized in computer systems and three trained in electronics.

Honor students recognized at the event were Martin Rojas Orozco, for earning the highest marks in electronics; Francisco Javier Gonzalez Siordia for the best grades in computer systems; and Arturo Machuca Barajas, who was not only rated at the top of the class in industrial engineering but also brought in the highest overall average for all three groups.

The ITS opened its doors in September 2000, thanks in large part to the many lakeside expatriate residents who generously chipped in to the school’s building fund.

Under Schwarzblat’s leadership the institute expanded its academic program last fall to offer incoming students a study program in business administration with a special focus on running cutting edge technology enterprises.