• Member Login
  • Contact
Menu
  • Member Login
  • Contact
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on email
Search
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on email
  • Member Login
  • Contact
Menu
  • Member Login
  • Contact
Search
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on email
Search
  • Home
  • News
    • News
    • The GYA Blog
    • GYA in the Media
    • COVID-19 Initiatives
  • Members
    • GYA Members
    • GYA Alumni
    • Recent Member Publications
    • Being a GYA Member
    • Call for New Members
    • Membership Map
    • Information for Alumni
  • Activities
    • Activties of the GYA
    • — Science & Society
    • — Research Environment
    • — Science Education & Outreach
    • — GYA & the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
    • View all Activities
  • Events
    • Events
    • Annual General Meetings
  • Young Academies
    • National Young Academies
    • Establishing a Young Academy
    • Regional and global Young Academy meetings
    • Joint Young Academy Activities
  • Publications
    • Publications
    • Statements
    • GYA Podcast
    • Subscribe to the GYA Newsletter
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Resources
    • Resources
    • Opportunities
    • Science Advice Resource Centre
  • About
    • GYA in Brief
    • Constitution
    • Governance
    • Committees
    • Advisory Board
    • Host Academy
    • Partners
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • News
    • News
    • The GYA Blog
    • GYA in the Media
    • COVID-19 Initiatives
  • Members
    • GYA Members
    • GYA Alumni
    • Recent Member Publications
    • Being a GYA Member
    • Call for New Members
    • Membership Map
    • Information for Alumni
  • Activities
    • Activties of the GYA
    • — Science & Society
    • — Research Environment
    • — Science Education & Outreach
    • — GYA & the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
    • View all Activities
  • Events
    • Events
    • Annual General Meetings
  • Young Academies
    • National Young Academies
    • Establishing a Young Academy
    • Regional and global Young Academy meetings
    • Joint Young Academy Activities
  • Publications
    • Publications
    • Statements
    • GYA Podcast
    • Subscribe to the GYA Newsletter
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Resources
    • Resources
    • Opportunities
    • Science Advice Resource Centre
  • About
    • GYA in Brief
    • Constitution
    • Governance
    • Committees
    • Advisory Board
    • Host Academy
    • Partners
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Contact
  • Home
  • News
    • News
    • The GYA Blog
    • GYA in the Media
    • COVID-19 Initiatives
  • Members
    • GYA Members
    • GYA Alumni
    • Recent Member Publications
    • Being a GYA Member
    • Call for New Members
    • Membership Map
    • Information for Alumni
  • Activities
    • Activties of the GYA
    • — Science & Society
    • — Research Environment
    • — Science Education & Outreach
    • — GYA & the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
    • View all Activities
  • Events
    • Events
    • Annual General Meetings
  • Young Academies
    • National Young Academies
    • Establishing a Young Academy
    • Regional and global Young Academy meetings
    • Joint Young Academy Activities
  • Publications
    • Publications
    • Statements
    • GYA Podcast
    • Subscribe to the GYA Newsletter
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Resources
    • Resources
    • Opportunities
    • Science Advice Resource Centre
  • About
    • GYA in Brief
    • Constitution
    • Governance
    • Committees
    • Advisory Board
    • Host Academy
    • Partners
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • News
    • News
    • The GYA Blog
    • GYA in the Media
    • COVID-19 Initiatives
  • Members
    • GYA Members
    • GYA Alumni
    • Recent Member Publications
    • Being a GYA Member
    • Call for New Members
    • Membership Map
    • Information for Alumni
  • Activities
    • Activties of the GYA
    • — Science & Society
    • — Research Environment
    • — Science Education & Outreach
    • — GYA & the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
    • View all Activities
  • Events
    • Events
    • Annual General Meetings
  • Young Academies
    • National Young Academies
    • Establishing a Young Academy
    • Regional and global Young Academy meetings
    • Joint Young Academy Activities
  • Publications
    • Publications
    • Statements
    • GYA Podcast
    • Subscribe to the GYA Newsletter
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Resources
    • Resources
    • Opportunities
    • Science Advice Resource Centre
  • About
    • GYA in Brief
    • Constitution
    • Governance
    • Committees
    • Advisory Board
    • Host Academy
    • Partners
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Contact

The GYA Blog: Viewing entry

  • GYA Home
  • The GYA Blog
  • Family first
Viewing blog entry
  • Posted to the GYA Blog
  • on 23 February 2023

Blog entry options

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email
Share on print

Read more
GYA members at the United Nations Science Summit 77
13 October 2022
GYA members at the United Nations Science Summit 77
GYA Statement about violence in Iran
12 October 2022
GYA Statement about violence in Iran
Back to basics: fundamental research report launch
12 October 2022
Back to basics: fundamental research report launch
Introducing the Science Advice Resource Centre
25 April 2022
Introducing the Science Advice Resource Centre

Family first

Ana Elizabeth Ochoa Sánchez (Universidad del Azuay, Ecuador)

I was born on January 24, 1986 in a Latin family. My father is a doctor, and my mother is a primary school teacher. My brother was born four years later. I describe my family first, as I feel that they were and are my biggest support for everything I have wanted and achieved. My parents taught me perseverance, hard work and commitment through their examples.

The little girl you see in the picture makes me remember the many questions I always had and the many answers my parents always provided. They encouraged me to be curious and to speak my mind. I was lucky to be very close to my grandparents as well. I have vivid memories of them telling me how intelligent and bright I was and how far I would go in life.

I did not know anything about scientific careers until I the final years of my university studies, when my cousin was starting his PhD program. I really looked up to him and he helped me find a scholarship for my Master’s degree studies. My subsequent academic career started the minute I traveled to Belgium to follow the Interuniversity Programme in Water Resources (IUPWARE) Master’s Programme at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KULeuven). There I met wonderful professors, colleagues and friends from all over the world and lived in a culture that allowed me to become who I really wanted to be – a woman that does not have to live up to other people’s expectations.

I found out who I really wanted to become – a scientist. I always knew, however, that I wanted to do science for my own country and live in my country, so I came back to Ecuador.

I eventually got married and had twins in 2014. Thereafter, I started the Doctoral Programme in Water Resources at the University of Cuenca and I was the first person to obtain a doctoral degree at that university. I graduated in 2019, the same year I started to work at Universidad del Azuay, in Cuenca, Ecuador – my hometown.

I became an Associate Professor at the Universidad del Azuay in 2021 which, in my country, is the first tenure position that is obtained through merit and open competition. I am currently the Director or Co-director of several PhD, MSc and undergrad thesis students, am leading a five-year project funded by the VLIR-UOS, a Belgian Institution (“You always go back to the place where you were happy”). This project aims to determine climate change projections in Cuenca, Ecuador and propose water management adaptation strategies. 

I am very grateful for the path that my life took and I know I am privileged for the education I received. I would like to help my little daughters have better opportunities. For example, I would love to see them grow up in a more equal and fairer world, where women are treated with respect and where they feel free to become the women that they want to be.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Global Young Academy

GYA Home
News
  • News
  • The GYA Blog
  • GYA in the Media
  • COVID-19 Initiatives
Members
  • Members
  • Alumni
  • Recent Member Publications
  • Being a GYA member
  • Call for Members
  • Membership Map
  • Information for Alumni
Activities
  • Activities of the GYA
  • Science & Society
  • Research Environment
  • Science Education & Outreach
  • GYA & The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
  • View all Activities
Events
  • Events Overview
  • Annual General Meetings
 
Young Academies
  • National Young Academies
  • Establishing a Young Academy
  • Regional and global Young Academy meetings
  • Joint Young Academies Activities
Publications
  • Publications
  • Statements
  • GYA Podcast
  • Subscribe to our Newsletter
  • Newsletter Archive
Resources
  • Science Advice Resource Center
  • Opportunities
About Us
  • GYA in Brief
  • Constitution
  • Governance
  • Committees
  • Advisory Board
  • Host Academy
  • Partners
  • Team
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Member Login
  • Jobs & Calls for Bids
  • Legal notice
  • Privacy Policy

The GYA in your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter now.

  • Legal notice
  • Privacy Policy
Menu
  • Legal notice
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 Global Young Academy