Julián’s Lessons Against Classism

A video recently went viral showing a woman physically and verbally assaulting a pizza delivery driver. The victim is Julián Jiménez, a tenth-semester student at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional who is studying for a degree in Technological Design. Throughout his studies, he has had to work to pay for transportation, food, photocopies, and other expenses that have enabled him to continue his education.

Like Julián, many UPN students must work while pursuing their education. Many have been forced to give up due to the physical and mental demands of studying for a professional degree while working, whether formally or informally. Some of them are also parents or caregivers.

In response to these situations, UPN has implemented the “Stay and Excel” strategy to reduce the dropout rate and help students successfully complete their studies. Through this strategy, we provide students with psychosocial, financial, and academic support. We have also enhanced our benefits to include a restaurant that offers lunches for less than COL$3,000. Individuals with children also have access to the programs of the Nursery School and the Instituto Pedagógico Nacional.

However, we know that implementing these strategies will require even more effort and commitment from us. We are collaborating with Local and National governments to overcome the challenges of student retention and provide our students with the required resources and services to study in decent conditions. This includes technological resources and facilities that promote their well-being.

As our motto states, “A University that Cares for Its Future,” we prioritize care in all aspects of our University’s operations and decision-making processes. Through discussions, meetings, talks, picnics, concerts, and other activities, our educational community has established agreements and strategies to ensure minimum care standards for our bodies, mental health (both individual and collective), the environment, and the public university. As the university administration, we are deeply committed to this approach.

We are proud to note that our student, Julián, responded respectfully to the offense. We are glad to see that he honors his work with such behavior, teaching his aggressor and the entire country a lesson in decency.

But Julián’s lesson didn’t end there. A few days later, he spoke in front of his camera and asked, “Why did I go viral?” He suggested that the video went viral because many people experience the same thing. In his country, many people work hard every day, yet many others look down on them. “This isn’t a video about a fight. It is about dignity,” he added.
Julián Jiménez’s experience reveals two things. First, it highlights the persistence of structural inequalities. These inequalities are evident in the additional effort required of university students from low-income backgrounds to complete their studies. Second, it confirms the everyday expressions of classism that persist in our society. It also demonstrates the importance of considering student retention beyond a welfare-based approach. “Permanence and Transcendence” is not a targeted policy, but rather a pedagogical and ethical commitment to training teachers who are critical thinkers, are sensitive to others, and are committed to human dignity.

The financial, psychosocial, and academic support does not seek to address needs in isolation. Rather, it aims to foster holistic student development, equipping them with the ability to understand, question, and transform their reality. Julián’s thoughtful, empathetic, and dignified response to violence and classism is a lesson in itself: A university that cares also educates. Training teachers involves teaching them to confront exclusion, name injustices, and build a more just country from the classroom and everyday life.