Olivia Morán Nuñez

Background

When I was 15, my school’s administration selected me, along with other students, to take part in a national literacy programme. I accepted because teaching was something I always did with my classmates. We were trained to use Paulo Freire’s method. I was assigned to a rural area; my youngest student was 35 and the oldest 85. It was a very important experience in my life, because it allowed me to understand the value of the word, spoken or written. That greatly nourished what was already my favourite pastime: reading.
I chose to study psychology and graduated as a psychologist from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. The deeply humanist spirit of this institution strengthened my commitment to the less privileged, so that they could have access to a quality education. The emphasis on research was also part of my alma mater’s hallmark. This, together with my training as a science baccalaureate graduate, has spurred my interest in seeking and finding answers to my doubts and questions.
I began my working life as a psychologist at the Universidad de Panamá. One of my main tasks was the academic monitoring and support of students who had performance difficulties. That is how I learned that, at the root of such problems, there are often various limitations in reading competence. So, when I learned—through the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation—about the Master’s programme in Reading offered by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, I did not hesitate to apply for the scholarship competition. I was selected, and that is how I came to Madrid. The director of the Master’s programme was Dr Aníbal Puente Ferreras, who was also my teacher in several courses and supervised my final project.
From my position as a psychologist at a university, and later as a lecturer in the School of Psychology, I have been able to combine my interest as a compulsive reader—I read everything—with my professional interest in the cognitive processes that are set in motion when we read, and in the world we can enter when we open a book… and the one that is denied to us when we do not read. Thus, I pursued doctoral studies in educational research, and for some years now I have worked on the topic of reading, which has allowed me to share with other people who also have questions and interests on this subject. Currently, I take part in a reading group via the web, with colleagues from Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Spain, among others. Reading—always reading—provides space and time for solace and recreation in this difficult moment, given the limitations imposed on us by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, taking part with this group in a multicultural research project on metacognition is a challenge, a commitment and, above all, an excellent opportunity for personal and professional growth thanks to the experiences that all members of the team share.