2026 EXATEC Lifetime Achievement Award for health and education legacy

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Health and education were the focus of the 2026 Tec Graduate Lifetime Achievement Awards.

This year, the award was presented to Eva María Trujillo and Javier Arturo Reyes, two Tec graduates whose careers have had a significant impact on mental health care and leadership in higher education.

The Tec Graduate Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes Tecnológico de Monterrey alumni whose work has transformed communities and realities.

"The careers we recognize with the Tec Graduate Awards reflect the best of our alumni community: talent that becomes innovation, leadership that translates into service, and knowledge that transforms realities.

Eva Trujillo and Javier Reyes are examples of how education, when lived with purpose, multiplies its impact on health, education, and the future of our communities", said Juan Pablo Murra, Rector of Tecnológico de Monterrey.

For her part, Zinia Padilla, National Director of Alumni Relations, said, "Each story we recognize through the Tec Graduate Awards reflects the spirit of a community that transcends geography and disciplines.

At the Tec, we believe in the value of sharing role models who inspire current and future generations to lead with purpose, social commitment, and a deep sense of responsibility for collective wellbeing."

During the award ceremony, 22 other professionals were also honored with the Tec Graduate Merit Award for their talent, social responsibility, and values.

An award for the career achievements of Tec graduates

During the2026 Board Meeting, the Tec Graduate Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Eva María Trujillo and Javier Arturo Reyes.

"Receiving this Tec Graduate Lifetime Achievement Award is a profound honor because it comes from the institution that shaped me, not only professionally but also as a person", said Eva Trujillo upon receiving the award.

Javier Reyes, for his part, highlighted the role of education as a driver of social transformation. "Education is the greatest power for building a better society, and the Tec understands this deeply".

Zinia Padilla explained that "Eva and Javier's careers represent the best of the Tec graduate spirit: deeply humane individuals whose purpose is to solve real problems and bring about positive change in society.

Their leadership in education, research, and health confirms that knowledge takes on real meaning when it is used to serve people. Both are admirable mobilizers who inspire us to transform the world through empathy, excellence, and perseverance".

The Tec Graduate Awards are a recognition that Tecnológico de Monterrey has been presenting for 13 years.

Through two categories: Career and Merit, the Tec recognizes members of its Tec graduate community who stand out for their social contribution, leadership, innovation, integrity, and national or international influence.

During the interview with CONECTA, Eva Trujillo spoke about her career in mental health and the impact of accompanying recovery processes. Photo: Alejandro Salazar

Eva Trujillo: Mental health with science and compassion

Eva María Trujillo has dedicated her career to eating disorders, a field riddled with stigma, myths, and gaps in training.

Her approach has been persistent and structural: science, prevention, and dignified care.

Having studied at Tecnológico de Monterrey since high school through her undergraduate degree and first specialization, she explained that the institution shaped not only her academic career but also her understanding of professional practice.

"At the Tec, I learned that knowledge only makes sense when it's used to serve others".

After completing her international training in adolescent medicine, Trujillo identified a recurring problem: treating patients was not enough if comprehensive care systems did not exist.

"I realized that providing clinical care wasn't enough. The only way to learn more and do more was to get involved in research and prevention".

That diagnosis led her to establish Comenzar de Nuevo (Starting Over) when there were no specialized centers or comprehensive care models in her region.

The initiative is committed to dignified, scientific, and humane treatment. For Eva Trujillo, one of the most persistent myths in mental health is the idea that these disorders are chronic and irreversible.

"Eating disorders are treatable. Full recovery is possible, and we need to convey that knowledge".

"At the Tec, I learned that knowledge only makes sense when it's used to serve others".- Eva Trujillo

Today, that effort has resulted in a tertiary hospital center that treats highly complex cases, trains professionals, and conducts research with international impact.

She is also a pioneer outside of Mexico. Eva Trujillo was the first and only Hispanic President of the Academy for Eating Disorders and the first international president of one of the most important clinical associations in this field.

For her, these positions represent both an opportunity and an ethical burden. "It's a source of pride but also a great responsibility: to pass on to new generations a practice that is responsible, ethical, and based on human values".

When asked about the meaning of a lifetime achievement award, she explains that "every time you hear a grateful parent, every time you know that someone decided to stay because of what you said, that's priceless. That's the driving force".

Upon receiving the award, she summed it up bluntly: "True excellence is using who we are and what we know to alleviate the suffering of others".

The award was presented by Ricardo Saldivar, Chairman of the Board at the Education Group; Juan Pablo Murra, Rector of Tecnológico de Monterrey; and David Garza, Executive President of the Tecnológico de Monterrey Education Group / Photo: AM ESTUDIOS

Javier Reyes: Education as a system and a legacy

Javier Arturo Reyes has spent much of his life thinking about education as a system, not only in terms of teaching or research but also as a network of relationships between the university, society, the economy, and the future.

That vision took him from academia to university leadership and, ultimately, to becoming the first Latino to serve as President of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Reyes, an economist who graduated from Tecnológico de Monterrey, explains that one of the key lessons he learned during his education was that knowledge is not developed alone.

"The Tec teaches you that the answer doesn't lie in a single discipline but in a team. It teaches you to form an opinion but also to listen and engage in dialogue". That interdisciplinaryapproach has shaped his management style.

He added, "The education provided by the Tec, based on commitment, sustainability, and innovation, is applied in all areas".

"The Tec continues to be an inspiration, and that's something I carry with me every day".- Javier Reyes

For years, he was an academic and researcher, but he soon identified a limitation in that path. "Research is very solitary: databases, models, and publications. I realized that I could help more by connecting people, researchers, and systems".

That shift led him to take on management positions at public universities in the United States.

The recognition as Tec Graduate Lifetime Achievement Award winner came with some personal reflection.

Javier Reyes spoke about the symbolic significance of being the first to hold his position and the support needed to sustain difficult decisions. "There are days when you need validation, and this award comes at a critical time".

He defines his career path straightforwardly: "Education is the best transformative force that exists and the greatest balance that a society can offer".

Javier Reyes, the first Latino to serve as President of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and winner of the 2026 Tec Graduate Lifetime Achievement Award. / Photo: Alejandro Salazar

Winners of the 2026 Tec Graduate Merit Award

In addition to recognizing lifetime achievement, the Tec awards the Tec Graduate Merit Award to recognize the outstanding work, commitment, and dedication of its alumni community.

This category seeks to recognize graduates who, through their professional and personal merits, stand out for their high degree of social responsibility, leadership, and contribution to the development of their communities.

During the ceremony, speakers pointed out that the Tec Graduate Merit reflects inspiring careers that generate an impact beyond individual success by transforming social, economic, and cultural realities.

The Tec Graduate Merit Award is given to graduates who completed their studies at Tecnológico de Monterrey more than 15 years ago.

Winners of the 2026 Tec Graduate Merit Award

• Francisco Javier Alvarado Nazar, Chiapas campus
• Marcela Velasco Cámara, Mexico City region
• Elizabeth Nava Garcia, Toluca campus
• José Gerardo Robinson Bours Castelo, Ciudad Obregón campus
• Luisa Emilia Javier Fregoso, Cuernavaca campus
• Iñigo González Covarrubias, Guadalajara campus
• José Pablo Mauaad Pontón, Hidalgo campus
• Alejandro Migoya Iriarte, Puebla campus
• Helmut Fernando Huber Herrera, Querétaro campus
• Marta Holguera Fernández, Tampico campus
• Miguel Mier Esparza, Morelia campus
• Zaraí Salvador Mata Rentería, Saltillo campus
• Ricardo Alcalá Jiménez, Aguascalientes campus
• Ismael Rodríguez Durán, Chihuahua campus
• Jorge Contreras Fornelli, Ciudad Juárez campus
• Nesim Issa Tafich, Laguna campus
• Carlos Medina Plascencia, León campus
• Humberto Abaroa López, San Luis Potosí campus
• Eduardo Javier Tapia Camou, Sonora Norte campus
• Eduardo de la Vega Echavarría, Sinaloa campus
• Mildred Villegas Sojo, EGADE Business School
• Alejandra Martínez Elizondo, EGADE Government and Public Transformation

One of the winners of the 2026 Tec Graduate Merit Award, presented during the Tecnológico de Monterrey Board Meeting. / Photo: AM STUDIOS

About the Tec Graduate Awards

The Tec Graduate Awards are a recognition that Tecnológico de Monterrey has been presenting for 13 years to graduates whose careers and achievements have had an impact on different areas of society.

These awards are presented annually during the Tecnológico de Monterrey Board Meeting, in which the winners receive institutional recognition and a sculpture created by Tec graduate Daríus Lau Castro.

The winners are selected by a committee made up of representatives from the institution and leaders from the Tec graduate community.

2026 Board Meeting

This year's Board Meeting, entitled "El Rumbo en Acción" (The Plan in Action), presented lines of action for the strategic initiatives of the Tecnológico de Monterrey Educational Group.

The event featured April Rinne, futurist, best-selling author, and advocate for humanity; Ángel Cabrera, 12th President of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Also present were Pablo Legorreta, Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Royalty Pharma; as well as Professor Mathias Uhlén, a professor at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden.

Prior to this meeting, the Annual General Meeting was held to review the results and progress made in 2025.

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