Introduction
Isabel, my late sister, was a remarkable student in elementary school. In the fourth grade, she excelled in learning algorithms for arithmetic operations such as multiplication, division, and calculating square roots. Her teacher, Miss Cristi, held great affection and recognition for her. However, when I entered her attention two years later as a student, Miss Cristi might have been disappointed. At that time in my life, I couldn’t have cared less about quotients and square roots; my true passion was football, the Argentine way.
Early Academic Prowess
Isabel’s talent in mathematics was evident from an early age. Her proficiency in arithmetic algorithms, including multiplication, division, and square root calculations, caught the attention of her teacher, Miss Cristi. Their bond was strong, but little did Miss Cristi know that her prized student’s younger sibling would soon enter her classroom, seemingly indifferent to the very subjects Isabel mastered.
The Influence of Peers
After completing preparatory school, Isabel enrolled at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). There, she and a friend became acquainted with a group of male students known as “Los Toficos” due to their affluence. Among these students were the notorious Carlos Salinas and Manuel Camacho.
Isabel eventually grew wary of these dangerous associations and decided to leave. She sought refuge in the Ibero’s History of Art program, where she again distinguished herself. Padre López Moctezuma, the program’s leader, recognized her abilities and appointed her to teach in another, less prestigious program that I had joined. This created a conflict of interest for me, as I found myself both learning and being taught by Isabel.
Pursuing Higher Education
Eventually, with possible assistance from Enrique Krauze, Isabel enrolled in the sole licenciatura (undergraduate degree) program at El Colegio de México. I followed suit, joining the master’s program in Economics shortly after.
Converging Paths
Fate, or perhaps misfortune, brought us together in the demanding Macroeconomics course taught by the meticulous Carlos Roces. Both Isabel and I were enrolled in this course, along with other students from our respective programs.
Academic Achievements
During the first partial exam, Isabel not only outperformed me but also surpassed many of my fellow Economics students. She seemed to possess a comparative advantage over her international counterparts in understanding how to achieve macroeconomic equilibrium through adjusting variables.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who was Isabel? Isabel was the late sister of the author, known for her exceptional mathematical abilities in elementary school.
- What programs did Isabel pursue in higher education? Isabel enrolled in the licenciatura program at El Colegio de México and later joined the master’s program in Economics alongside the author.
- What was the nature of the conflict of interest? The conflict arose when Isabel, who excelled in teaching a less prestigious program, also became a fellow student in another program the author was enrolled in.
