Danilo Pérez and Ileana Ramírez Portorreal receive cultural and educational honors

Panamanian musician and educator Danilo Pérez has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Universidad Especializada de las Américas (UDELAS). The distinction recognizes his artistic, educational, and humanitarian contributions to both national and international culture. During the ceremony, Pérez emphasized the importance of silence and listening in a hyperconnected society, noting that true social equity requires hearing voices that are often excluded.

In New York, Ileana Ramírez Portorreal, a professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD), was named ‘Mujer de Impacto en la Educación 2026’ at the Viva La Mujer Awards. The award honors her professional career and her efforts to strengthen Dominican education abroad. Ramírez Portorreal highlighted the role of education as a tool for transforming lives and expanding opportunities.