"What excites me most about my work is being able to give opportunities to those who need it most and to bring society closer to the reality of these vulnerable people, to seek their involvement and to ensure that no one is excluded". This is how Marisa Pardo (ISSA '09) talks about her work at the Obra Social del Hospital San Juan de Dios de Pamplona - Tudela, of which she has been manager since January of this year.

A graduate of the University of Navarra, when she finished her programs of study at ISSA - School of Management Assistants she moved to Barcelona to work at campus at IESE Business School. During her time at the business school, she first served as Management Assistant to the director of the department of Personnel Management Service in Organizations. She was also staff Assistant to the director of the International Center work and Family, and Manager Assistant of Chair of business Familiar. Years later, she joined the Family Business Consultancy FIBAC as Assistant staff of partner Director .

A native of Pamplona, she returned to her hometown in 2015 and began working at the San Juan de Dios Hospital, first as administrative assistant of Management and, since January 2018, as manager of the Social Work of this same entity: "I have always remained very close to the social work of the Center and when the need arose to structure the Issue of the Social Work, I found the opportunity to give a twist to my functions at the Hospital". She assures that with this work "I see the realization of a concern for solidarity that has always accompanied me".

The tasks that Marisa performs in her position are very diverse: "From the Solidarity Axis - Social Work, volunteer activities and International Cooperation - we work to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable people, seeking the complicity of society with the support of our professionals and volunteers. In my case, I coordinate a wide variety of projects ranging from raising awareness among schoolchildren, social awareness, relations with organizations and companies, design of projects for economically vulnerable people, management of hospital leisure time or the coordination of our twinning with a San Juan de Dios Hospital in Ghana". Work that makes his day to day life "varied, creative, of constant communication with others...", which he defines as "exciting, because the person is the center of my work. The paths of solidarity are unsuspected and all are essential for St. John of God.

He assures that, from his training at ISSA - School of Management Assistants, what has helped him most in his work in the different positions he has held has been "the Study program, which leads you to act with an autonomy staff andan organization of time and resources that is essential in this professional work. It provides you with tools that you will surely use". For this reason, he does not hesitate to encourage the students who will celebrate their graduation ceremony next June to "value their training, to open their eyes wide and not to limit their ability to undertake any project".

Marisa remembers her time at the University of Navarra "with the same intensity with which I lived those years: a lot to learn, very diverse people and realities to meet, and great experiences to live, such as leaving the known environment, sharing residency program or doing an Erasmus". That is why he recommends to the prospective students that "they are able to immerse themselves in the programs of study they have chosen and in the possibilities that university life offers". He adds that "they can enjoy and, at the same time, equip themselves with the skills that our degree program provides us with for a future work, but also for so many other areas of our lives".