The purpose of this research was to understand the challenges, experiences and critical issues of a young Mayan woman during her foray into technological higher education, science and technology in southeastern Mexico. The research followed a qualitative case study design; the case is constituted by Flor, a young Mayan from the state of Yucatan who is studying higher education and participates in activities related to the promotion of scientific and technological research. Among the results, it was found that Flor faces challenges and critical issues related to issues such as poverty, academic pressure and family expectations, migration and access to education, gender issues in the family and engineering "for women", the quality of rural education, as well as the influence of models for academic and research training. The results can be taken as the basis for future research that studies the critical issues that emerge with larger populations of young people from rural communities in Yucatán, particularly those students pursuing science and technology-related careers in the Mayan region of Mexico.

Higher education; Science; Technology; Engineering; Gender.