| Cecilia Morel | |
|---|---|
| Cecilia Morel Montes | |
| First Lady of Chile | |
| Cecilia Morel Montes | |
| Preceded by | Luisa Durán de la Fuente |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse(s) | Sebastián Piñera Echenique |
| Children | Magdalena, Cecilia, Juan Sebastián and Cristóbal |
| Residence | Chile Santiago, Chile |
| Profession | Family Counselor |
Cecilia Morel Montes (b. Santiago de Chile, January 14, 1954) is the spouse of the President of Chile Sebastián Piñera, and as such is the First Lady of Chile; she is also the Sociocultural Area Director of the Presidency, for her husband's presidency (2010-2014).
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Cecilia is the fourth of seven children born to Eduardo Montes Chaigneau and Paulina Montes Brunet, the sister of Hugo Montes Brunet. Cecilia attended grade school at the College Jeanne D'Arc de Santiago de Chile, the same school where her mother and grandmother (Consuelo Brunet Bunster) studied.
At the age of 19, she began dating Sebastián Piñera, who was her neighbor in the Avenida Américo Vespucio, in the eastern sector of Santiago. They married in December 1973 and the couple later moved to the United States where he studied economics.
They have four children:
In 1972, she began to study nursing at the Catholic University of Chile, but put her studies on hold when she moved abroad with her husband. She resumed her studies when they returned to Chile, which she continued until the birth of her second daughter, Cecilia. She is short one semester of graduating.
She then entered the Instituto Profesional Carlos Casanueva, from which she graduated with a degree in family and youth counselor. She also holds a degree in Family and Human Relations from the Universidad Mayor.
In 1989, together with professionals from the Instituto Carlos Casanueva (Enrique Cueto), founded what later became "La Casa de la Juventud", with the task of educating young Conchalí with growth workshops and personal development. Later, the Women Embark Foundation was derived from this project.
As First Lady, Cecilia Morel has been appointed Chair of a number of Chilean organisations.
She accompanied the President on a state visit to Spain in March 2011.
In November 2011, she welcomed Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain at the opening of an exhibition of the work of the Spanish photographer Chema Madoz in Santiago.[2]
The Chilean President Sebastian Piñera and his wife Cecilia Morel gave a press conference before the start of the rescue operation in Copiapó on October 12, 2010. When the first miner Florencio Ávalos was rescued, the miner's seven-year old son burst into tears, as did the first lady.[3]
She was with her husband the entire time at the site of the rescue operation for the Chilean miners, who were trapped deep underground in the 2010 Copiapó mining accident.[4]