The 2020 Graduation Day Ceremony took place last Friday, June 18. More than 300 graduates participated in the virtual ceremony through Técnico’s YouTube channel. Family members, friends and professors also joined the virtual ceremony.
The alumni Pedro Garvão Pereira and Joana Fonseca shared their experiences and led one of the most intimate moments of the ceremony, revealing the essence of studying at Técnico and highlighting the importance of adversities.
Joana Fonseca graduated in Energy Engineering and Management. “We are not alone on this academic journey – that’s what I’ve always been told at Técnico – and, in fact, this School has such good fellowship”, she said.
The Técnico alumna was member of the Student Support Unit (NAPE) and later she joined the TLMoto team. “It is difficult to express in words what I learnt in those teams”, she stressed. “The spirit of commitment, the ability to move from an idea to its implementation, the importance of the final product of these young people’s hard work for an institution and its reputation. This is something that should not be forgotten”, said Joana Fonseca about her experience at TL Moto.
“I will be forever grateful for having learnt so much, above all from my colleagues” she said. “Now we just have to wish each other good luck and hope that the future will be generous enough to put more Técnico alumni in our path” she added.
“Being a Técnico student means a lot of things”, said Pedro Garvão Pereira, graduated in Biological Engineering. The Técnico alumnus talked about responsibility, commitment, routines, hard work and lessons learnt. “The role of Técnico students is profoundly significant, constructive and impactful. I am sure we will play the role of Técnico alumni with the same pride and commitment in the job market”, he stressed.
The Técnico alumnus left a message for current and future students: “Be better than us, get involved, give back as much as you ask for. You are important, never doubt that”. “I think I was able to do so many things at the same time precisely because I was a Técnico student and member of Universidade de Lisboa, the largest university in the country”, said Pedro Garvão Pereira.
The “Graduation Day 2020” website was created in order to mark this special day.
“A point of arrival for a new reality”
The president of Técnico, professor Rogério Colaço, opened the ceremony and praised all graduates. “I am very proud to see so many Técnico graduates symbolically receive their diplomas and start a new and motivating phase of their lives”.
“The training you have received in recent years puts you on the same level of knowledge as people graduating from the best universities in the world”, said the president of the Scientific Council (CC), professor Rodrigo Miragaia Rodrigues. “I am speaking with full knowledge of the facts because after I graduated from Técnico, I went to the US to do my PhD and I studied side by side with the best students from the best universities in the world, and I never felt inferior to my colleagues”.
Professor Rodrigo Miragaia Rodrigues left a message for Técnico graduates “trust your abilities and your future”. “Stand out at work, bring more knowledge, professionalism and innovation to your work”.
The president of the Pedagogical Council (CP), professor Teresa Peña, recalled “the Graduation Day is a point of departure and also a point of arrival for a new reality”. “The diploma that you received is a reward for having spent 5 years here, at Técnico”.
“Técnico is guided by two key principles: the solid basic scientific training and the adoption of well-established international scientific criteria aimed at an internationalisation strategy”, recalled the president of CP, also highlighting the new teaching model that comes into force in the 2021/22 academic year, which adds a solid humanistic component to this basic training, and provides flexibility to students’ curricula.
The rector of Universidade de Lisboa, professor António Cruz Serra, closed the ceremony and praised “this magnificent generation of students”. “The solid basic training you were provided in physics, mathematics, in engineering branches, have prepared you to compete with the best everywhere”.
