These voices echoing through the Main Building are the same as ten, 20 or 30 years ago. Whereas before they might have been arguing animatedly outside a class or about their performance in an exam, today these people’s voices have a more experienced tone – and they’re here to remember those times. It’s January 10 and Instituto Superior Técnico is welcoming back its former students for an alumni dinner.
At the end of the event, the Técnico president Rogério Colaço thanked the guests for their presence. “This room full of people shows that the Técnico experience makes a positive impression on people”, he stressed. The professor highlighted the importance of the Alumni Network, the platform on which it is possible to recognise the Técnico diaspora around the world and through which the school’s “transformative contribution to the country and the world” is recognised.
The event started in the Main Building’s atrium, where the alumni checked in, talked to each other and shared their life journeys from the point where they diverged, at the end of their studies.
Paulo Inácio and Paulo Maia joined Técnico in 1990, studying Materials Engineering. They finished their studies shortly after the turn of the millennium. “If I could, I would do it again and take it more seriously”, recalls Paulo. His colleague agrees – “with dedication, it’s a very beautiful and interesting course”. Before he could continue, he was interrupted by Pedro Amaral, professor and vice-president of Técnico, who came to greet his old classmates.
He wasn’t the only professor at the event – many others took the opportunity to meet up with former students and colleagues. Rosário Macário, a professor in Transport Systems, also shared her experience of studying and teaching at Técnico, highlighting the “huge differences” in terms of “academic environment and teaching methods” over the years. “Técnico is an excellent school with excellent students, both from a technical and civic point of view”, she added.
After the dinner in the Great Hall, those present sat around circular tables for the debate “The future of education and the challenges of teaching Generation Z”, with speeches by Rui Dias Alves, a former Industrial Engineering and Management student (who now works in venture capital) and economist Pedro Santa-Clara.
The Técnico president couldn’t resist joining the discussion in his speech at the end of the event. Recalling the students he taught in 2016 and the more recent ones, Rogério Colaço argued that, however many differences they might have, the two groups had something in common – “they were both the best”. He ended his speech by inviting us to future dinners with alumni at the Taguspark campus and the Técnico Innovation Center.
