The doors of the Great Hall opened once again on 16 October to host the first edition of the Alumni Talks of this academic year. This event aims to strengthen the link between Técnico alumni and current students and provide a clear vision of the professional world that awaits them.
‘This event fits into three major strategic objectives: to open up Técnico to society, to encourage alumni to get in touch with what is being done at Técnico, and to expose our students, as early as possible, to the life that awaits them when they leave here’, said Rogério Colaço, the president of Técnico. He also emphasised Técnico’s cultural evolution over his 38 years at the School, mentioning that the Técnico Alumni network has more than 3,500 members.
This year’s Alumni Talks featured alumni from different engineering fields who have excelled in their careers: Cristina Marques (Civil Engineering alumna and Partner at AMROP); João Batalha (Electrical and Computer Engineering alumnus and Partner Marketing at Microsoft); Silvia Ribeiro (Mechanical Engineering alumna and Business Development Manager at Siemens); João Graça (Computer Science and Engineering alumnus and CTO and Co-Founder of Unbabel); Pedro Andrade (Computer Science and Engineering alumnus and Digital Manager at Santander Foundation); Miguel Monteiro (Industrial Engineering and Management alumnus and Operations and Supply Chain Director at Visteon); and Jorge Cerejo (Biomedical Engineering alumnus and Data Scientist at Luz Learning Health).
The Vice-President of Técnico for Financial Management, Isabel Dias, thanked the alumni for their presence, stressing that ‘there is life beyond Técnico and after Técnico’, encouraging students to take part in these initiatives and alumni to always return to their alma mater. The support of the Santander Foundation, represented by Pedro Andrade, Digital Manager, was also recognised as fundamental to the event.
The talks covered topics such as reconciling personal and professional life and the transition from engineer to manager. The students took the opportunity to ask questions.
‘After studying for five years on a very technical course, I felt that, in the end, I lacked proximity to the market and I didn’t realise what was waiting for me out there’, said Cristina Marques. ‘Events like these are very important because they give students access to the real world’, she concluded.
João Batalha recalled that his first interaction with companies happened in his final year, at Jobshop. ‘The Técnico Alumni community is spread all over the world so we can learn about different realities’, he emphasised.
“As students, we’re concerned about many things, and having someone with experience who has gone through what we are about to experience is very important,” said Mehmet Akif.
Silvia Ribeiro, a Mechanical Engineering alumna, concluded: ‘It’s a privilege for us to hear your questions’.
