The Junitec Scholarship award ceremony took place on 27 February, at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa.
Francisco Melo, Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Técnico, highlighted “this is a scholarship from students for students”. He described it as “an act of generosity” that will enable colleagues to “pursue their studies,” engage in “extracurricular activities,” and have the chance to give back to the community.
The scholarship recipients shared how this support could make a difference in their academic journeys. Marco Sequeira (Master’s Programme in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering) said that the scholarship will allow him to “buy equipment” he needs and thus become “more productive”. Chayamaa Blali (Integrated Master’s Programme in Architecture) mentioned the “high cost” of studying architecture, due to the equipment required.
António Massano (Undergraduate Programme in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering) highlighted “this scholarship will help not only me but also my family” and will allow him to “focus on studying”. Beatriz Furtado (Undergraduate Programme in Civil Engineering), a displaced student, also mentioned her family and shared that this scholarship will allow her to “see family more often and ease homesickness”.
To honor the scholarship, recipients commit to 30 hours of volunteer work as a way of giving back to the community. Luciana Reis (Undergraduate Programme in Applied Mathematics and Computation) shared that “volunteering makes this life stage more meaningful”. Matilde Oliveira (Undergraduate Programme in Applied Mathematics and Computation) pointed out that initiatives such as this one “promote equal opportunities and allow all young people to continue their studies”.
Margarida Loureiro, the president of Junitec, emphasised the “enthusiasm”, “responsibility”, and “utmost satisfaction” that the entire Junitec team feels regarding this scholarship.
Also present at the event were Lina Oliveira, coordinator of the Undergraduate Programme in Applied Mathematics and Computation, Tiago Santos, coordinator of the Undergraduate Programme in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Ângelo Teixeira, coordinator of the Master’s Programme in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, and José Neves, assistant coordinator of the Undergraduate Programme in Civil Engineering.
The Junitec Scholarship is one of over 20 scholarships to support undergraduate and master’s students at Técnico.
