Técnico is increasingly attracting international students. More than 750 international students chose Técnico for their mobility programmes.

The welcome ceremony took place this Friday, 13th September. João Pires, Gabriel Antero and Luís Filipe, all from Rio de Janeiro, shared their first impressions: “I fell in love with Técnico right from the start”, confesses João Pires, Civil Engineering student. He always wanted to study in Europe and now he is sure that he made the right choice. “It’s amazing all that you can do here. I am sure that my experience at Técnico will be a valuable input to my academic journey”, he points out. Gabriel Antero, Electrical and Computer Engineering student, shares the opinion of his friend: “I am really lucky for having the opportunity of doing my mobility programme at Técnico, which is renowned for its teaching quality in Europe and around the world”. “I always knew that I wanted to do my mobility programme at Técnico”, says Luís Filipe, Civil Engineering student. “This is even more amazing than the pictures show. Everything is extremely organised and that is fascinating”, he adds.

Juanita Castrillon comes from Colombia and studies Environmental Engineering. “My university has a partnership with Técnico and I always wanted to visit Lisbon, so I ended up here. I am really enjoying being here. I know that Técnico is a very good and prestigious school and I am sure that we will learn a lot”. “Lisbon is a very beautiful city”, she adds.

Lea Carvalho, Chemical Engineering student, left France knowing that she had chosen “a good university” to do her mobility programme. “I am very excited about everything I can learn here. Everyone is very nice and the academic atmosphere at Técnico is great”, she says.

Professor Luís Miguel Silveira, vice-president of Técnico for International Affairs, welcomed the international students and congratulated them for “having made the right choice”. “Técnico is the best school in Portugal and one of the best engineering schools in Europe”. The vice-president challenged the international students “to find a balance between study, friends and fun during the semester”. “At the end of your stay, you will have the knowledge and the skills to do things that probably you didn’t imagine when you arrived here”, said professor Luis Miguel Silveira.

Sílvia Santos, coordinator of the Mobility and International Cooperation Office (NMCI) shared some important information with the international students. The Student Support Unit (NAPE) presented some activities, namely those aimed at the integration of new international students.