Santander awarded 4 scholarships under the scholarship programme “Emergência Covid-19 IST – Santander” to Técnico students Beatriz Coelho (Biotechnology), Letícia Jasse (Industrial Engineering and Management), Mafalda Matos (Spatial Planning and Urbanism) and Paulina Wykowska (Computer Science and Engineering). The ceremony took place in virtual format this Tuesday, May 4th. This scholarship programme was created to support students who are experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is always very important to see our students recognised not only for their academic performance, but also for their qualities as students and members of our community”, said the Vice-president of Técnico for Academic Affairs, professor Alexandre Francisco.
“Scholarship programmes are very important because they value our academic work and motivate us to study harder”, said Beatriz Coelho. “Thank you for making me feel privileged and more confident about my future”, she added. “This scholarship will allow me to focus on my goals and to achieve my dreams, and it is a great financial aid”, said Letícia Jasse.
Mafalda Matos highlighted the importance of volunteer work that scholarship holders have to do. “I believe that the world is better with the small actions of each one. This help turns out to be a way to help others through volunteering”. According to Paulina Wykowska, this scholarship is a privilege and gives her “a feeling of relief and great happiness”. “I wasn’t expecting this scholarship and I believe that it will help me to continue my studies with greater ease and fewer concerns”, she added.
“Santander fosters a sustainable and inclusive growth of society, and has a strong commitment to education”, said Dr Sofia Frère, Head of Santander Universidades Portugal. “It is mainly through higher education institutions that we implement our strategy and fulfill our goals”. she stressed. “I wish you all the best and success in your academic life”, she said to the Técnico students.
The ceremony was attended by professor Ana Carvalho (coordinator of BSc in Industrial Engineering and Management), professor Arsénio Fialho (coordinator of MSc in Biotechnology), professor Luís Veiga (representative of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering – DEI), engineer Carla Patrocínio (coordinator of the Technology Transfer Office) and Dr Isabel Gonçalves (coordinator of the Academic Development Unit – NDA).
Last year, Santander awarded 10 scholarships to Técnico students under this scholarship programme.
