On 29 April, the Meeting Room of the Main Building at Técnico – Alameda campus hosted the signing ceremony for the Ward Analytics Scholarships, funded by the company created by the Técnico alumnus Luís Parra (Undergraduate Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering). Luís Parra set up his own company during his 3rd year as an undergraduate. Reflecting on his journey, he recalled facing ‘the same difficulties’ to those of the students he now supports. ‘I came from Vila Real de Santo António and won a few scholarships that helped me along the way’, recalls the founder of Ward Analytics. He reminded undergraduates that ‘progress takes time, but you may not realise how much you have’.
The president of Técnico, Rogério Colaço, highlighted the importance of initiatives like this one, noting that ‘about 1,000 students need financial help to continue their studies’ and ‘within this group, there are some students who do not receive support from social action services’. However, he shared positive news, stating that ‘these initiatives are gaining momentum’ because they create ‘a process of positive feedback’.
Duarte Pereira, an Aerospace Engineering undergraduate student, expressed his ‘gratitude for the support’ he received and promised to provide similar help in the future, emphasising that his ‘happiness’ would also depend on it.
‘Look at the problems, pick them up and move forward’, is the path followed by Frederico Castro, an Electrical and Computer Engineering undergraduate student, which has brought him to Técnico. Martim Vicente, a Computer Science and Engineering undergraduate student, mentioned the ‘sense of security’ that the scholarship provides, which ‘alleviates anxiety’ during the academic journey. Vicente Rasteiro, an Applied Mathematics and Computation undergraduate student who was unable to attend the ceremony, was also awarded a scholarship.
Lina Oliveira, a professor at Técnico and coordinator of the Undergraduate Programme in Applied Mathematics and Computation, thanked Luís Parra for granting students ‘a bit of freedom’ and Gonçalo Oliveira, Vice-President for Liaison with Society at the Department of Mathematics, emphasised ‘the social awareness shown by the scholarship recipients that Luís embodies’. The Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Paulo Fernandes, pointed out that ‘higher education is what keeps a country moving forward’.
Also present at the ceremony were the coordinator of the Undergraduate Programme in Aerospace Engineering João Melo de Sousa, the Vice-Head for Academic Matters at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Daniel Gonçalves, the coordinator of the Undergraduate Programme in Computer Science and Engineering António Leitão, the Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Nuno Horta and the coordinator of the Undergraduate Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Paulo Correia.
