This Monday morning, September 10, the new students arrived at Técnico. Usually they come with their parents and their faces show hapinness but also nervousness.
Joana Viegas arrived early, before 8 a.m. A few months ago, the new student of Aerospace Engineering, lived in East Timor, which allowed her to enter Técnico through the special quota for immigrants. But the idea of entering Aerospace Engineering was a goal for a long time. “It still feels like a dream: being here at Técnico. But I know that, as soon as classes start, this will change”, she shared. Although she is happy, Joana knows what awaits her: “A lot of work”. Her father, Virgílio Viegas, feels very proud: “I am very proud of what my daughter has achieved in her studies so far because that allowed her to be here today at Técnico. I am very happy for her, it seems to me that she really wanted this very much.”
Ana Figueiras arrived shortly after Joana. They will be classmates but they don’t know that yet. The new student knew from a young age that she wanted to study Aerospace Engineering: “It was my goal since 9th grade and I have been fighting for that since then”, she says. “She was always a good student and I encouraged her. From the moment she set this goal she did everything to make it happen”, said her father. “I wanted to work at NASA but maybe I am being too ambitious. Anyway, I think that an important step towards that is already taken”, she says.
“Técnico has always been my first choice because it is a very prestigious school and one of the best engineering schools in Europe”, says Inês Agostinho, the third student who arrived at Alameda campus this morning. She is from Castelo Branco and she entered Biomedical Engineering course. “The first thought that occurred to me was that this is really big and there are a lot of people”, she confesses. But she doesn’t feel anxious or insecure: “I feel well prepared to deal with a demanding school and with hard work, and I want to reach my goals without fear”.
Hundreds of new students arrived at Técnico this morning to personally enroll and register. Dozens of mentors await them to help and guide them during the day. In the afternoon, the new students will have the opportunity to get to know Alameda campus, to participate in welcome sessions and to meet the new colleagues.
