CATÓLICA-LISBON welcomes new undergraduate students with a solidarity program

A degree is an expedition of discovery and growth where you acquire in-depth knowledge and skills to shape the future. August 29th and 30th were dedicated to the new undergraduate students who chose CATÓLICA-LISBON to consolidate their knowledge.

The afternoon of August 29 began with a welcome speech to CATÓLICA-LISBON given by Filipe Santos, who congratulated the new students on their academic achievements, preparing them now for the adventure of higher education. 

In his speech, the Dean referred to the importance of collaboration over competition and encouraged students to use tools such as business, management, innovation, development and impact to promote positive change in the world. And at CATÓLICA-LISBON, you will learn to master these tools”.

Rita Coelho Do Vale, Dean for Undergraduate Programs at CATÓLICA-LISBON, in her welcome speech, highlighted the importance of this new chapter in the students' lives, stressing the flexibility of the degree programs as one of the pillars of the institution they are now embracing. Rita Coelho do Vale also stressed that the institution values an atmosphere of cooperation and friendship, treating each student in a special and personalized way: “we like to call our students by their first names and treat each of you in a special way”.

On the other hand, the 30th was dedicated to solidarity hazing, an action that is already part of CATÓLICA-LISBON's Welcome Week and consists of collecting potato stubble that is left in the fields after the first harvests, due to its inadequate size, and which is then delivered to social solidarity institutions. This initiative to Combat Food Waste seeks to offer an alternative to conventional hazing, with the aim of integrating new students and promoting, from the outset, a spirit of solidarity in line with CATÓLICA-LISBON's values.

CATÓLICA-LISBON's new students felt deeply impacted by this activity organized by the university. Aldo, a new Business and Administration student, expressed his admiration: “I never imagined that on the second day of academic life we would be harvesting potatoes, but I'm loving the experience. I'm making friends, practicing my English and I've just realized how hard this kind of work is. Valuing that effort enriches us a lot”.

Carolina, now an International Management student, also mentions the fact that CATÓLICA-LISBON sets itself apart with these actions: “I thought that this kind of activity only took place in the USA and I thought that university hazing in Portugal was only traditional and I thought it was incredible to take part in a solidarity hazing”.

Throughout the day, the new students consistently stressed the importance of these activities so that everyone can experience the true meaning of the “CATÓLICA-LISBON community”.

With this action, Universidade Católica is also joining Pope Francis' prayer theme for the month of September “for the cry of the Earth”, as part of the Season of Creation, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.