Manuel Vasconcelos: “Asking for help is not a sign of weakness – it’s the smartest way to move forward.”

You are currently in your third year of the Double Degree in Law and Management. How would you describe your experience at the Universidade Católica?

I’ve found great friends, lecturers who genuinely care about their students, and an environment where it’s easy to feel at home. There’s a strong academic spirit and a wide range of initiatives that make the University much more than just a place to attend classes – it’s where we truly grow and enjoy spending our time. I think that’s what makes the difference.

“I’ve developed skills that come from balancing the precision and attention to detail required by legal reasoning, with the practical, solution-oriented mindset of Management”

Why did you choose the Double Degree in Law and Management?

To be honest, Management came first, and it came early. As a child, I already used to leaf through Jornal de Negócios. Not because I was interested in economics, but because of football. I remember staring at the small print, trying to make sense of clubs’ finances, transfer fees and broadcasting revenues. That was when I realised there was an economic logic behind everything I loved most.
Law came later, through a less obvious route. I grew up thinking that being a lawyer meant what we see in films – defending someone accused of a crime in court. It was my father who showed me that Law is much broader than that, and that it is deeply connected to the everyday life of businesses, to how they are created, hire people and grow. Once I understood that, Law no longer felt like a separate world but something that naturally complemented Management.
When I discovered the Double Degree in Year 10, the decision was almost immediate. I realised it was exactly where those two interests came together.

What skills do you feel you have developed by combining two such demanding fields of study?

The skill I value most is learning how to study differently. At school, I studied alone and at my own pace. Here, I quickly realised that wasn’t enough. I started studying with my classmates, discussing subjects together, and talking to students in older years to gain perspective on each course unit. I learned that asking for help is not a sign of weakness – it’s the smartest way to move forward.
I’ve also developed other skills that come from balancing two very different ways of thinking: the precision and attention to detail required by legal reasoning on one hand, and the practical, solution-oriented mindset of Management on the other. Training my mind to switch between those approaches, while managing my time across two schools, has probably been the best preparation I could have had.

You have been a member of Católica Students’ Consulting since 2023. What motivated you to join, and how has it complemented your academic education?

I joined CS'C in my very first month at university, and without a doubt it was the best decision I’ve made so far. During Empower Week, I came across the Católica Students’ Consulting stand and immediately saw an opportunity to put into practice what I was learning in class. Since then, I’ve met incredible people who have helped me look at the world differently and better understand what’s happening around us.
More importantly, CS'C provides a space where we can test ideas without being afraid of making mistakes or getting lower grades. It allows us to experience real-world challenges, identify problems and think of solutions without the pressure of actually putting a business at risk. For a student, that kind of laboratory is invaluable. It complements theory with experiences that no textbook can teach.

Católica Students’ Consulting created a new way of promoting tax allocation to social causes through the “Bottle Up – Take Your Cause With You” project. What is the project about?

Bottle Up – Take Your Cause With You proposes an alternative communication channel: reusable stainless-steel water bottles distributed strategically across the Greater Porto area, each engraved with a QR code that directs users to a dedicated landing page for partner organisations.
The idea emerged during a volunteering initiative with Refood, organised through CS'C. There, we realised that many NGOs spend significant amounts on one-off communication materials - flyers, event stands or online adverts - that only attract attention for a few seconds before being forgotten.
We started wondering whether there might be a more lasting way of communicating these causes - something that could become part of people’s everyday lives, almost turning each person into a small billboard for a cause they believe in. Some organisations had already tried hats or T-shirts, but those are seasonal or only worn occasionally. That’s when reusable water bottles came into the picture.
Bottle Up distributes personalised bottles filled with water on hot days around Porto. While receiving cold water on a hot day creates an immediate positive impact, the real strength of the project lies in what happens afterwards: people keep using the bottle at home, at work or on outings with friends, carrying the cause with them every day. Instead of disposable advertising, it becomes communication that lasts.

“If there’s ever a moment in life when we have the time, motivation and courage to try to change things, it’s now.”

The project aims to raise awareness of the possibility of allocating 1% of personal income tax to social causes. Why do you think participation is still relatively low?

I think the main reason is simply lack of awareness. Many people don’t know this option exists and, more importantly, they don’t realise it costs them absolutely nothing, because that 1% comes from the tax they have already paid to the State - it doesn’t come out of their own pocket. Since nobody explains it properly, people tend to leave that section blank rather than take a risk.
There are other factors too. NGOs often communicate this possibility inefficiently during the tax season, exactly when people are submitting their tax returns or making their pre-allocation decisions. The relevant section on the tax return isn’t mandatory, so most people simply skip it. And in many cases, someone else - an accountant or a family member - completes the tax return on their behalf, without knowing which causes they would actually like to support. In the end, the opportunity is missed not because people lack generosity, but because they lack information and a small nudge at the right moment.
That’s where Bottle Up comes in. By handing out bottles in person and clearly explaining how allocating 1% works, we can provide that nudge face to face to people who might otherwise never stop to think about it.

Do you believe young people can play a more active role in promoting social causes?

Absolutely, and I think many already do. For me, Bottle Up is a way of putting what I’m learning, a bit of Management and a bit of Law, at the service of a social cause. But there are even better examples around me, such as Missão País.
Once you get to know that project, you realise just how much energy our generation has to contribute. If there’s ever a moment in life when we have the time, motivation and courage to try to change things, it’s now.

You are also involved in several volunteering initiatives. Is there one that has particularly marked you?

One experience that really stood out was the opportunity to teach financial literacy to teenagers. It’s not a traditional volunteering activity, but it’s one of the most meaningful I’ve been involved in because adolescence is such an important stage of life, and very few young people receive any education on these topics. Explaining to a fifteen-year-old what a budget is, or why starting to save early makes such a difference, is giving them a tool that schools rarely provide.

How does volunteering contribute to a student’s personal and academic development?

Volunteering takes us out of our comfort zone, puts us in contact with people who are very different from ourselves, and encourages us to look at the world more carefully and with greater empathy.

What are your plans for the future?

In the short term, I want to continue enjoying my degree and learning as much as I can.
But if the question goes deeper, I usually give the same answer I’ve given since I was a child, when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up: I want to be happy. And for me, that’s not just a nice phrase, it has a very concrete meaning. I hope to build a career that keeps both Law and Management open as possibilities, allowing me to continue identifying real needs and finding ways to solve them, whether through Bottle Up or whatever comes next. I don’t have a rigid plan, and I think that’s perfectly fine, as long as I keep doing meaningful work.
Above all, I want to embrace these adventures because they allow me to meet incredible people, the kind of people who turn difficult moments, when everything seems to go wrong, into stories we laugh about later.