There are those who have come from Germany, Brazil, the United States of America or Israel. The 1st year class of the Masters in Marine Biology at the University of Algarve has 45 students… from 12 different nationalities. Numbers that impressed even the Secretary of State Maria Fernanda Rollo, who visited one of the classes of this master's program this Wednesday morning, September 19th.
As soon as the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education, who is also a professor, entered the room on the Campus of Gambelas, undressed the role of member of the Government and began to exchange views with students.
He asked where they were from, how they had discovered the University of the Algarve, what their expectations were and what their dreams were. Always in English because there are only 16 Portuguese in this class against 29 foreigners.
From the students' part, he heard, on several occasions, praise for UAlg's reputation in the field of Marine Biology and Marine Sciences.
"I think we were all very touched to see the joy of these students, from such different countries, especially when they say they chose the University of the Algarve to do their studies in Marine Biology here because it is the most suitable place they have found", said Maria Fernanda Rollo, at the end of the visit, to the Sul Informação.
The government official even confessed that it was "moving" to see students "from such diverse backgrounds." Most made the choice to come to Faro through internet searches, but there are also cases of students who received good references from friends or because they visited the country before.
“Everyone is very happy and what we want is for them to continue like this. Some want opportunities to work and I think we all have to welcome them and have favorable contexts for them to stay here», he also stressed.
The arrival of these students also serves to "promote the country" and "consolidate what we know is essential: the commitment to knowledge and education," he added.
The case of UAlg is even “very particular”, according to Maria Fernanda Rollo. “There is proximity to the sea and this is an invaluable resource that we must value more and more. All were very expressive in the way they said that there is no more appropriate context than the University of the Algarve to carry out studies in this area», he explained.
Natalie Oliveira, Brazilian, is one of those cases. In conversation with the Sul Informação, revealed that he is in Faro two months ago, but she already feels “in love” with the city.
«My family moved to the Algarve. I took the Biology course in Brazil, but in order to come to Portugal, I needed a student visa. Luckily, Marine Biology is a very good course here and I signed up,” he said, smiling.
In the class, Natalie has students from Germany, Austria, Brazil, Spain, the United States of America, France, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania and, of course, Portugal. A true mix of cultures that the student welcomes.
«I practice English a lot! This exchange of ideas, of cultures, is really very interesting», he considered. The Secretary of State could not agree more.
“As international students and students from other cultures, we learn from them daily. Everyone is a source of learning and growth. We must know how to take care of them so that we are not distracted from this opportunity, even more so when it coincides with a theme to which, as a country, we must pay particular attention», concluded Maria Fernanda Rollo.
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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