20 Students Receive Alumni-Banco Santander Fellowships in Fourth Edition
On Tuesday, 7 February 2012, a ceremony was held in the Graduate Hall to present 20 students with the 2011-2012 Alumni-Banco Santander fellowships. This is the fourth year the grants have been awarded.
Twenty UIC students were awarded Alumni-Banco Santander fellowships, a form of financial aid the university offers to students who are members of the Association of UIC Alumni and Friends.
The ceremony was presided over by UIC Rector Pere Alavedra, who welcomed those attending and said some words of encouragement to the winners. He made some recommendations and said,"In times of crisis, you should try to enhance your creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, and above all look to the future with joy and expectation".
Also present at the ceremony was Antonio Pérez Portabella, the Director-Coordinator of Santander Universities in Catalonia. He told the new fellowship holders, "What the business world currently values is the concept of ethics and a solid work ethic". He encouraged them to work hard to achieve these goals.
The last speaker was Xavier Amat, the President of the UIC Alumni Association, who explained the main functions of the association. He said, "These functions include maintaining close relations between alumni and the university, encouraging work relations and consolidating the job-placement service".
Felio Vilarrubias, a student in the law programme, said a few words of thanks on behalf of the fellowship winners. He said, "This grant is a breath of fresh air at such a difficult time. It's also a stimulus and a major undertaking to ensure that we do not throw away all the years we have studied and trained".
Banco Santander collaborates on this and other UIC initiatives through its Santander Universities Global Division, which channels the bank's social action and maintains stable alliances with more than 970 universities in the Americas, Asia and Europe.
The students obtain this fellowship based on a series of requirements, such as their academic record and economic and family situation (large families, families on unemployment, disabilities, orphans, etc.).
The UIC offers Alumni-Banco Santander fellowships with the aim of providing financial aid to students and increasing their welfare in areas that go beyond academic training.