The official beginning of the 2021/22 school year was marked by the emotion of the being back together again. It was wonderful to hold a welcome session with a full house after a year and a half of living in a pandemic.
A concern for the well-being of new students was highlighted at a ceremony attended by representatives from the school, the wider university, and also from the city of Porto. We are aware that the better the adaptation and integration of students into higher education, the greater the academic success they will have, and the less likely they will be to suffer from mental health problems. We therefore sought with this session to convey what for us is the future of teaching in the institution.
This is a future based on a close relationship between the governing council of ICBAS and its students, as highlighted by the institution’s president, Henrique Cyrne de Carvalho: “our relationship with our students has always been close. Congratulations to you today. You have lived through two very tough years and have still managed to get here. And you, the best of the best, have chosen us, and this not only fills us with pride but it also makes us very aware of our responsibility to you.”
It is precisely because we are aware of the added responsibility of being the school with the second highest entry grades at the University of Porto that “we want to ensure that we are here to help you. We’re here to celebrate your accomplishments and support you with your difficulties.”
This session also featured the intervention of the president of AEICBAS, Francisca Moutinho, who highlighted the importance of living academic life to the full: “ICBAS has always been a school ahead of its time: innovative, challenging, restless in its essence, because it is never satisfied. A biomedical student is also like that and over the next few years you will have the opportunity to explore your interests, perhaps find your true vocation and live new experiences. But above all it is time to challenge ourselves.” Concluding that these coming years will be years of restlessness, years to train as professionals, but also years to learn to be active and responsible citizens: “this is the time to get involved. Volunteer, dedicate yourselves to the arts, write, read,Join our academic groups!”
A rich and diverse academic path is essential for personal development. An idea also highlighted by Beatriz Neves, gynecology and obstetrics intern and alumna of ICBAS,: “this learning would be far from (being) limited to the classroom”.
This was a unique moment of sharing (also broadcast online) which made clear the priorities of ICBAS: excellence in teaching and research allied to a strong emotional bond among the entire academic community. We are more than just a school, we are a family.
This text was written by Bárbara Silva, Communication Manager | Internationalization Working Group
