Rector Lafuente congratulates Campus Ítaca participants and organisers

The Campus Ítaca, now in its twentieth year, allows students in their third year of secondary school to spend time at the UAB to carry out a series of leisure and cultural activities aimed at encouraging young people to pursue university studies. According to Rector Lafuente, this project represents "a success story" that has shown the value of the university to thousands of secondary school students since 2004. He recalled that the project also includes the Ítaca-Banco Santander scholarships, which have benefited almost 300 UAB students over the years.

The rector thanked the contribution of all the people and organisations involved in one way or another in the Campus Ítaca: the schools and families of the students, the city and county councils, the Fundació Autònoma Solidària (FAS) as organiser, the UAB centres that participate in the programmed activities, the monitors who accompany the participants during their stay, the Social Council of the UAB and Banco Santander which has provided funding for Campus Ítaca since the beginning of the project.

José María García de los Ríos, director de Convenis i Mecenatge de Santander Universidades, va intervenir també a l'acte per afirmar que la institució se sent "molt orgullosa de col·laborar amb la UAB, una de les 150 millors universitats del món" segons el resultat de la darrera edició dels QS World University Rankings. Va agrair "la confiança depositada en Santander Universidades" i va elogiar l'esforç tant dels participants com dels organitzadors, tot afirmant que "val la pena apostar pel talent i contribuir al progrés de les persones".

José María García de los Ríos, director of Agreements and Patronage at Santander Universities, also spoke at the event to say that the institution is "very proud to collaborate with the UAB, one of the 150 best universities in the world" according to the results of the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings. He thanked "the trust placed in Santander Universities" and praised the efforts of both participants and organisers, affirming that "it is worth betting on talent and contributing to the progress of people".

"The best opportunity"

The director of the FAS, Jordi Prat, spoke of the philosophy of Campus Ítaca, which aims to show secondary school students that "education is the best opportunity" to make their dreams come true, and was pleased to achieve the three objectives of the campus: that the students discover the UAB campus, that they develop a "desire to learn", and that they make new friends while having a great time at the same time.

The boys and girls who took part in this first round of Campus Ítaca showed during the event the results of the projects they have been carrying out in groups and which represent a small sample of various academic disciplines, from biology and genetics to communication and economics, as well as technology and robotics. They also received a diploma in recognition of their participation and a prize was awarded for the best drawing made as part of the creative activities of the Ítaca Campus. From today a second round of Campus Ítaca is taking place, which will bring 162 young people from secondary schools in the Vallès to the UAB and will end with another closing ceremony on 14 July.