Africa-Press – Cape verde. Rickson Neves, Deise Jesus and Telma Oliveira and Mónica Lopes were the winners of the first edition of the UECL Valorizar o Mérito Awards, created by the Union of Cape Verdean Students in Lisbon. Simone Cruz and José Luiz Vaz were also distinguished with an Honorable Mention, for their academic career.
The award ceremony took place in the auditorium of the Union of Portuguese Language Capital Cities (UCCLA), in Lisbon, on the night of this Saturday, 20, and distinguished the merit, potential and academic path of Cape Verdean students who attend higher education in the Portuguese capital.
Recognized were students Ricksom Neves, with a degree in Law at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Deise Jesus and Telma Oliveira, students of the Integrated Master’s Degree in Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Lisbon, and Mónica Lopes, Master’s student in Human Biology and Environment, also at the University of Lisbon.
Honorable mentions to Simone Cruz and José Luís Vaz
The jury also awarded honorable mentions to José Luís Vaz, Master in Public Policy, at the University Institute of Lisbon (Iscte) and Simoni Andrade, Master in Food Quality and Health, at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon.
A distinction received with pride and a feeling of reward, as Simone Cruz said, so that recognition should also serve as an incentive for other young people.
Moments of “Uncertainty”
On his Facebook page, José Luís Vaz also thanked the initiative and recalled moments of uncertainty along the way.
“For those who came to disbelieve in themselves and in life (…), for those who, because of drug addiction, lived marginally on the street, for those who started higher education at the age of 43, on the eve of turning 50 , this recognition is the reconfirmation of the conviction that it is never too late to start over and, above all, the reinforcement of believing in our potential as a Human Being”, he wrote.
Leonor Ruivo, graduated in Biochemistry and Neuroscience and a member of the Gulbenkian Foundation, Raffaella Gozzelino, researcher at Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Executive Coordinator of Projects in West Africa at the Parley Foundation for Ocean, and Célia Vida, graduated in Development and Cooperation and technician at the of Cooperation of the Embassy of Cape Verde in Portugal, were part of the jury that awarded the prizes.
The event also served to honor the former presidents of UECL, including Fredilson Semedo, Rúben Moreira, Isaías Varela, Jonathan Vieira, Milton Paiva, Mário Carvalho, Miguel Monteiro and Lourenço Lopes, founder of UECL in 1997, and was attended by Cape Verdean students, local authorities and other guests.
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