NOVEMBER 3, 2004. Thinking about the future? Considering pursuing a university degree? Spend a day on campus with a University student Participate in the Annual Adopt-a-Student Day Project Diploma held its first annual ADOPT-A-STUDENT DAY. A collaborative effort between Project Diploma, the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PORTUGUESE ASOOCIATION (UTPA) and the YORK UNIVERSITY PORTUGUESE ASSOCIATION (YUPA), the event allowed Portuguese-Canadian high school students the opportunity to shadow a university student for the day. Students were given a chance to: tour a university campus, shadow a student and sit-in on lectures, learn about different aspects of life beyond academics (e.g. social events, clubs), get information about tuition and course options and , most importantly, establish a SUPPORT NETWORK at the school before even officially attending it. Thirty students visited the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO and twenty-five visited YORK UNIVERSITY. Students at York were matched with a partner, visited classes, toured the campus and were treated to lunch. Students who visited the University of Toronto also visited classes, received tours and got a free lunch. They were also treated to presentations by Portuguese-Canadian representatives of the university. PROFESSOR MANUELA MARUJO spoke of the importance of, and benefits from, learning the Portuguese language. DR. ELVINO SOUSA spoke of his experiences as a young Portuguese-Canadian and his swift rise to be one of the most influential engineering professionals in the country. EMANUEL MELO gave an inspirational speech on the many challenges he faced in life, and how he overcame them to pursue a university degree. Every speaker, including UTPA members, spoke of the importance of having a well rounded education and social life at school in order to experience the full benefits of higher education later in life. Project Diploma thanks the UTPA, YUPA, and all the high school students who participated and made the event possible. We look forward to an expanded event next year, with more high school students and more choices of university and college to visit.
|
