The Mentoring Gala, held on June 2 at Técnico’s Oeiras Campus, celebrated, recognised, and thanked the students who took part in the Mentoring Programme throughout the 2025/26 academic year.

The ceremony brought together mentors, mentees, and members of the academic community to acknowledge the work carried out over the year in promoting the academic, personal, and social integration of new students. During the session, participation certificates were awarded to all mentors, and merit and recognition diplomas were presented to those who stood out for their commitment, initiative, and contribution to the programme’s activities.

Opening the ceremony, Ana Paula Silva, Coordinator of the Human and Academic Resources Management Area at Oeiras Campus, welcomed the participants and emphasised the importance of mentors’ involvement in building a closer and more inclusive academic community.

For Tomás Pereira, an Industrial Engineering and Management student and first‑time mentor, the motivation to participate came from his own experience as a mentee. “Having a mentor helps a lot in those first steps. There’s so much happening when you start university, and it’s important to have someone who can help you navigate it,” he explained. Now as a mentor, he sought to offer new students the same support he received when he joined Técnico.

Adriana Lourenço, a Computer Science and Engineering student, also highlighted the impact her own mentor had at the beginning of her academic journey. A mentor for three years, she sees the experience as a unique opportunity for personal growth and for creating new connections within the academic community. “Even if you don’t always build a strong relationship with every mentee, there’s always a great sense of closeness among mentors. It’s an experience worth having,” she said.

Throughout the ceremony, participants were invited to revisit some of the activities carried out during the year through commemorative videos, followed by a social moment and a magic show that closed the event.

According to Francisco Melo, Técnico’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, the work carried out by mentors plays an essential role in supporting new students. “They are one of the first faces of Técnico for those arriving. They give their time to help other students overcome the challenges of adapting to university life, and that is a great act of generosity,” he noted.

More than a moment of recognition, the Mentoring Gala aimed to highlight the role of students who actively contribute to the well‑being and integration of their peers, reinforcing the spirit of mutual support that characterises Técnico’s academic community. As Francisco Melo stressed, “we don’t want our students to be just knowledge machines; we want them to be human beings capable of playing a meaningful role in the place they belong to. And being a mentor is a very good way to do that.”