This Thursday (20), at the Unicamp Convention Center, the certificates of completion were handed over to the 96 graduates of the 8th class of the Higher Interdisciplinary Training Program (ProFIS). The ceremony was attended by the General Coordinator of Unicamp, Teresa Atvars, Francisco de Assis Gomes Neto, pro-rector of University Development and class paraninfo, and Mariana Freitas Nery, ProFIS coordinator and class patron, as well as family members and friends of the graduates, who celebrated a double achievement: the completion of the program and the beginning of higher education at Unicamp.
Approved by the University Council in 2010 and with activities beginning in 2011, ProFIS reaches its tenth anniversary with the aim of continuing the purpose of offering students who complete high school with emphasis on the public network the opportunity to complement their basic training already within Unicamp and then enroll in one of the university's undergraduate courses without passing the entrance exam. "It's 10 years of a program that has already been consolidated, the idea is to expand it, other universities have a project to create their own ProFIS, so the balance is extremely positive. Seeing these students transforming the university, in the courses they take , bringing a diversity that is so important to this plural environment, is very satisfying and is the objective we had, to transform each university and I think we are achieving it", explains Mariana Nery, coordinator of ProFIS.
With the program, each public high school in Campinas is guaranteed a place, which is filled by the student who obtains the highest score on the Enem. The following places are filled according to the exam classification, respecting the limit of two places for each school. With this, students from all public schools in the city have the chance to benefit. The course lasts two years, during which students take classes in the areas of exact, human, biological and technology. At the end, they are entitled to guaranteed places in the program on Unicamp's undergraduate courses, the selection is made according to the students' performance throughout the course.
"The program has an inestimable importance in the process of including students from Campinas, as it is the city that houses Unicamp, so it is only fair that students from Campinas have this chance to enter the university. It is an innovative program as it is a pathway entry to university, in addition to the entrance exam, and which allows the best from each school to have a place", evaluates Mariana.
"What predominates in our mind is talent"
The ceremony followed common protocols, but was marked by the emotion of the graduates and the satisfaction of professors and members of the academic community in seeing young graduates and new university students starting their academic lives. In the class speech, given by speakers Isabella Teixeira and João Vitor Mio, it was possible to perceive the pride in the achievement of all colleagues. "Looking at everyone, what predominates in our mind is talent. We have so much among us that it is possible to fill the entire Unicamp with it. We believe that this is what happens every time a class graduates from ProFIS", highlighted the speakers.
The class's paraninfo, Francisco de Assis Gomes Neto, highlighted how the program is responsible for promoting public school students' access to university and discovering and valuing talents. According to him, it is necessary for projects like this to spread to other universities. "How many excellent professionals do we lose, year after year, just because we are not able to discover them? ProFIS is a small contribution, among many others, that Unicamp offers and which allows these young people, like those who graduate here today , show their competence and, above all, their ability to overcome the challenges they encounter, no matter how difficult they are", said Francisco.
Teresa Atvars, General Coordinator of Unicamp, also emphasized the importance of ProFIS and drew attention to the responsibility of students to contribute to the advancement of science and society. "The opportunity to build a better country and world is in our hands. In our hands as teachers, employees, but also in the hands of our students. And you have already learned that, with effort, success comes"
"In four years, we will be here again!"
As students study subjects from all areas of knowledge and can come into contact with different courses before choosing the career they intend to follow, one of the advantages of ProFIS reported by graduates is the possibility of changing their mind throughout the program and making a better choice. "We had the opportunity to get to know several areas at Unicamp to find out which one we really wanted. I myself came in with a different mindset, I didn't want the course I entered, but I changed my mind over the two years and it helped a lot in choosing the course. Before I wanted Computer Science and I went for Applied Mathematics", says Abnadabe Lacerda.
His friend, João Vitor de Oliveira, also discovered his preference for another area throughout the course: "ProFIS was a good experience because before entering university I had a different vision, and it shows a lot how the academic world works, especially through scientific initiation, how research works, how everything works, all the dynamics. I wanted to go to History, to the humanities, but I ended up going to Agricultural Engineering, totally different. You know so many options that you end up exploring other areas and you end up having other perspectives", he reports.
Among the students, the atmosphere of joy and celebration dominated the corridors and auditoriums of the Convention Center. For those who will continue at university for at least another four years, the university environment has already become familiar. Ana Beatriz Santos is one of the graduates who shares this tranquility. Selected for the Nursing course, she was happy to be able to pursue the area she always wanted. "I'm more relaxed about going to graduate school than when I joined ProFIS, because I was scared, I didn't know what university life was like. Now I'm much calmer, I'm used to it", she comments.
Maria Aparecida Simões, mother of Ana Beatriz, is already prepared for the next joys that her daughter, now a university student, will bring to the family. "In four years, we will be here again! (Laughter)", she celebrates with pride.
