UDP Internacional

25 July 2023

In a ceremony held in the Nicanor Parra Library auditorium, the General Directorate of International Relations (DGRII) and Santander Universities recognized the students who were awarded financial support scholarships for the development of their student exchange.

“We are very happy to be represented in almost all the faculties,” said Anoek van den Berg, General Director of International Relations, at the beginning of the activity.

“As DGRRII, we care a lot about supporting our students to fulfill their dreams (…). Many times, these stories change lives, change perspectives, open up new worlds and, above all, new opportunities and, as a University, it is very important to us to be able to collaborate and support students who need to meet these goals at the internationalization level”, she added.

During this second semester, 45 UDP students will travel abroad. Of these, 34 will receive scholarships, which for Universidad Diego Portales represents one of the highest figures in terms of awarding benefits. Of this total, five students will receive support from Santander and another 29 will be UDP scholarship holders.

In this sense, Sebastián Bunster, manager of Santander Universities, indicated that for Banco Santander this program has a special meaning and thanked the steps taken by the UDP to carry out this initiative: “Our work has always been to be able to support people and companies in their development and we firmly believe that through higher education we can contribute to society.”

“For this reason we have a program to support higher education that started 25 years ago in Spain and that has been developed, over time, in all the countries where the group has a stake. That is why we have reached a significant number of students with some level of support, ”he said, congratulating the Santander scholarship holders and their families.

During the ceremony, two of the beneficiaries shared their experience regarding their respective application processes. In this context, Javiera Aspe Vega, a Business Engineering student, pointed out: “Thanks to being awarded the Santander Undergraduate International Mobility Scholarship, I will be able to study at the Cardenal Herrera University in the city of Valencia, Spain.”

“It was not easy – the process – but it was totally worth it (…). I decided to dare to dream big and believe in myself and thanks to this scholarship I will be able to grow personally and academically and come back with new skills for my future as a professional. I am very excited to be able to study at the Cardenal Herrera University, where I will be able to access subjects that will complement my training as a professional as a commercial engineer, since I am excited to learn about topics related to entrepreneurship, marketing and teaching, ”she said.

Likewise, Carlos Cáceres, a Civil Engineering student in Civil Works, who was awarded the Exchange Scholarship from the General Directorate of International Relations, referred to his application to the University of Warwick, United Kingdom.

According to him, the process was not easy and was marked by a fluctuation of emotions. However, he highlighted the support he received from the DGRRII and stated: “The exchange is complemented by my academic and professional development, so that it will make it possible for me to learn how my career is applied and developed in the destination country. Although doing an exchange opens the doors for me to meet people from other countries who are studying the same degree as me or other areas of engineering and who work in the area, it can also open doors for job offers in the destination country”.

During the activity, the General Directorate of International Relations thanked Banco Santander for its support and invited the scholarship holders to share their experiences to motivate future students to internationalize their academic training: “We wish them every success (…). They will contribute to their professional and personal growth and to future graduates of the University”, concluded Anoek van den Berg.