Graduation ceremonies were held on September 14, 15 and 16 at the Central Cine-Theater (Photo: Twin Alvarenga/UFJF)
The Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) celebrates this week the graduation of approximately one thousand new professionals at the undergraduate level. The five graduation ceremonies were held on September 14, 15 and 16 at the Central Cine-Theater, in the presence of the families and friends of the graduates, now bachelor's or licenciatura holders.
The five graduation ceremonies covered a wide range of fields of knowledge, from engineering to fashion, from accounting to computer science, journalism and chemistry. A moment of celebration and to highlight the importance of public education for the strengthening and development of Brazil in all areas.
The event included full translation into Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) and audio description, a feature that translates images into words to allow blind or visually impaired people to understand visual content, further reinforcing the University's commitment to collaborating to ensure equal access to spaces, opportunities, and rights in society.
The deanGirlene AlvesThe report recalled that UFJF is part of a network of 71 federal universities and receives, annually, approximately2,5 thousand new students, totaling 23,000 students. In addition to teaching, at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the institution invests in research and extension, as required by legislation, and has also incorporated innovation and culture as key pillars in the last ten years.
“This moment that we celebrate, that we crown, that we thank you for your formative journey, in which we were able to participate, is the moment in which we reaffirm the role of Brazilian public universities. It is the moment in which we need to speak to the nation that investment in Brazilian education must be permanent. This is how we reduce inequalities. This is how we make it possible for all areas of knowledge to be accessible to all young people in our country. An emancipated country needs a people with access to education. The defense of education in Brazil must be something in the daily life of each and every one of us. May UFJF continue to be this university of many colors, of many desires, of many dreams, that it be the university that enables many achievements,” said the rector.
Family celebrates, with an emotional embrace, the achievement of graduation and the realization of a collective dream (Photo: Carolina de Paula/UFJF)
The need for the commitment of the new professionals was also highlighted by the Vice Rector,Telmo RonzaniWe have the challenge of daily reaffirming the importance of democracy and the civilizational pact. You take on this mission of being highly qualified professionals and human beings who transform lives. This is the moment to celebrate life, to celebrate an important achievement for each and every one of you. I urge that individual dreams be combined, so that in a collective dream, we can improve the lives of our next generation, of our country and of our world.
Laís Servo, a recent graduate in Electrical Engineering from UFJF, alongside her mother, Renata Servo, who celebrated the achievement and highlighted the importance of family support and quality public education. (Photo: Twin Alvarenga/UFJF)
The recent graduate in Electrical Engineering, Laís Servo, emphasized the learning experiences during the five and a half years of study and the possibility of accessing quality education without paying tuition fees in her hometown. “UFJF has many opportunities that we can take advantage of. Various projects. I participated in a research scholarship project, for example. It was very good for me, it made me grow a lot as a person and as a professional.”
The young woman's mother, Renata Servo, emphasized the quality of the education offered to her daughter. “I am very happy. It is a feeling of accomplishment. As a mother, I am very happy to graduate my daughter. You have to support her, you have to participate, you have to do everything to support your child who is at the federal university, because it is an excellent education. UFJF is here, we live here, it is close, everything is close. I just want to thank you.”
Graduates take their oath and celebrate their graduation during the graduation ceremony (Photo: Carolina de Paula/UFJF)
Emotion and joy were present in the three days of the event, as also highlighted by Jonimar Silva Apolinário, a general services assistant and mother of the recent graduate in Social Work, Sarah Cristina Silva Gomes.
It is very important for me, knowledge, study. It is an immense pride, especially because I am the first in my family to graduate from a federal university. I don't even know how to express what I am feeling at this moment. It is a mixture of emotions. As I said, my daughter came from a public school, I never could afford a preparatory course. Public universities are of extreme importance. They must be valued, they must fight for universities, because they are really of great importance.
In line with Jonimar, the recent History graduate, João Gabriel Emerenciano Amaro, states that access to public higher education is the path to building a Brazil where everyone has more opportunities.
João Gabriel Emerenciano Amaro, a recent History graduate from UFJF, celebrates the achievement of the diploma and highlights the role of public higher education in building a more just and equitable society for all (Photo: Twin Alvarenga/UFJF)
There is a feeling of accomplishment, after five years of significant investment. Reaching this point is also a historical reparation with those who came before me, who fought so that I could get here. Paulo Freire says that education does not transform the world, education transforms people, and people transform the world, right? Entering public higher education is to enable a reparation for society as a whole. Even if the University has challenges, because it does, it is an opportunity for personal and even collective growth, because we are not isolated individuals on an island, we are part of a society, a community. When we change through education, we end up changing everything around us.
The photos from the ceremonies will be available soon.