The Erasmus Awards Ceremony, the first official farewell gala for Erasmus+ program participants finishing the winter semester at our University, was organized by the International Relations Department of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw.
– Our University gladly accepts foreign students and tries to provide them with the best possible education. Students who came to us as part of the Erasmus+ program gain valuable international experience, learn about Polish culture and traditions, and make new friends – said Rev. Professor Marek Stokłosa, PhD, Associate Professor, the Vice-Rector for Research and International Cooperation – The most important strategic goals of UKSW include both creating opportunities for our students to study abroad, as well as expanding the foreign educational offer for students who come to us from partner universities. We are glad that our university arouses great interest among students and lecturers from abroad.
An extraordinary experience
Adnan Nawaz from Pakistan, studying in Italy, took part in the Erasmus+ program at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of UKSW. – The level of teaching is high, lecturers are very intelligent and nice, speak excellent English and are always ready to help in solving problems – emphasized Adnan Nawaz. – I hope that I will be able to stay at the University in the summer semester.
Chloé Rerat, the first foreign student at the Faculty of Medical Science. Collegium Medicum, admitted that her stay at our University, in the international community, was an extraordinary experience for her which she recommends to everyone.
– My lecturers were extremely committed and helpful – said Chloé Rerat. – I made friendships that I am sure will last, even after the end of the Erasmus+ program.
Ilayda Sari from Turkiye, who studied psychology at UKSW as part of Erasmus+ program, liked everything about us so much that she immortalized every moment with her camera so as not to forget these few month, which, as she said, gave her “so much”.
Welcome Centre help and support
The Erasmus Awards Ceremony Farewell Gala was one of numerous initiatives of the Welcome Centre, which is part of the International Relations Office of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. From October 2023, among other things, students had the opportunity to visit the Royal Castle, the Presidential Palace and the Sejm, and took part in the Polish culture Day and the International Christmas Meeting. The Welcome Centre, operating at UKSW since September 2023, organizes the stay of foreign students, doctoral students and scientific workers at our University. Guests and foreign students at UKSW can count on support in dealing with official and household matters. Welcome Centre employees also deal with the initiatives related to the integration and adaptation of foreigners in the academic community.
Marco Rogacien from Italy, who has Polish roots, emphasized how important the warm support provided by the UKSW Welcome Centre was to him.
– Everyone at UKSW tries to help us. All classes were held in English. I met so many people from such different countries, different cultures, said Paloma Ladesma from Spain.
Best of the best
The Erasmus Farewell Gala was preceded by a plebiscite organized among foreign students. They selected winners in five categories. In the category of “the most helpful”, so a student who could be counted on regardless of the situation and always offered a helping hand, the winner was Chiara Rota, a student of the Italian university Cattolica del Sacro Cuore/Brescia campus. In the category of “the most active”, so a student who was most active during events organized for international students, the winner was Marco Rogacien, a student of the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio in Italy. In the category of “the most popular in social media”, so a perso who is familiar with Facebook and Instagram, the winner was French student Chloé Rerat from Université de Lyon/ Université Claude Bernard (Lyon I). In the category of “the selfie master”, so someone who never leaves phone and takes photos anytime and anywhere, Ilayda Sari from the Turkish Sakarya University turned out to be unrivalled. “The best Mentor” award for a UKSW student who supported international students in the adaptation process at our University as best as possible went to Stefania Kazakowa, a fifth-year student of the Faculty of Law and Administration of UKSW, and also the president of the Erasmus Student Network UKSW association, a student organization working for foreign students.
– Our association has been taking care of Erasmus+ program participants for sixteen years – said Stefania Kazakowa. -We tried to help them find their place at UKSW also this time. That is why we That’s why we organized various cultural events, joint outings and trips. An important part of our activities was also the coordination of the “Mentor” project, which involves the support provided by our student volunteers to foreign colleagues. We hope that Erasmus+ program participants will become ambassadors of our University in the future.
36 students from 11 countries study at UKSW in the winter semester as part of the Erasmus+ program. They are present at the Faculty of Law and Administration, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. School of Exact Sciences, the Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Christian Philosophy and the Faculty of Medical Sciences. Collegium Medicum. They come from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Turkiye, Germany, France, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Colombia.
22 January 2024
