Universidad de Magallanes welcomed Argentinian beneficiaries of AGCI’s Transnational integration program

This scholarship program, which has granted scholarships to 50 Peruvian and Bolivian young students since 2010, reached the Chilean southernmost zone

Universidad de Magallanes welcomed the first three Argentinian beneficiaries of the Transnational integration scholarship program of the Chilean International Cooperation Agency (AGCI). The beneficiaries will pursue their undergraduate degrees at engineering and health programs.

Many authorities attended the ceremony: Ambassador Juan Pablo Lira, Chief executive at the Chilean International Cooperation Agency (AGCI); Pablo García, Head of the Education and Scholarship Department at AGCI; Juan Oyarzo, President of Universidad de Magallanes (UMAG); Governor Paola Fernández; and Jorge Horacio Insausti, Argentinian Consul General in Punta Arenas.

Ambassador Juan Pablo Lira said that “having these three Argentinian students in Punta Arenas symbolizes the attempts to close ties and to bridge the transnational gap with neighboring countries. And that is one of the goals that inspired the Transnational Integration Program, which has been successfully carried out since 2010 in northern Chile with Peruvian and Bolivian students”.

For his part, Juan Oyarzo, President of Universidad de Magallanes, explained that “this scholarship implies an enriching cultural interchange among Chilean and Argentinian students. Therefore, our goal is to increase the number of beneficiaries from other Argentinian provinces every year”.

Brenda Muñoz is 22 and comes from Río Gallegos. In 2016, she finished her B.S in Argentina and always wanted to become a physical therapist but this program was not available in her hometown so she would have had to travel to another province to study it. “My family couldn’t afford the expenses for me to study this program, so this scholarship allows me to fulfill one of my greatest dreams, become a physical therapist”, says Brenda. “This scholarship program should continue so that more students from my country could materialize their dreams of having the educational background that boosts their work life in the future and becoming a contribution to the community” concludes.

Thanks to the cooperation agreement between AGCI and Universidad de Magallanes, Argentinian students will study for free at some of the UMAG faculties and study centers. It is expected that this scholarship program is granted to more students every year until it reaches 20 beneficiaries by 2021. The scholarship covers the registration and tuition fees, health insurance, transportation from and to their hometowns and money to purchase books.

This transnational integration scholarship program started in 2010 and has successfully granted scholarships to Peruvian and Bolivian students at Universidad de Tarapacá. So far, it has been granted to 50 students, who have pursued, mainly, studies in Engineering, Economy, Science, Innovation and Technology, and health.

Via: AGCI