The outgoing mobility students came together at the traditional farewell ceremony. They are going to Europe, Asia, and North America, thanks to the international agreements established between UFRO and numerous universities around the world.

Within the framework of the student mobility program of Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), the International Affairs Office carried out an emotional farewell ceremony for the 21 undergraduate students who will spend the first semester of 2024 at universities in Germany, Austria, Belgium, South Korea, Spain and Mexico.

The ceremony was led by the vice-rector for Research and Graduate Studies, Dr. Rodrigo Navia Diez, who pointed out that these experiences have a positive impact on people’s lives, not only regarding their professional training but also regarding their personal development.

“International mobility is a fundamental pillar of our university – an important task that includes resources and a huge institutional effort at all levels. We hope that these 21 outgoing mobility students will be able to fully enjoy this opportunity and that they motivate their peers to also go see the world upon their return. It is important for us to have students who know what is going on in other parts of the world. That way, they can share their experiences and implement some of the practices here in Chile. It allows us to develop a better quality of life for the people,” the vice-rector Navia pointed out.

According to the director of the International Affairs Office, Dr. Lorena Vieli, this is another major achievement. “This is a very valuable experience and I hope that our students are aware of the privilege they have by getting access to such an opportunity, which implies a lot of previous work of our Student Mobility team. We have made great efforts to manage these processes, in order to be able to include more and more students in these programs. We want to support our UFRO students and provide the tools that allow them to receive the required funding, not only from our university but also from other institutions that offer these scholarships and grants that allow the students to make use of these opportunities,” she explained.

The student mobility opportunities are a crucial part of the Internationalisation Strategy of UFRO and directly contribute to the internationalisation of the undergraduate curriculum. In addition, they are also part of at least two pillars of UFROs Educational Model: Global Citizenship and People’s Comprehensive Development.

In this context, the university sends the students to countries such as Germany, Austria, Belgium, South Korea, Spain and Mexico, where UFRO maintains strong international relations through mutual collaboration agreements, which allow the students from the different faculties to study at least one semester at prestigious universities abroad.

	Cristóbal Villanueva Navarrete; Spanish and Communication Pedagogy; Universidad de Castilla - La Mancha (Spain) “I have two clear goals: on the one hand, I want to expand my knowledge in the academic field of literature. Actually, most of the subjects I registered for deal with literature, art and culture. I am very interested in an academic career and this opportunity will allow me to learn more for when I return to Chile. On the other hand, I want to get to know Spain and Europe in general and to enjoy a new experience. I am really looking forward to that.”
	Claudia Muñoz Pérez; Business Engineering; Sungshin Women’s University (South Korea) “Academically, I want to expand my knowledge, especially in terms of business innovation, and to learn about a totally different, forward-looking and innovative culture. I also want to learn about the Korean culture. I really like their music and entertainment in general, so I hope to learn from that and to generate networks that will help me in the future as a professional.”
	Ignacio Vilar Bertolotto; Physical Therapy; University of Lleida (Spain) “I am going to do my internship there. I want to get another view of my future profession and to learn about how they work there. The idea is to enjoy a comprehensive experience, to get to know and work at many health centres and to learn a lot about my profession.”