Pulp Matters 1/2022

THE PERSONAL TOUCH

“I WAS ALREADY EXCITED ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP, AND NEVER, EVER IN MY LIFE DREAMED OF WORKING AT UPM.”

was going to be dull, but then discovered that it was actually fun and very interesting.” During their studies, the two students learned that UPM was recruiting laboratory technicians and it was for their upcoming mill in Paso de los Toros. Finding vacancies in their field of choice and their hometown was an unexpected but pleasant bonus. “I was already excited about the scholarship, and never, ever in my life dreamed of working at UPM, as it seemed a very distant possibility,’’ says Ramos. Díaz adds that the scholarship didn’t guarantee them a job, so when they received the call inviting them for the job after completing the application process they felt “equally nervous and excited.” The UTEC network of universities has decentralised the education system in Uruguay, allowing individuals like Díaz and Ramos to carry on with their studies without becoming an economic burden for their families. This in a region where, not so long ago, pursuing a degree meant living hundreds of kilometres away from home. “I always knew that to study a tertiary career I had to leave my hometown, but I always wanted to return. What I never imagined is that I would return with my degree almost finished and with

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PUL P MAT TERS 01/2022