30 Years of History and Memories for Telecommunications Graduates from the UPV’s Gandia Campus.
Returning to campus has been like coming home. On September 18, the Gandia campus of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) served as the setting for an emotional reunion that brought together those who graduated with degrees in Technical Engineering in Telecommunications, Sound, and Image 25 and 30 years ago. More than a hundred people took part in this reunion.
On behalf of the organization, Belén Arrogante highlighted the importance of this type of event because “it allows us to bring together people who shared a very important stage of their lives.”
Three decades of training telecommunications professionals
Since the UPV’s Gandia campus first began offering programs, a total of 1,917 students (1,459 men and 458 women) have earned degrees in Technical Engineering in Telecommunications, Sound, and Image. The history dates back to October 1993, when classes began for “a pioneering degree program that marked the start of university-level education in telecommunications on our campus,” emphasized Vicenç Almenar, director of the UPV’s Gandia campus. Three years later, in 1996, the first graduating class received their degrees.
“Since then, each of these individuals has forged their own professional and personal path,” adds the coordinator of UPV Alumni. This network, made up of more than 85,000 alumni, “allows people to stay in touch, reconnect with former classmates, expand their professional network, share knowledge, and create new opportunities. “Events like the one held on the Gandia campus are a clear example of everything an alumni community can offer,” emphasized Belén Arrogante.
Life Stories, Anecdotes, and Shared Memories
The event was marked by the memories and experiences shared by the faculty and UPV alumni, who reflected on the evolution of the degree program and the campus itself. Three alumni participated in the discussions: Victoria González, Susana Bañuelos, and José María Vázquez, “who shared their perspectives based on their experiences as those who lived through those early years and have since gone on to pursue their own professional careers.”
Victoria González, who graduated in 1999, recalls that time with enthusiasm: “It seemed like being a telecommunications engineer gave you almost superpowers in the job market.” In 2013, she co-founded Ionclinics & Deionic, a company dedicated to the development and manufacture of healthcare technology, where she currently serves as director of quality. “Returning to campus and reconnecting with classmates and professors is an opportunity to reflect on our beginnings and discover how far our different career paths have taken us,” she said.
For her part, Susana Bañuelos, dean of the Official Association of Telecommunications Graduates and Technical Engineers of the Valencian Community and CEO of BSC Solutions, shared the reasons that led her to choose the UPV’s Gandia campus before graduating in 2004: “I was looking for a balance between peace and enjoyment, a place that felt like home, and, practically speaking, an excuse to gain independence.” Amid anecdotes, she humorously recalled the nightmares of certain courses and their professors, but above all, she highlighted the good times they shared.
The first reunion of “telecos” from the UPV’s Gandia campus ended with laughter, photos to remember the occasion, and a shared sense of pride in belonging to the Gandia campus. As Susana Bañuelos herself put it: “the best campus in the world.”
Photos from the event are available on the UPV Alumni website at this link.