Back Award ceremony in recognition of the best undergraduate transcripts and doctoral theses from the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years

Award ceremony in recognition of the best undergraduate transcripts and doctoral theses from the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years

On 24 March, the Ciutadella campus auditorium played host to the ceremony for the special bachelor’s degree and doctoral awards for the previous two academic years. The event was attended by the students receiving the awards, family, friends and academic officials. It included the lecture ‘Re-encounters’, by Xavi Menós, a UPF Audiovisual Communication programme alumnus and photographer, as well as the ceremony for the ESCI-UPF MANGO Chair in Corporate Social Responsibility and UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change awards.

25.03.2022

Imatge inicial

The ceremony for the special bachelor’s degree and doctoral awards, which recognize the top students in each undergraduate programme and the best doctoral theses, brought together all the students to obtain the highest academic distinction in their respective fields in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years. Last year’s ceremony could not be held due to the pandemic, so this year’s edition honoured the winners from both classes.

The ceremony was held in the Ciutadella campus auditorium – which was filled with the award recipients, family, friends and other members of the various university community groups – on 24 March at 7 p.m. and was hosted by Anna Maíllo, a student on the Advertising and Public Relations programme and member of the UPF Theatre Workshop.

It was attended by Ester Oliveras, vice-rector for Social Commitment and Responsibility; Manel Jiménez, vice-rector for Educational Transformation, Culture and Communication at UPF; Sergi Torner, vice-rector for Academic Planning; Albert Carreras, director of ESCI-UPF; and José Manuel Martínez-Sierra and Llorenç Bagur, director general and dean, respectively, of UPF-BSM, amongst other academic officials and members of the university management.

The ceremony consisted of two parts. The first part featured the lecture ‘Re-encounters’, by Xavi Menós, an alumnus of the UPF Audiovisual Communication programme, recipient of the 2002-2003 special bachelor’s degree award and photographer. It also included the awards given by the ESCI-UPF chairs: the ESCI-UPF MANGO Chair in Corporate Social Responsibility for the best bachelor’s degree final project in the field of CSR in the 2020-2021 academic year; and the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change award for the best bachelor’s degree final project. The latter chair also gave its award for the best master’s degree final project in the field of Planetary Wellbeing in the 2020-2021 academic year, a joint initiative of the ESCI and UPF-BSM.

The second part of the event was preceded by remarks by the vice-rector Ester Oliveras and musical performances by Marta Brichs Ponce, an Audiovisual Communication student (cello), and Blanca Domínguez Parra and Mònica Tort Pallarès, alumnae of the bachelor’s degree programmes in Law and in Audiovisual Communication, respectively (flutes), both of whom are members of the UPF Chamber Orchestra. This second part included a ceremony for the special bachelor’s degree award recipients for the academic years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021; a ceremony for the doctoral award recipients for the academic years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021; remarks by Anna de la Barrera i Bardalet, recipient of the special bachelor’s degree award in Business Management and Administration; and closing remarks by the vice-rector Manel Jiménez.

Acte de reconeixement dels Premis Extraordinaris de Grau i Doctorat 2019-2020 i 2020-2021

‘Re-encounters’: Lecture by Xavier Menós

> Full transcript of the lecture (in Catalan) (PDF)

> Video of the full lecture


Excerpts from the lecture: 

‘The fact that we are all here today, in person, in this auditorium, is something we must celebrate as a small victory that brings us closer to a longed-for new normal.’

Like a potter in her workshop, we, as humans, need tools to help us organize ideas and give use clues to understand a changing world.’

‘History – our stories – does not move in an endless straight line. It moves in a spiral. Even if we think we are starting over, we will always be doing it from a higher point.’

‘Digital platforms do not make us freer, or more democratic; they help us understand this world of Socratic shadows.’

‘I was lost and listless. Every time I had to update a client’s social media, that frustration grew, paralysing me and sinking me deeper into a pit I could not climb out of.’

‘As contradictory as it might sound, I now think that the coronavirus ultimately saved my life.’

‘I had become a speed junkie, a digital immediacy addict.’

‘With every click of the shutter, every word I wrote, every memory I took out and dusted off, I felt like I was RE-ENCOUNTERING myself.’

‘Today, I wanted to say, to myself and to you, that you are allowed to make mistakes. To restart a path as often as you need.’

‘And if you feel lost, once you realize you’ve made a mistake, do not beat yourself up over it. Look inside yourself and search amongst the roots that have always sustained you.’

Remarks by Ester Oliveras, Ana de la Barrera and Manel Jiménez

In her remarks, Ester Oliveras, vice-rector for Social Commitment and Responsibility, congratulated the award winners. ‘It is always a pleasure to be at this ceremony, because we get to see all the talent up close.’ She continued, ‘The UPF Planetary Wellbeing initiative seeks to change how the university looks at the world, so it can take on all the challenges we face as a society. We need to make students think about how they can make a better world.’ In this regard, she noted that the various funding calls have seen proposals for ethical financing, marketing for NGOs, etc. ‘Participation increases every year, as does the quality of the projects.’

In her remarks, Ana de la Barrera i Bardalet, recipient of the 2020-2021 special bachelor’s degree award in Business Management and Administration, speaking on behalf of all the award recipients, expressed her thanks for the value placed on students’ effort and underscored the important work of the teaching and administrative and service staff. ‘The motivation we have had over the years is also the fruit of UPF. We did not just stand out academically’, she stressed. Noting that it was a privilege to be able to attend a celebratory event at such a delicate moment worldwide, de la Barrera ended her remarks with a call to action: ‘We must maintain an attitude of initiative; we must not be afraid to stop and rethink our path. Do everything possible to succeed.’

Anna de la Barrera i Bardalet during her remarks

In his closing remarks, Manel Jiménez, vice-rector for Educational Transformation, Culture and Communication at UPF (full transcript of the remarks (PDF)), stressed how happy he was ‘to re-encounter Xavi Menós today, after 19 years. It symbolizes the joy I feel now at seeing all of you.’ ‘I am speaking on behalf of UPF when I say that this is an incredibly intense moment, the culmination of the long journey of hard work and perseverance that you have had to make to get here’, he continued. The vice-rector noted that the university is, in particular, ‘a place of dreams and aspirations, a crossroads for people who want to learn and those who are learning to learn.’

Addressing the audience, he said, ‘You are not here because you reached certain milestones, but because you reached them in an extraordinary way.’ He then drew a parallel with being first or last in a queue: ‘You are first in the queue, but, in a way, you are also last. The last person in a queue can see everything in front of them. They have an unparalleled perspective; they think of ways to move forward. Because there are things blocking their view, they are the ones to find ingenious ways of seeing the overall plan.’ He concluded his remarks, noting that ‘the indelible mark you have left on our institution may be the start or end of your queue. In this first and last space, you will always be welcomed with full honours. Pursue your callings and look for new queues.’

Award recipients and honourees for the various awards and honours given at the event

Special bachelor’s degree awards for the 2019-2020 academic year

Amina Cortina Cortina, bachelor’s degree in Labour Relations
Alba Sánchez-Reyes Febrián, bachelor’s degree in Law
Paula Canongia Mejía, bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Public Prevention Policies
Ángel Delgado García, double bachelor’s degree in Law and Business Management and Administration or Economics
Laura Sellas Luque, bachelor’s degree in Business Sciences-Management
Tania Olivas Navarro, bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Administration
Alberto Navarro Gómez, bachelor’s degree in Economics
Paula Vilanova i Rubau, bachelor’s degree in International Business Economics
Juan Carrillo del Saz, bachelor’s degree in Translation and Interpreting
Miguel Vázquez Sanchis, bachelor’s degree in Applied Languages
Marc Gràcia Garcia, bachelor’s degree in Humanities
Marta Moral i Blanch, bachelor’s degree in Human Biology
Pau Benito Buch, bachelor’s degree in Medicine
Bernat Alcover Truyols, bachelor’s degree in Political and Administration Sciences
Jan Baserba i Peracaula, bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Sara Fernández Gómez, bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Systems Engineering
Víctor Vera Martínez, bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Network Engineering
Francisco Moreno Jiménez, bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering
Pau Pomés Arnau, bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering
Oriol Jové Font, bachelor’s degree in Journalism
Georgina Sirvent Subiranas, bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication
Laura Rodríguez Fernández, bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations
Mar Casas Cachinero, bachelor’s degree in Global Studies
Pau Alabau Pereiro, double bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Public Prevention Policies and Law

Special bachelor’s degree awards for the 2020-2021 academic year

Helena Monsó Chia, bachelor’s degree in Labour Relations
Josep Maria Tirapu Sanuy, bachelor’s degree in Law
Juan Estavillo Ibáñez, bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Public Prevention Policies
María García Aguilar, double bachelor’s degree in Law and Business Management Administration or Economics
Joan Moreno Rubio, bachelor’s degree in Business Sciences-Management
Anna de la Barrera i Bardalet, bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Administration
Miguel Benítez Humanes, bachelor’s degree in Economics
Alessandro Gardinetti Salazar, bachelor’s degree in International Business Economics
Marina Amargant Casals, bachelor’s degree in Translation and Interpreting
Mireia Romero Dorchin, bachelor’s degree in Applied Languages
Irene Baucells de la Peña, double bachelor’s degree in Translation and Applied Languages
Guillem Mestres Monforte, bachelor’s degree in Humanities
Laura Carrillo Bosch, bachelor’s degree in Human Biology
Gerard Munté Muñiz, bachelor’s degree in Medicine
Natàlia Puigtió Bernaus, bachelor’s degree in Political and Administration Sciences
Arnau Ballesteros Vilarasau, bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Júlia Solé Cubilo, bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Systems Engineering
Mario Vaz-Romero Sáez, bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Network Engineering
Ivan Daniel Rodríguez, bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering
June Monge Lorenzo, bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering
Javier Rando Ramírez, bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Engineering in Data Science
Bruno Fortea Miras, bachelor’s degree in Journalism
Paula González Cortacans, bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication
Clara Virós i Martín, bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations
Berta Fernández Gallego, bachelor’s degree in Global Studies

Recipients of the special doctoral awards for the 2020-2021 academic year

Special doctoral awards for the 2019-2020 academic year

PhD in Translation and Language Sciences

Blanca Arias Badia
Santiago González Fuente
Vanessa Palomo Berjaga       
Victoria Zaytseva Zaytseva

PhD in Biomedicine

Adrià Aterido Ballonga
Silvia Chafino Aixa
Marc de Manuel Montero
Leticia Galera Laporta
Hector Huerga Encabo
Rosa Martinez Corral
Rocío Ingrid Saravia Santos
Sergi Sayols Baixeras

PhD in Communication

Ana Fernández-Aballí Altamirano
Xavier Ramon Vegas
Miguel Barreda Ángeles
Ariadna Fernandez Planells
María José Masanet
Maria Socorro Vállez Letrado

Special doctoral awards for the 2020-2021 academic year

PhD in Political Science

Alessandro di Nallo
Pablo Baeza Centurion
Julia Domingo Espinós
Joan Frigola Rissech
Diego Garrido Martín
José Salvador Jiménez Luna

PhD in Biomedicine

Oriol Llorà Batlle
Lidia Mateo Ramos
María Gabriela Prado Peralta
Marc Talló Parra
Antonio Torres Méndez

PhD in Translation and Language Sciences

Camila Fabiola Cárdenas Neira
Jeremy Claude Barnes

PhD in Law

Marc Simón Altaba
Claudia Patricia Alvarado Bedoya

PhD in Communication

Laura Pérez Altabe
Ramon Francesc Martín Guart

ESCI-UPF Chair awards

2020-2021 ESCI-UPF MANGO Chair in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) award for the best bachelor’s degree final project in the field of CSR

Award for the best bachelor’s degree final project in the field of corporate social responsibility, with a purse of €1,000, to the project ‘Diagnosi de les finances ètiques a Espanya: anàlisi de l’oferta i la demanda’, by Jan Pol Tarruell Landauro (bachelor’s degree in Economics), supervised by Professor Oriol Amat i Salas.

Special mention to the project ‘The controversial side of CRM: Study on the effect of cause-related marketing on consumers’ perception of social causes’, by Laura Armayones CarranzaNatalia Martínez GámezElisa Pallaruelo Medina and Olivia Stoicev Stefoglom (bachelor’s degrees in Economics and in Business Management and Administration), supervised by Professor Gert Cornellissen.

ESCI-UPF UNESCO Chair awards to the best bachelor’s degree final project in the field of Planetary Wellbeing

First prize, with a purse of €1,000, for the project ‘A Food Loss Solution from a B2B Perspective for the Catalan Market’, by Laura Maria Carnerero RequenaSara Joana Carvajal López and Marina Moreno Marín (bachelor’s degree in International Business Economics). The bachelor’s degree final project was supervised by Professors Ainhoa Crespán Martínez and Carolina Luis.

Two second prizes, with purses of €500 each, were awarded to the projects ‘The role of economic growth on environmental impact: a study of its causes, consequences, and future action to take by developed countries’, by Mireia Carrera Vidal (bachelor’s degree in International Business Economics), supervised by Professors Carolina Luis and Lela Mélon, and ‘Petjada alternativa’, by Laura Polo Dalfó and Elisenda Rovira Poblet (bachelor’s degree in Journalism), supervised by Professor Mònica Terribas Sala.

Joint ESCI-UPF UNESCO Chair and UPF-BSM awards to the best master’s degree final projects in the field of Planetary Wellbeing

First prize, with a purse of €1,000, awarded to the project ‘Rethinking the European Union Legislative Discourse on Climate Change: Lessons to be learnt from the Dutch Urgenda Case’, by Josephine Derks (UPF master’s degree in European and Global Law). The master’s degree final project was supervised by Professor Lela Mélon.

Two second prizes, with purses of €500 each, were awarded to the projects ‘Effective communication to support attitudinal and associated behavioural change to decrease the transmission of malaria’, by Carla Maria Drury Salgado (BSM master’s degree in Scientific, Medical and Environmental Communication), supervised by Professor Luisa Barbosa Gómez, and ‘No sé nada de gaviotas. El documental’, by Ana Tejedor Ruiz (BSM master’s degree in Scientific, Medical and Environmental Communication), supervised by Professor Laura Carrau Pascual.

> Photo album of the event

Acte de reconeixement dels Premis Extraordinaris de Grau i Doctorat 2019-2020 i 2020-2021

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