World Teachers' Day | To each one, thank you

On 5 October, the date on which the teaching profession is internationally celebrated, Universidade Católica Portuguesa honours the ones who make the students' journey special. 

Having only been teaching for 12 years, Tito Rendas, professor and Executive Director of Católica Global School of Law, believes that his profession means ‘teaching students how to think, not what to think.’

Alberto Castro, who has been teaching at Católica for 34 years, defines his chosen profession as ‘ higher magisterium. Master and conductor. A profession that is professed. Prophet. Tradition and contradiction. Sowing, cultivating and harvesting.’

Representing the Braga Regional Centre, Filomena Ponte, a professor for almost five decades, says: ‘For me, being a professor means promoting student success and fostering change and personal and social development in lifelong learning.

Tiago Marques, a lecturer for 17 years at UCP's Viseu Campus, sees this career with the same dedication: ‘Being a teacher means guaranteeing the future of medical education, it is the pillar that sustains progress in health, and it is his mission to shape those who will be on the front line of human care, and it is essential not only to transmit technical knowledge, but also to instil values such as ethics, compassion and resilience.’

Returning to the headquarters in Lisbon, Filipa Ribeiro, a lecturer at the Faculty of Nursing Health Sciences, shares the testimony of someone who has been teaching for 30 years. ‘For me, being a professor means accompanying others in the construction of their vision of the world.’

From different areas and cities, they have in common the unique dedication that distinguishes Católica. To each one, thank you.