Graduate School Welcomes the Student Community of the Class of 2024

• Educational center opened its doors to welcome 29 individuals from 14 countries

February 28, 2024. Throughout this week, the Graduate School of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) welcomed the student community of the Class of 2024 with a series of orientation and academic year initiation activities.

In an emotional start to the week, the school opened its doors with enthusiasm to welcome the 29 students. From February 18 to 25, the campus was filled with diversity and expectations as the student community arrived with dreams and aspirations.

This year, the students who become protagonists of this new academic cycle came from Belize, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Paraguay, Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, and Panama.

Orientation and academic year initiation activities were carefully designed to ensure a smooth and enriching transition for the new members of the CATIE family. Spaces were created to introduce the administrative and academic team of the school, aiming not only to promote academic excellence but also a sense of community and collaboration among the student community.

Mariela Leandro, dean of the Graduate School, gave a warm welcome and indicated that this new academic cycle would be full of learning, discoveries, exciting challenges, and significant achievements.

“Yo como graduada de esta escuela les pido que saquen el mejor provecho de esta experiencia, que la vivan, que traten de conocer cada uno de los aspectos fuertes de CATIE, dando lo mejor para que ese sello CATIE       quede para siempre con ustedes”, dijo.

Lorena Hoyos Cazulu, a marine biologist from Colombia, is one of the new incoming students and felt very happy to pursue her master's in Tropical Forest Management and Conservation of Biodiversity.

"I feel that being here at CATIE is a great learning opportunity in many ways. It is a unique opportunity in this moment of my life as I come accompanied by my family, my daughter Dalia, and my husband Juan Pablo Rodríguez, who is also a graduate of the same master's program here at CATIE. It will be a moment of many challenges, but I believe it is also the best space for our daughter to grow," she mentioned.

The excited faces and palpable energy on campus reflect the beginning of a new stage in the lives of these young individuals. The Class of 2024 promises not only to excel in their respective fields of study but also to leave a positive mark on the CATIE community.

As part of the welcome activities, they also received training on migration issues, accommodation during their time at the institution, the creation of their internal email accounts, safety regulations, among others.

The official start of classes will be next Friday, March 8.

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