Universidad Europea de Canarias's Opening Ceremony for the 2018/2019 Academic Year was attended by power-forward and captain of Real Madrid, Felipe Reyes. The player encouraged the over 350 students who attended to study, work as a team, and never give up on their goals and dreams. More specifically, he advised sports enthusiasts to “study the Sports degree, as it is providing increasingly more professional opportunities.”
Reyes made these statements in a conversation with the Director of Communication and Institutional Relations of Universidad Europea, José María Palomares, who spoke to the basketball player about values in sport, the figures who inspired his professional development, the great efforts he has had to overcome to become one of the most highly regarded athletes in the world of basketball, and about his educational qualms, which according to him will lead him to “finish [his] studies in Business Administration and Management when [he] leaves basketball, because it is a thorn in [his] side.”
The ceremony was presented by the rector of Universidad Europea de Canarias, Cristiana Oliveira, who reminded attendees that the institution has experienced great growth in terms of students, faculty and disciplines since its creation, with more than 800 students and 150 teachers at present. She reminded the audience that two new degrees will be launched this year –Nursing, and Sports Science–, as well as new master’s and graduate degrees linked to tourism, new technologies and innovation.
The event was closed by the mayor of La Orotava, Francisco Linares, who valued the effort that Universidad Europea de Canarias is making in the education sector, because it is, in his words, “a very competitive university that helps improve the educational offer of the Canary Islands.” He also stressed the importance of public and private society support for this project, “which [he] has seen multiplied tenfold since it was created.”