Augusto Estefan and Valentina Castellanos are two recent graduates of Ánima who received 75% scholarships to pursue short-term degree programs at Universidad ORT Uruguay March 2019. In the following interviews, they discuss the application process, why they chose their respective programs, and how they have been able to apply the skills they learned in college to their jobs.
Valentina Castellanos, 21, recalls with great enthusiasm the day she received a call from Ánima informing her that she had won a 75% scholarship to study at ORT. A few months later, in March 2019, she was starting college for the first time to study Foreign Trade Analyst at ORT’s School of Management and Social Sciences.
How did your interest in international trade begin? What were your first steps in the field?
When I was finishing high school, my plan was to study economics, since it’s a field I love. I wasn’t interested in foreign trade at all, until I found out I could apply for a scholarship at Ánima, and for that I had to choose from several short-term programs offered by ORT. Among them were several related to computer science and marketing—fields that don’t appeal to me at all and in which I don’t do very well... But there was also the Foreign Trade Analyst program, which, after doing a little research on the subject, really grabbed my attention and made me want to pursue it if I happened to win the scholarship.
My first steps into the field were at Ánima. Around February 2018, for those of us who were interested and didn’t have to study for exams, the training company Schandy offered a course called “Introduction to Logistics,” in which they explained the port’s operations in broad terms, what containers were like, storage in warehouses, and so on. It was a very good experience and provided valuable knowledge.
Where are you working, and what are your responsibilities? What key skills have you gained from your degree that you’ve been able to apply in your job?
I currently work as an administrative assistant in the Purchasing Department at the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay (LATU). My duties primarily involve all aspects of purchasing, including processing internal requests from various departments, receiving invoices, occasionally receiving goods, and managing contracts with suppliers, among other tasks. My department also includes the “foreign trade team” (as we call it there), where I also lend a hand as much as I can—for example, by requesting quotes from foreign suppliers, arranging air waybills, and applying for insurance policies, among other tasks.
For me, the most important tool I’ve adopted is attention to detail—doing things carefully and methodically, especially when it comes to something as valuable to a large organization like LATU, which has that conduct analyses for the entire country, for example.
How did you hear about the ORT scholarship program?
ORT offered two scholarships for vocational programs and one for a college degree to students who graduated from Ánima in 2018. The scholarship for a college degree covered 100% of the costs, and only students who had graduated with a GPA of 9.0 or higher were eligible to apply. They had to take a test, and the student with the highest score received the scholarship.
My GPA wasn't high enough, but I was eligible for the 75% scholarship for short-term programs. It was awarded by lottery, and all 12th-grade students were eligible to apply.
"The education ORT provides is unmatched; it's very accessible, and the staff there are wonderful."
What was the scholarship application process like, and how did you find it?
I found out about the scholarship when one of the coordinators asked me if I wanted to apply for a short course at ORT. She gave me several options, and I chose the Foreign Trade Analyst program. I signed up and participated in the lottery, which had a total of ten students. To be honest, at the time I wasn’t very excited about winning the scholarship, because that meant going to another university, without my classmates, and joining new study groups.
What do you remember about the moment you found out you’d won the scholarship?
On the day of the drawing, I didn’t go to Ánima because classes had already ended and I didn’t have any exams to take. I was lying in bed when I got a call; I answered, and it was the coordinator, who told me I’d won the scholarship to study at ORT. I thanked her for the news and hung up. At that moment, I was overjoyed, since I was going to be part of such a prestigious institution as the university. I ran downstairs to tell my boyfriend’s grandmother, who was at home; she hugged me and was so happy for me.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about applying to the ORT scholarship program?
Go for it. If you have the chance to apply for a scholarship to study the major you’re truly interested in, do it. No matter what percentage of the tuition the scholarship covers, it’s really worth it. The education ORT provides is unmatched, and the accessibility and the people who work there are great.
Augusto Estefan, meanwhile, is 21 years old and is studying IT Infrastructure Analyst at ORT’s School of Engineering. He enrolled in college in March 2019 thanks to a 75% scholarship awarded by Ánima, the institution where he completed high school.
How did your interest in computer science begin? What were your first steps into the field?
My interest in computer science began when I was a child, but it was more of a hobby than a career I wanted to pursue. When I enrolled at Ánima, I had my first real exposure to the field, since from the very beginning we interacted with companies through various workshops, which led me to take it more seriously.
You’ve been working at Pyxis since before you joined ORT. What key skills have you gained from your degree that you’ve been able to apply at work?
Yes, I’ve been with Pyxis since 2017, when the dual training program began. In 2019, I joined the staff and the Infrastructure team. The most important thing the program has given me is that the technical content has kept pace with my progress at Pyxis. It also helped me a lot that, in most courses, the instructors teach us not only technical skills but also how to build relationships with clients.
What was the scholarship application process like, and how did you find it?
I heard about the scholarship and applied for it through Ánima. I went through the process with a mix of anxiety and excitement.
"An ORT degree is highly regarded in the professional world and opens many doors."
What do you remember about the moment you found out you’d won the scholarship?
Since several of my colleagues at Pyxis had studied to become IT Infrastructure Analysts, I was really excited about this opportunity. When I found out I had been selected, I was thrilled, because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to pursue this career path.
What was your experience like this semester with online classes? How did you adjust? What aspects of that format would you highlight?
At first, I had a hard time adjusting to online classes, but then I got used to it and actually ended up liking that format better. What I’d highlight is that ORT made sure we had all the tools we needed to access the online classes, and that the teachers were able to adapt to this new reality.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about applying to the ORT scholarship program?
I would tell you not to hesitate to apply, as this is a great opportunity. An ORT degree is highly regarded in the professional world and opens many doors.