The event took place in an atmosphere of great warmth and camaraderie, Second Alumni Reunion at Universidad ORT Uruguay Santiago, Chile.
The first meeting had taken place in December 2024, also in Santiago, with the participation of the dean of the Institute of Education, Dr. Denise Vaillant.
This second event was organized as part of the visit by Sabrina Bianchi, director of the Central Alumni Service, and brought together graduates from various classes and degree programs, including Architecture, Engineering, Business Administration, and Economics.
Some of them emigrated to Chile in search of new job opportunities, while others did so for personal reasons.
Today, they are all successfully pursuing their careers and have started families in Santiago, establishing themselves in a new country while maintaining their connection to the university.
ORT Alumni Community
Universidad ORT Uruguay known for the strong ties it maintains with its graduates, including those who are pursuing their careers abroad.
As part of that commitment, it organizes meetings with alumni who live and work abroad, with the aim of strengthening the relationship between the university and its global community.
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Receiving the invitation from ORT was a great joy for the graduates, as it gave them the opportunity to reconnect with fellow countrymen, college classmates, and academic leaders, thereby strengthening the bonds they had formed during their college years.
Career Paths of ORT Graduates
During the event, participants shared personal stories that reflect the diversity of the graduates' career paths.
Among them, the experiences of Florencia Prego, who holds a degree in Management and Administration and is currently Head of Omni Merchandising at H&M, and those of Jimena Kercher, a Certified Public Accountant and Finance Analyst at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, stood out.
Both participated in international academic exchanges thanks to the ELAP (Emerging Leaders in the Americas programme) scholarship, funded by the Government of Canada.
For his part, Federico Burgos, a graduate of the Bachelor’s program in Systems, reflected on his years of study at ORT—even before the institution became a university—and shared his professional journey in management roles.
Agustín Farkas, a telecommunications engineer, explained that after completing his degree at ORT, he earned an MBA from Adolfo Ibáñez University in Chile.
Thanks to his education, he has built a career with significant managerial responsibilities, which requires him to travel frequently to Uruguay.
Overseas support network
The alumni expressed their enthusiasm for working with future generations of graduates interested in moving to Chile, offering them support and guidance as they settle in and seek opportunities in the country.
The gathering also featured some emotional moments, reflecting the bonds that continue to unite the ORT community.
One example of this is the reunion between Florencia Prego and Bernadette Castaibert—a graduate in Business Management who is currently a Key Account Manager for the Marketplace at Walmart—who met again years later in Santiago, Chile, both having started families by then.
Both reminisced about their college days and celebrated the bond that still ties them to ORT.
Stories of Life and Growth
One of the graduates in attendance, architect Sebastián Westerfeld, shared that he got married during the pandemic after moving abroad, and that he recently became a father. He currently works as an architect at TRUPANEL.
Jimena Kercher, the most recent graduate, is continuing her professional development, and during the meeting she shared recommendations for continuing education courses designed to strengthen key skills in the workplace.
For his part, Félix Ghandour, a web developer, shared his experience of broadening his horizons through his startup. He currently runs his marketing agency, AGMarketing, which operates in both Chile and Uruguay.
The event provided an opportunity to reflect on the challenges of emigrating, cultural differences, and the impact that their education at ORT had on their personal and professional journeys.