An exciting graduation session took place this morning at the Aula Magna of the Department of Economics at the University of Messina. Reaching the milestone of Master’s degree in “Business consulting and management” was the student who arrived with the first university corridor opened by the Peloritan University which, through his CEntro for MIgration, Social Integration and Intercultural Communication (CE.MI), participates in the UNIversity COrridors fo REfugees (UNICORE) Project. The University cannot disclose his name and image to protect his safety since D., as we will call him, had already taken refuge in Ethiopia and has now obtained international protection in our country as well. The Degree Commission, chaired by Roberta Solomonthe student’s rapporteur, was composed of colleagues Rosa Albanesi, Carlo Migliardo, Ferdinando Ofria, Francesco Lanuzza, Giuseppe Saija and Raffaella Coppolino.
The group also joined for an initial intervention Vice-Rector for Intercultural Paths and Multilingualism, Maria Grazia Sindoniwho first of all thanked the Archdiocese of Messina together with the Migrantes Foundation, the Waldensian Diaconia, the Community of Sant’Egidio and AXUM “because theToday’s milestone demonstrates the value of collaboration to promote the academic and social inclusion of international students and encourages us to strengthen good practices for a commitment that pays back to the entire community.”.
The UNICORE project, of which he is the scientific director for the University Fabio Ruggiano, is supported by the network of local partners activated by the University of Messina, thanks to which the students “feel the University and the city of Messina as their home” – as the student said before starting the discussion of his thesis, moving his tutor family, guaranteed by the Archdiocese to the refugee students beneficiaries of the project, and all the other operators and friends present -. Al Dr. D. and to the many refugee and asylum-seeking students already enrolled at the University of Messina, best wishes for a bright future.