Through the Roberto Rocca Scholarship Program, both high school and university students receive financial support to keep studying and developing in the paths they’ve chosen.

Hope. That’s the word Eduardo Alejandro Tejerina Villaruel uses to describe the Roberto Rocca Scholarships. He and his sister received this support in Tartagal, Salta, thanks to their hard work and strong academic performance. This October, Tecpetrol awarded 720 scholarships to students who need financial assistance to continue their studies.

“This is the third year in a row that I’ve received the scholarship, and the first time my sister has been awarded one. My family is really happy and grateful, so we’ve been celebrating a lot,” smiles Eduardo, adding that “Beyond the financial help, it feels like moral support. It shows that our effort is seen, that it matters, and that it gets recognized in one way or another.”

The Roberto Rocca Scholarship Program is supported by the Fundación Hermanos Agustín y Enrique Rocca and is sponsored by Tenaris, Ternium, Techint Engineering & Construction and Tecpetrol. The scholarships are awarded in the communities where these companies operate, with the goal of promoting equal opportunities and helping young people move forward.

In Catriel, Milenka Perez is in her second-to-last year of technical high school, and she shares proudly that this is her fourth scholarship. “It’s going to help me when I start university. I want to move to Neuquén City, so I’m saving the scholarship money for rent. I’m planning to study petroleum engineering at the National University of Comahué,” she says.

This year, 2,759 young people from 177 schools applied in Argentina, and 1,100 students from 146 schools in 14 communities, including Aguaragüe, Añelo, Comodoro Rivadavia, Ramallo and Zárate, received scholarships.

Tiziano David Di Turi Morales, from General Mosconi just outside Tartagal received the scholarship for the fourth year in a row. “For me, it means the effort really paid off. I honestly thought I wouldn’t get it this time, but I worked hard and made it. If I had to describe the Roberto Rocca Scholarships in one word, it would be inspiration. It’s proof that you can do it. When I finish school, I plan to keep studying… maybe engineering, law or medicine,” he says.

From Rincón de los Sauces, José Joaquín Piñones Berrios put the financial support to immediate use by getting a tool that’s essential for his programming-focused studies and for the future he wants to build. “I applied because I needed the money to buy a computer. When I finish high school, I want to study something related to programming or software design,” he shares.

In Catriel, Martina Belén Cisneros is in her fourth year of high school and received the scholarship for the third consecutive year. For her, this recognition “is a huge motivation when it comes to studying. Knowing I can apply again next year helps me do my homework with more enthusiasm. It really contributes to a better future because it opens more doors.”

This year, the program also awarded 144 Roberto Rocca University Scholarships in Argentina for engineering and applied science degrees at 19 institutions across Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Neuquén, San Juan, Santa Fe and Tucumán.

One of the recipients is Gerónimo Echeverría, who’s in his first year of Petroleum Engineering at the National University of Comahue in Neuquén. For him, receiving the scholarship was a turning point. “If I had to sum it up, I’d say this award is an objective. It boosted my motivation and it’s helping me move forward,” he says. It’s his first time receiving this support, and he feels it has truly reaffirmed his choice of career.