A Pact of Trust: Pollenzo Celebrates the Supporters of Scholarships
Businesses, foundations, students, and faculty come together to honor the right to education as a common good and an investment in the future.
In the 2024–25 academic year, there are 71 scholarship recipients from 23 countries.
On Wednesday, June 25, the Aula Magna of the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo hosted the Ceremony in Honor of the Supporters of UNISG Scholarships. A moment of recognition and gratitude towards those who, through their concrete commitment, make it possible for young people from around the world to access education.
Since 2004, the University has promoted the right to study not as an abstract concept, but as a strategic and value-based choice.
Over the past 21 years, 464 students have been able to begin their journey in Pollenzo thanks to a scholarship: voices, stories, and trajectories that today fuel professional communities, entrepreneurial projects, institutions, and social initiatives across the globe.
The ceremony saw the participation of the key players in this educational alliance: institutional and corporate supporters, students and alumni, and representatives of the university. Each brought a unique but converging perspective on the profound significance of supporting education as a form of collective regeneration.
Rector Nicola Perullo opened the event with a reflection on the educational value of diversity and the shared responsibility in building an open, critical, and supportive body of knowledge.
Daniele Ceratto, from UNISG External Relations, presented numbers and data regarding the university’s commitment in this field over the years.
In 21 years of activity, 464 students – around 11% of the student body – from 67 different countries have benefited from scholarships.
Over these 21 years, €14 million have been allocated to supporting the right to study, with contributions from companies, foundations, institutions, and individuals – over 88 supporters in total.
In the 2024–25 academic year, the 71 scholarship students – enrolled in Undergraduate, Master’s, and Master’s programs – come from 23 countries: Brazil, Chile, South Korea, Cuba, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Israel, Italy, Lesotho, Mexico, Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uganda.
Of these 71 scholarships, 40 are partial exemptions and 31 are full tuition waivers.
The speech by Entoni Rasku, UNISG alumnus and now Sales Manager Industry at FrieslandCampina, made tangible the journey a scholarship can initiate. With clarity and passion, he shared how his experience in Pollenzo shaped his professional and personal vision, grounding a work ethic in daily practice that is based on quality, inclusion, and positive impact.
Next, representatives from the business and cooperative world – including Sammontana, Frantoio Muraglia, Altromercato, and Banca di Cherasco – emphasized the strategic importance of investing in gastronomic education as a lever for a fairer, more conscious, and sustainable economy.
The voices of the scholarship students, including Zeynep Kartal and Astrid Maria Fernandez Giron, conveyed the transformative power of this support, testifying to how a scholarship can open up opportunities, build bridges between distant worlds, and foster commitment.
Closing the event were Alice Tondella, Member of the UNISG Board of Directors, and UNISG President Carlo Petrini, who reaffirmed the idea of the university as a common good: “Supporting the right to study is not charity. It is the greatest act of social foresight we can make.”