From Venezuela to Cagliari for a new life, a student graduates with top honors.

A Venezuelan student originally from Maracay , a city he left in 2022 due to the economic, social and political crisis into which his country has sunk , graduated with 110 cum laude in Psychological Sciences and Techniques at the University of Cagliari.

Enrique Alejandro Meléndez Acevedo chose Sardinia to start a new life and this week he graduated with a bachelor's degree, defending a thesis entitled "Processes of Social Influence in the Construction of Identity: The Role of Social and Religious Norms" on the Sa Ducessa campus, before a committee chaired by supervisor Cristina Cabras.

The discussion was attended by his mother, Ana Acevedo, his brother, and relatives, who were connected from the United States and Venezuela. Also present in the room were staff from the University's Service for Inclusion and Learning (SIA), colleagues, and friends who have supported and accompanied the young man over the years.

"I chose this academic path with the desire to do something for people who are struggling, especially young people who can't find a path forward, to give them the tools to improve and find their own well-being," said the new graduate at the end of the ceremony.

"This is just the beginning of a journey of training, preparation, and personal growth. And I'm grateful to have completed it in Cagliari, where I found a family and felt at home."