The 2025 edition coincided with the vote in Congress on Wednesday, which rejected the veto of the Financing Law and brought together 60 Rosario residents.
The ExpoCarreras is already a classic of the Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), which in the run-up to Student Day, deploys all its power to showcase its potential to those who will be its future: young people seeking university admission, and high school students exploring the various options available to begin their professional training. With more than 150 programs, this year the UNR hosted a revamped knowledge fair, with more talks, more spaces, and even a new faculty that will begin operations in 2026.
More than 34 young people attended the three-day program, where they were able to tour the stands of the now 13 faculties, as well as all the areas that facilitate a successful transition through the university system. As Rector Franco Bartolacci says, "UNR is much more than a university," and that's why, in addition to curriculum, it also offers scholarships, student residences, support programs for incoming students, health centers, areas for environmental care, academic development, and research.
“The heart of UNR beats with the strength of our students.”
Franco Bartolacci
This year, ExpoCarreras coincided with the federal march that took place last Wednesday in Rosario, which drew 60 people from San Martín Square to the Puerto Joven esplanade at 950 Belgrano Avenue, where the expo was held. That Wednesday, thousands of students, teachers, and non-teaching staff members from Rosario followed the debate and celebrated with hugs when the 174 affirmative votes of national deputies defeated the presidential veto of the University Financing Law.
The workshops continued on Thursday and Friday, with thousands of students taking vocational tests and attending talks about each program, learning in detail about the training paths, dates, and registration requirements. This year, they also discovered the new faculty, the Faculty of Human Movement and Care Sciences, which will offer the following programs next year: Physical Education Teaching, a Bachelor's Degree in Sports, a Bachelor's Degree in Comprehensive Care Systems, and a Technical Degree in Elderly Care.
“I want to welcome the young people. The heart of UNR beats with the strength of our students. We hope you can embrace those dreams at our university, and that you can write your history, and that it will be a shared history that improves the outlook of our country,” said Rector Franco Bartolacci at the opening of the Expo.
In first person
Sofía, 18, is a 5th-year student at the Nigelia Soria School: “I'm looking for guidance for the majors I had already considered, which are Social Communication and Anthropology. It's been very interesting because we're learning about the tools it can give us and a little bit about what the major is like. The girls who explained it to us are also students, and it's always good to have the voice of someone who's actually taking the major there, in person.” Camila, 17, from the same school, said she came to the Expo wanting to “expand my ideas a bit.” “I don't want to get stuck on just one thing, because, well, I know they can lead me to explore other options and get interested in other topics. The guidance they give you is quite comforting, the words they give us, it gives us the security we really need to have an idea of what the course and the major are about.” Along with them, Facundo, also 17, said he's interested in marketing and cultural management: "I also inquired about music at the Faculty of Humanities. I'm mainly looking into the curriculum."
Rosalía is 30 years old and blends in easily with the younger crowd. “I’m looking for a university degree. I like all of this because there are things I don’t know. I’m finishing my fifth year, so I have three months left; I’m going to an EEMPA (Educational Education Program). I want to study visual art, but I was also surprised by dentistry, and veterinary medicine too. Afterward, we participated in some games and surveys. I also learned about health, things I didn’t know, for example, that Chagas disease is transmitted from mother to child when she was pregnant.”
Alma, 16, from San Ramón School, walks with a friend, Maite; both are in their fourth year. “We just took the vocational test again. We got what we wanted,” they say, laughing. “Health Science, Medicine. I actually want to study Nutrition, but I'm still focusing a bit because I also like psychology,” says Alma, while her classmate adds: “I got a degree in Economics and Administration, all of that. Economics, a degree in Statistics, International Relations. I've already figured everything out, although I still have a year to decide.”
“I'm Dante Siveta. Dante, I'm 19 years old, and I attend the Granadero Technical School in San Lorenzo de Roldán. I've already been looking around with my classmates and decided on the Social Communications program. They already told me how to register, so I'm very happy,” he replied resolutely, while Joaquín, his classmate, added: “I want to study translation, and I'm also interested in the entire agricultural sector. It's great because there's a lot of information about it and many things to study.”
Delfina, 17, attends fifth grade at Nuestra Señora de Pompeya School. “I studied Psychology and I'm looking into other options; I'm undecided.” Luz, meanwhile, has already checked out the new Faculty of Movement Sciences. “They explained to me that there are three bachelor's degrees and one technical degree; I'm also interested in engineering. The one I like the most is Systems Engineering.” Donatella, 18, is determined to study medicine: “I came to look into medicine; I've already talked, but I don't know yet. I haven't decided which branch of medicine I'm going to study.”
Gervasio, 18, is a student at the Gurruchaga School: “I'm going to see a little bit of everything. I mainly want to study technology and maybe architecture, so the idea is to learn more about those courses.”
Tour
This year, inside the main hall, stands were set up with information about the 13 faculties, as well as spaces for taking vocational tests, learning about the Codo a Codo Program that supports new students, and a space for the UNR Store, with an exhibition with installations about the Night of the Pencils: "Multiplying Memory, 30 Reasons Not to Forget."
Outside, tents and gazebos, a space with refreshments and tables, and interactive activities for learning through play. "What other career would you have studied if you had to choose again?" was the question directed at those already looking gray from the Academics and Learning stand, leaving more than a few people with their eyes wide open, pausing for a moment from the usual whirlwind to imagine themselves in other shoes, on other adventures, in other ways of life.
Meanwhile, at the Health stand, many people lined up to have their blood pressure, weight, and height measured, and to learn first aid techniques taught by professionals from the 7 de Abril Health Center.
One of the most popular events each year is the Environment stand, where seedlings are given away for participating in interactive games to learn about biodiversity and recycling programs, interacting with furniture made from recycled plastic from UNR collection and eco-exchange points, and participating in composting workshops, which grow in number each year.
This year, one of the most innovative spaces was EnCruziChagas, where faculty and students from the School of Biochemistry took the opportunity to share an innovative research project that seeks to advance the production of new drugs and vaccines, as well as vector control. "The first thing is to show that at the University, at the UNR, at public universities, a lot of work is being done. And one of them is the study of Chagas, a very important disease in Latin America and Argentina. There are currently almost a million people in Argentina," explained two parasitology professors, who invited participants to play a game to learn how Chagas is transmitted and how to prevent it.
Journalist: Micaela Pereyra / Photographer: Camila Casero