Let's say hello to...
Empowering Students to Belong
Hello! I’m Luis, the Student Engagement Coordinator for Communities. I’m originally from Braga in Portugal, but life has a funny way of moving you across the map.
My first visit to Edinburgh was in 2021, after a friend and I just thought, “Why don’t we go?”. I completely fell in love with Scotland and not long after that I met my partner in Czech Republic… who just happens to be from Edinburgh. So here I am.
I studied Mechanical Engineering in Portugal and later did part of my Master’s in Belgium through the Erasmus programme. During my time abroad in Ghent, I saw how students supported each other, organised activities, shared their cultures. That experience opened my eyes and made me realise that what I really loved was connecting people. I started volunteering, facilitating training sessions, and getting involved in projects, until eventually I turned that passion into a career.
Before joining the Union, I lived in Ireland and worked to support international students coming over. It was incredibly rewarding because I got to help people settle into a new place while also discovering a lot about myself along the way.
Although I’ve only been at HWUnion for a short time, I am excited to be creating opportunities for students to connect with others, discover themselves and develop skills that will support them academically, professionally, and personally. Daily that means designing projects, analysing data, and driving engagement. I love being part of a campus like this one, where you can step outside and see the loch, the trees, students training for rugby, it reminds you that university life is about much more than lectures!
The Union value that resonates most with me is Empowering, because when I was a student, I was getting involved in student-led initiatives that helped me find my place. Now I want to give others that same opportunity and encourage them not just to participate but to lead.
Outside of work I love sports (vamos Benfica!), spending time outdoors, diving into the sea even when it’s freezing. Analog photography is another passion of mine because it captures a perfect moment in time, just like travelling will always be important to me. Speaking of travelling, here’s a fun fact… my favourite band once signed my forehead before I caught a flight to Barcelona. Let’s just say it made for a very memorable airport experience.
Ways to get in touch with me...