Pumpkin Party! International students took part in pumpkin races at Bialystok University of Technology

Over 100 students from the Erasmus+ programme and the International School of Engineering participated in the grand pumpkin-themed social event, the Pumpkin Party, at Bialystok University of Technology! On 29 October 2024, students from China, Turkey, Italy, Spain, France, Estonia, and Mauritius competed for prizes in a team race held in the Academic Sports Centre at the university. This sports festivity was organised by the University’s International Relations Offices.

The event included four challenges: Pass the Pumpkin (a team relay where pumpkins are passed on time), the Pumpkin Relay Race (a team race with a slalom course and pumpkins), the Octopus Race (where team members link arms to form an “octopus” while racing for pumpkins), and the Balloon Challenge (an individual activity where participants try to pop balloons tied to each other’s ankles). The students, who are pursuing education at Bialystok University of Technology through Erasmus+ and the International School of Engineering (ISE trains students from China in civil and environmental engineering at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences), competed for prizes sponsored by the university’s International Relations Offices.

– The aim of the event is to foster integration among international students, introduce them to the staff of the International Relations Offices, and connect them with members of the Erasmus Student Network, who will be involved in organising the event. Our last gathering of this kind was in 2022, and it was very popular. Students enjoy staying active, so we aim to combine sport with the activities we organise as part of our Welcome to Poland projects, – said Marta Orpik from the Department of International Projects Erasmus+ and NAWA at Bialystok University of Technology.

Through this unique event, the university fosters a welcoming atmosphere for international students, encouraging both physical activity and cultural exchange. Pumpkin Party participants also enjoyed dishes from Polish cuisine during a lunch that concluded the event.

– The university events are great, and the faculty rooms are really well-equipped. I also get to meet lots of new people, and everyone is very friendly, so I feel very comfortable here, – said Jorge from Spain, a computer science student at the Faculty of Computer Science at Bialystok University of Technology.

The pumpkin-themed activities provided a chance for the international community to get to know one another better and share experiences. Everyone appreciates access to the university’s modern facilities, experienced academic staff, and green campus. However, there are even more benefits to studying here.

– I really like Bialystok, the beautiful park and the wild nature. I learned Polish through group classes. Our lecturer taught us basic Polish phrases so that we could communicate within the international and Polish community, – said a student from Egypt who has been living in Poland for two years and studies at the Faculty of Management Engineering at Bialystok University of Technology.

Currently, 239 international students are gaining advanced technical knowledge at Bialystok University of Technology through the Erasmus+ programme. The university has signed 347 agreements with European countries and partner universities, offering students the chance to study abroad and earn a double diploma – from both the home and the foreign university. This is a valuable addition to any CV and beneficial for a future international engineering career.

The university consistently ranks among the top Polish higher education institutions in student mobility. As the largest technical university in northeastern Poland, it has collaborated with partner universities from eight European countries to establish the “Across European University for Cross-Border Knowledge Sharing.” This initiative was recognised in the 5th edition of the competition announced by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme, receiving funding of nearly 14.4 million euros. Thus, Bialystok University of Technology has joined the prestigious ranks of European universities as the only institution from its region.

The Pumpkin Party was held as part of the “Action-Integration 2.0” project coordinated and funded through NAWA’s Welcome to Poland Programme. The next edition of this event is scheduled for 2025.

We invite you to view the event photo gallery: