Francisco González Varela will always remember Jacinto Benavente and the entrance of the Bourbons in Spain. Although literature and history are not his strong points, his knowledge of these subjects, in addition to those learned in science subjects, have helped him to win the National high school diplomaaward , an award that the Ministry of Education grants every year to the best student in Spain.

Born 17 years ago in El Ferrol (Galicia), Francisco González is currently studying at the technical school of Engineering of the University of Navarra, on the San Sebastián campus . This young man chose this degree program because of its "global character" and "the breadth of vision it gives you".

Before getting the award, Francisco took the local tests that ranked him among the top 25 students in Galicia. When he heard the news, he thought it was a joke and although he does not give the award "more importance than it has", he says that the news "is fantastic" and motivates him to continue his efforts.

This Galician does not consider himself a nerd, he simply "is eager to learn and does not like to be left with doubts about any subject". "I ask everything that arouses my curiosity," he says.

-What were the biggest difficulties you encountered?

When I was in COU I took the exam for the regional classification in Galicia, which consisted of a written test in mathematics, a foreign language test and another one in Spanish. Then, while I was studying the degree program at the technical school of Engineers at the University of Navarra I was called for the national test The subjects were less recent and I was not able to review anything. On this occasion, we did a text commentary, a test about Jacinto Benavente and another one about history that asked about the entrance of the Bourbons in Spain. I also took the exams corresponding to the science subjects of my choice.

-Were you satisfied with the tests you took?

The text commentary was difficult, it had been a while since I had done one; the History and Literature exams I did with what I remembered from the third year and in the end I came up with a more or less logical essay . The Physics and Chemistry test went well. It was a subject I knew.

-How did you find out that you had won?

At first I didn't believe it. I thought it was a joke, but then I realized that my mother was not lying. Besides, I left the exam very angry because the letters part was worth more than the science part. When I was asked how I had done, I answered that I did badly, although the science part was good.

-What do you have to do to be the best student in Spain?

This can be achieved by studying, but not too much. It is necessary to have order and not to remain with doubts. What you don't know, you ask. At home I would go over what I had learned in class until I had no more doubts.

-Now that you are in the degree program , what are the differences you find between studying at the Institute and at the University?

In the degree program you have to plan your studies. Before, I used to study according to what was coming out; but in the University the subject is accumulating, you have to organize yourself and be more constant.

-Why did you choose to study the degree program in Engineering?

With the subjects I had chosen, I had a world of possibilities open to me. And although I had taken the subjects of the scientific-health branch, I chose engineering. It was the one that appealed to me the most because it covers a very broad field and offers you greater mobility. A person who does engineering is very versatile. You can work in many different fields. Even if you specialize later, the degree program gives you a global base.

-How do you see yourself in 10 years?

It is difficult to say. I would love to work in research; for example to do my thesis at CEIT, Centro de programs of study and Technical Research of Gipuzkoa. I would like to do research and do something creative. For example, to carry out a cutting-edge project . I don't think about things in the long term either. Now I'm living a little bit on a day-to-day basis and I'm eager to learn.

-What are your hobbies?

The typical ones: playing sports, going for walks, music and books to escape from reality. I also like artistic drawing and playing the guitar.