Qatar Foundation Honours 786 New Graduates at 2019 Convocation Ceremony
The Amir of Qatar, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), joined the annual Convocation Ceremony of Qatar Foundation, honouring the academic achievements of 786 new graduates from QF universities.
Other government officials also attended the convocation at the Education City Ceremonial Court, alongside ministers and dignitaries, university deans, faculty, and family members.
The Class of 2019 now join QF's growing global alumni network – which already has more than 5,000 members – having graduated from various fields including medicine, engineering, art and design, computer science, law, communication, and Islamic studies. The Convocation Ceremony was an opportunity for graduates from QF's nine universities to collectively look back on their time and accomplishments at Education City – and look to the future.
HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation said that for the Class of 2019 graduates, the convocation ceremony serves as a personal and shared celebration, a source of pride, and a time to reflect on achievements and experiences at Education City. It is a culmination – but also a beginning.
During Convocation, the talented, dedicated, and ambitious young people that Qatar Foundation is proud to have called our students step out of one phase of their lives and into the next. A future that holds challenges and possibilities awaits them, but wherever their path leads, they will travel it empowered by the knowledge that they are as well-equipped to create, innovate, contribute, and thrive as any graduate in the world.
Every member of our Class of 2019 has recognised and maximised the unique educational opportunity that Qatar Foundation provides. Their academic excellence has been matched by their growth as knowledge-seekers, critical thinkers, and active citizens who are determined to be drivers of positive change. As embodiments of QF belief in what quality education stands for, and what it makes possible, they will always be part of our story – and we will watch with pride as they write their own.'
The proceedings began with students from Qatar Leadership Academy performing the Qatar national anthem. This was followed by the City of Knowledge, the alma mater song of Qatar Foundation, sung by graduates every year during Convocation.
Keynote speaker Brandon Stanton
The 2019 Convocation keynote speaker was Brandon Stanton, author of 'Humans of New York' – a photo blog and book that chronicles the lives of people in the New York City. In his speech, he urged the new graduates to concentrate on things that they alone have the power to influence and command.
The modern world has trained us to judge all our efforts by the immediate feedback they get, but the more sustainable and more sturdy path to success is to forget about those things outside your control, and focus on things that you can control – the amount of work that you put in, and what you do on a 24-hour basis with your time.'
Following the keynote address, Mobsron project was announced as winner of Cycle 2 of the QF Akhlaquna Award – an initiative that aims to help nurture positive behavioral change in society. Created by students Nawal Al Kurbi, Almazun Al Marri and Amal Al-Gherainig, Mobsron is a mobile app that helps blind and visually impaired people to order food, review ingredients and compare prices.
A film featuring testimonies from Class of 2019 students was also screened at the conclusion of the ceremony, as each graduate passed through the 'Door to the Future', a long-standing tradition that symbolises students entering a new stage in their lives.
The QF Convocation Ceremony collectively celebrate the graduation of students from Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Northwestern University in Qatar, VCUarts Qatar, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Georgetown University in Qatar, UCL Qatar, and HEC Paris in Qatar.
For more information about Qatar Foundation, visit qf.org.qa.
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