A total of 874 Education City graduates –from Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Hamad Bin Khalifa University as well as QF partner universities- celebrated the culmination of years of dedication to knowledge, discovery, and learning in the presence of QF Chairperson Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser at the 2023 convocation ceremony Wednesday.
The event at the Qatar National Convention Centre was also attended by QF Vice Chairperson and CEO HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, several ministers, diplomats, universities presidents, deans, faculty and the families of graduates.
The convocation ceremony celebrated students of 77 nationalities – including 313 Qataris – who graduated this year as they walked through the Door to the Future, a traditional convocation moment symbolising the start of the next stage in their journey.
HH Sheikha Moza honoured 16 graduates from across Education City who won Al Ihsan awards, recognising their efforts in achieving academic excellence and demonstrating the leadership, innovation, and creativity that allows them to contribute to the world and empower others. HE Sheikha Hind presented each graduate of the Class of 2023 with a special Education City-inspired, Qatar-designed piece of jewellry as a convocation gift.
HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Buthaina bint Ali al-Jabr al-Nuaimi, who attended the convocation ceremony, said: “I congratulate the latest graduates of Qatar Foundation’s ecosystem of education at this very special time in their lives, as they prepare to enter the next stage of their journey.
“For so many of these graduates, the next step on their path will see them make valuable contributions to the development of Qatar as they bring their talent into our nation’s workforce. Wherever their life will now take them, I wish every single one of them every success for the future.”
The keynote speech at the ceremony was given by Prof Taha Abdurrahman, a visiting professor at several Moroccan universities and president of the Wisdom Forum for Thinkers and Researchers, who described to the Class of 2023 some of the ethics they should demonstrate in making the transition from education to their careers.
“The biggest challenge that faces these graduates does not lie exclusively in the transition from studying and training to work, but in the ascension to creativity at work – which happens thanks to what I call ‘entrustment ethics’,” he said.
“These ethics are distinguished by two types of moral values. The first type is horizontal values that are limited by the material prospects of the outside world; and the second type is vertical values that go beyond these material prospects.
“And since it is inevitable that a graduate who is seeking work will go through the hiring process, there will be, according to entrustment ethics, three horizontal values of this process – choice, responsibility, and utility – and three vertical values, which are goodness, trustworthiness, and wisdom.
“This means it is imperative for the graduate to strive to connect these horizontal and vertical values, to be able to ascend to creativity in their work.”
The ceremony also featured a performance by the spoken-word poet, Amjad AlNoor, who advocates for preserving the Arabic language through fun, rap-style poetry. The performance involved dialogue between two versions of Amjad and himself, on screen and on stage, where he interpreted QF students’ journey, values, and passion for giving back to their community.
Abrar Zuhair al-Taweel, a graduate from the Audiovisual Translation Programme in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences , HBKU spoke about her happiness to be graduating and her dream to pursue a PhD in accessibility.
“Since the moment I stepped into Education City, I realised how different the education is. The teaching methods were research and experience-oriented, rather than just being an academic programme where you take notes from lectures. It was very hands on, project-based experience that prepared us to actually join the field, through taking part in accessibility audits, movies translation and subtitling, which all prepared us better for the actual work environment,” she said.
“Also, my studies at HBKU and participating in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022’s opening and closing ceremonies as a commentator for the visually impaired audience made me more aware of our social responsibility towards everyone around us. Now I’m planning to pursue a PhD to continue to build on my study in serving the community.”
The Class of 2023 joins a network of more than 8,000 QF alumni who have learned and grown within QF’s unique ecosystem, which has provided them with world-class education in fields ranging from medicine, engineering, art and design, communication, and international affairs, to Islamic studies, law and public policy, computing, humanities and social sciences, and business.
