VCUQatar holds commencement ceremony for ’17

VCUQatar held its 2017 Commencement Ceremony on Monday at the HBKU Student Centre at an event that brought together families, friends, faculty and staff to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduates.
HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, vice chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development was the keynote speaker at the ceremony.
“VCUQatar has established a homegrown ecosystem right here in Doha - an ecosystem that promotes, develops and rewards innovation in art and design. The success of this mission is embodied in each member of the Class of 2017,” said Sheikha Hind.
Dr Michael Rao, president of Virginia Commonwealth University told the students, “You offer fervent hope that the world can be whatever we imagine. I encourage you to think about how you can make the world more beautiful in ways big and small.”
The university conferred 50 Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in fashion design, graphic design, interior design, painting and printmaking, and art history, and four Master of Fine Arts degrees in design. The 16th commencement brings the number of VCUQatar alumni to 620.
Each year at commencement, special recognition is given to individuals whose careers and values have done much to enhance the quality of life of communities around the world. This year, VCUQatar presented the honorary doctor of humane letters to Dana Shell Smith, the US ambassador, ‘for her ongoing commitment and support to VCUQatar, and for her overall dedication to being an advocate for arts and humanities’.
VCUQatar dean Dr Akel I Kahera stated that ‘the hard work of the Class of 2017 has driven them to the finish line of their studies at VCUQatar, and will push them towards the commencement of their professional careers, and the path to an endless array of possibilities.
The Class of 2017 Valedictorian Alisha Rehan Saiyed, and Salutatorian Radheya A Visperas also spoke, thanking their families, fellow graduates, friends, faculty and staff.