Faculty, parents and students celebrate ‘well-organized’ commencement

By CARAVAN STAFF
@Caravan_AUC

The American University in Cairo for the first time held school-based mid-year graduation ceremonies on January 28 and 29, and many who attended said they were surprised how well the events were organized and ended quickly.

The School of Global Affairs and Public Policy was the first to hold its commencement at Bassily Auditorium on January 28, as 70 undergraduates and 48 MA students received their degrees in a ceremony which lasted just over an hour.

President Francis Ricciardone kicked off the event by giving a short speech and asking people to hold their applause as he introduced GAPP’s honor students and faculty members. When the applause went unabated, Ricciardone said “listening skills” and everyone in the hall started laughing.

Global Affairs graduate Student Reem Shalaan gave the commencement speech and outlined the lessons she learned both as an undergraduate and later as a Master’s student, and in particular her father’s advice to invest in education.

“As the years quickly pass you by, you will find yourself constantly wondering where the minutes and hours have gone. And nothing is more unfortunate than knowing that there is much you could have done or learned, but did not,” she said.

“Seize every moment. Take that course you always wanted to but didn’t. Learn that language that has always seemed interesting for you, even if no one else cares for it,” she asserted.

She advised her fellow graduates to follow their own paths.

“Our lives are not supposed to be carbon copied.”

Shortly after the administration and faculty left the stage, all gathered outside Bassily Auditorium to take commemorative pictures.

The scene was repeated a few hours later when the School of Sciences and Engineering held its commencement ceremony; 146 undergraduate, 50 M.Sc., and 5 PhD students received their degrees.

Electronics and Communications Engineering M.Sc student Kawthar AbdulWahid Sharif Ali gave the commencement speech and began with an anecdote about how starry-eyed she was when she came to AUC from Sanaa, Yemen.

“The girl who stands here before you today, is certainly not the girl who came to AUC two years ago,” she said.

“AUC has opened up a whole vista that I could look through and learn extramurally within the campus. Meeting industry professionals through the Career Centre and taking on work-study positions has exposed me to the professional world, for instance.”

“Education goes way beyond qualification. Education is about being sensitive to the world around us, for our generation should be the torch bearers and agents of change for our countries,” she concluded.

On January 29, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences as well as the Graduate School of Education (GSE) held their commencement ceremonies.

One hundred and five undergraduate students and 38 Master’s of Arts students were awarded their degrees.

Addressing her peers and faculty, English and Comparative Literature undergraduate Hanan Rashwan stressed that timing is everything.

“The most important moments of your life can pass you by if you blink, if you hesitate, or if you allow a momentary setback to let you lose sight of the full picture…the full picture of your life,” she said.

She stressed that while time may appear to be infinite, what students choose to do with that time is the most important decision they will make.

“We have the ability, the possibility, and the responsibility to change our lives, other individuals’ lives, our country, and possibly…even the world,” she concluded. “The time is ours.”

It was an equally large affair when the School of Business held its commencement event, with 154 undergraduates and 19 graduates receiving their degrees.

Business undergraduate Mohamed Kandil focused his commencement speech on the decision-making acumen taught by his professors.

“We’ve been given the skills needed to create the most value in the difficult situations. As such, we’ve been taught to acknowledge that in almost all business decisions there is a trade-off. A classic one is the trade-off between price & quality,” he said.

He concluded by thanking his peers for the bonds, experiences and .the lessons.

“My final message to you is to always remember: Life goes on, so seize the moment and make the most of your decisions.”

Caravan reporter Mariam Sadek contributed to this report