Some 373 Education City students will walk through a symbolic door representing the future today during the Hamad bin Khalifa University Convocation of 2012.

The graduating class – up from 243 last year – is the largest in EC’s history and most evenly distributed, gender-wise, consisting of 188 women and 185 men.

It will include the first group of graduating students from Northwestern University in Qatar and their fellow graduates from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Georgetown University – School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) and HEC Paris in Qatar.

The ceremonies, which will take place at the Qatar National Convention Center instead of the Ceremonial Court this year, can be viewed live here.

How many of these students will enter the country’s workforce is another question.

Still, congratulations, graduates!

May the force be with you.