Qatar Foundation's Class of 2016 welcomed as 'vanguard of the future'

Celebrations were in order last night for 650 students who graduated from nine institutions in the Qatar Foundation 2016 Convocation.

The Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani joined QF chairperson Sheikha Moza bint Nasser to congratulate the students, in the event at the Qatar National Convention Center near Education City last night.

The keynote address to the Class of 2016 was delivered by QF chief executive and vice-chairperson Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani, who was also graduating with an Executive MBA from HEC Paris in Qatar.

She told the assembled graduates, family and friends:

“Your ambition and determination makes us truly believe that you are at the vanguard of the prosperous future we aspire to achieve.

“This is a very special moment in our lives, as we transition from the classroom to the workplace. After we graduate, we must not stop learning and seeking fulfilling experiences. We must continue to keep up with the latest knowledge in our chosen fields.”

Sheikha Moza presented each student with a graduation ring, accompanied by the Deans of their respective universities, QF said in a statement.

The new graduates then passed through a “door to the future”, symbolizing their journey from education into employment.

Graduating students walk through the ‘Door to the Future’ #QFConvocation pic.twitter.com/fpXJGBg0vD

— Qatar Foundation (@QF) May 3, 2016

Universities

The institutions which graduated students last night were:

Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU);
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q);
Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ);
Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q);
Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q);
HEC Paris in Qatar;
University College London in Qatar (UCL Qatar);
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (GU-Q); and
Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar).

This year’s batch of 650 students receiving Bachelors and Masters degrees was slightly down on the 672 who graduation in last year’s convocation.

The number of QF graduates has grown steadily since the first 122 students finished school in 2008.

Some 44 percent of the graduates were Qatari nationals. Students at Education City come from 43 countries, and around 60 percent of them are female, Gulf Times reported.

The students’ address was delivered by Shoaib Rashid, a blogger, entrepreneur and YouTube presenter. He told the graduates:

“It is your responsibility to contribute to society by reinvesting the extraordinary skills and talents which we are here to celebrate today.”

Three graduates also received the Q 2016 Excellence Award for their contribution to the campus, the local and international community as well as their outstanding academic performance.

They were Hissa Al Noaimi from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar; Sana Zeenal Britto from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar; and Vignesh Shanmugam from Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar.

Many took to social media last night to congratulate the new graduates and wish them well for their future, while other students expressed their thanks for their education.