Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF) and H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of QF, during the graduatio
Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday graced the graduation ceremony of the 2017 batch of universities of the Education City, which celebrated the achievements of 765 students, at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC).
Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of QF, H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of QF and several other dignitaries also graced the ceremony.
Sheikha Moza announces launch of ‘Akhlaquna’ award
During the event, Sheikha Moza announced the launch of the award ‘Akhlaquna’ meaning ‘Our Morals,’ which will be awarded to youth who uphold great morals.
“Today, as you move towards your future with degrees from the best international universities, I would like to remind you that knowledge and morality are interlinked. Morals guide knowledge towards the good of humanity; they are intertwined. No civilization has flourished without the pillars of knowledge and morality,” she said addressing the graduates.
“In order to enhance these morals and instill them in our young people, we have decided to launch an award named ‘Akhlaquna’, which will be given to those young people who exemplify great moral character,” she added.
The celebration was held in honour of students graduating from Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), QF’s partner universities and graduate colleges in computer science, design, Islamic studies, engineering, international relations and medicine.
Among them, 150 graduated from homegrown research institute HBKU, 137 from HEC Paris, 124 from Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ), 47 from Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), 57 from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar), 45 from the Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar (WCM-Q), 109 from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), 62 from the Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) and 34 from UCL-Qatar.
This year marked the tenth annual QF convocation and it was the largest ever group to graduate from QF since its establishment in 1995.
The students received rings from deans of the respective campuses and colleges before they did the traditional walk through the ‘Door to the Future,’ symbolising their passage from QF partner universities to the next stage of their lives. Throughout the years, this door has witnessed the passage of thousands of QF graduates who now hold notable positions in different sectors, and play crucial roles in organisations in Qatar and across the region.
The convocation ceremony also featured a short film, which featured experiences and achievements of the 2017 graduates. Yasmine Mostafa delivered this year’s keynote speech, under Convocation’s theme of ‘Breaking New Ground’. She highlighted about her innovative project in which she harnessed the power of rice straw in Egypt and it provides a comprehensive solution for water pollution, air pollution and energy production.
