The graduation of this year’s Class of 2018 is the culmination of a journey of academic excellence. As we bid the graduates farewell, we celebrate their time at HBKU with these messages, reflecting on their dedication and enthusiasm as former students, and on their aspirations and goals as HBKU alumni. Congratulations to the Class of 2018 on their well-deserved success.
Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s Class of 2018 stood proud as they celebrated their success in many ways. For many, graduation day was a culmination of inspirational stories of overcoming borders, hardship, and restrictions, all in the very noble pursuit of attaining a quality education.
“As an international student studying Islamic finance, I always had the notion that my academic aspirations would not be fully realized without a solid understanding of Arabic. Therefore, I took it as a challenge upon myself to engage with my Arabic-speaking colleagues, with the hope of building on my language skills. Making a conscious effort and decision made a world of difference to my studies. When I arrived to HBKU, I had the misconception that all academic interactions would necessitate firm knowledge of the country’s official language.
“When I moved here from Turkey, I immediately noticed the similarity in culture as it is naturally close to ours and due to the countries’ religious and geographic affinity. The atmosphere at HBKU, Education City and Qatar Foundation is structured perfectly for living and studying – we have everything we need and more, including sports facilities, social interaction, study areas, libraries, and innumerable opportunities for friendships on campus. Here, I have enjoyed meals from so many cuisines and met people from so many countries – an experience I cherish every single day.
“I overcame the border of a permanent physical disability – I have been blind since birth. Education has always been very important to me to change myself and my surroundings for the better and raise society’s awareness of the fact that there is an ability within every disability. Education is a very special leveler. It helped me become a better person and it will help me serve my country, just as it helped me go beyond my disability and enter the world just as able and as capable as any other graduate today.”
“One of the greatest challenges we face today as a nation is the ability to represent ourselves and to defend the principles we hold near and dear to the fullest, given the limited number of human capital we have. Our distinguished professors and the international exposure we received through HBKU helped us to overcome this challenge by developing the advocacy skills necessary to represent ourselves as a nation and as individuals, and despite human capital limitations.”
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