Doha: Consort of H H the Amir, H H Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, patronised the 2021 graduation ceremony of Qatar University’s 44th batch of outstanding female students of Bachelor’s degree and postgraduate studies at the QU Sports and Events Complex yesterday.
A number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs, members of QU’s Board of Trustees, QU Vice-Presidents and students' parents attended the ceremony. Her Highness honoured the 421 outstanding female graduates out of the total number of 2,818 female graduates in various disciplines.
During the ceremony, a documentary film was shown about QU’s achievements during the academic year 2020-2021 in various fields. The ceremony also included a speech by President of QU Dr. Hassan bin Rashid Al Derham and another speech delivered on behalf of the graduates by Mozah Ahmed Al Obaidan, a graduate student.
The graduation ceremony for the outstanding graduates of Bachelor’s degree and postgraduate studies (class of 2021) of Qatar University’s students was held amid precautionary and preventive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.
In his speech on this occasion, President of QU Dr. Hassan Al Derham said, “Today we celebrate the 44th batch of Qatar University graduates, which is represented by a new cohort of 2,819 female graduates joining those who preceded them from the university graduates whose number exceeds 39,000 since the university’s founding.
“Those successive cohorts of university graduates have contributed a great deal, to what our beloved country Qatar, is witnessing from a comprehensive renaissance in the social, cultural, economic and other aspects of various fields. Today, we see the university professor in her lecture hall, the researcher in her lab, the teacher in her school, the doctor in her clinic, the engineer in her workplace and the banker in her bank, without forgetting her role as a woman, a mother that nurtures generations.”
Addressing Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, Dr. Hassan Al Derham said, “Qatar University has made many achievements. According to the QS ranking (Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking 2022), the University ranked 224 globally. The University also occupied second place in the Arab world according to the Times Higher Education rankings. This great achievement would not have been possible without the grace of Allah (SWT) and had it not been for the guidance and diligent follow-up of the University’s Board of Regents and the continued support of the government.
“In the context of distinction and excellence, many colleges and programs at Qatar University have received academic accreditation from the most prestigious international bodies, which clearly confirms what the University offers in terms of science and knowledge, which is no less than that offered in the world’s finest international universities.”
Speaking to the Class of 2021 graduates, Dr. Hassan Al Derham said, “My daughters, Qatar University is not just a passing stage in your journey that ends with the completion of your studies and your graduation. In fact, the University is your starting point and reference to which the graduate returns. The University, with its professors and all its sectors, spares no effort in serving you, in order to gain more knowledge. The pursuit of knowledge is a path we take and a goal we seek to reach.”
On behalf of the outstanding graduates, graduate Moza Al-Obaidan presented a speech, welcoming students and praising the university for what it has offered to generations of students. “On behalf of myself and the graduates of the Class of 2021, allow me to describe to you our position here and our feelings today. We stand here today, carrying in our minds the answers, in our hearts certainty and in our hands is the trust. Among us is the teacher who builds generations, the doctor who saves souls, the engineer who innovates for the human being, the accountant, the lawyer, the pharmacist, the researcher, the writer — and there is no shortcoming in those who are not mentioned.”