WCMC-Q Graduates Celebrated At Convocation Ceremony

May 2009

Through warm, May breezes and soft blue and red lighting, about 2400 guests filed into Education City’s open-air ceremonial court. Gigantic, ocean-blue projection screens and Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture, played expertly by the Doha philharmonic, lent the venue an air of wonder. It was a night of celebration and reflection on the achievements of 200 students, the second set of graduates in the history of Education City.

The ceremony honored 17 graduates of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar along with students from Carnegie Mellon University-Qatar, Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar, Texas A&M University in Qatar, Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar and the Faculty of Islamic Studies. As a part of the ceremony, graduates crossed the stage to accept diamond graduation rings presented by Qatar Foundation President Dr Mohammed Fathy Saoud and Dr Ahmed Hasna, Associate Vice-President for Higher Education in Qatar Foundation.

They stepped up to accept these gifts as their names were called and displayed along with their majors on the towering screens, symbolizing their transition from young adults to medical doctors, chemical engineers, graphic designers and other vital roles in society.

“As we celebrate the graduation of 200 young men and women from this country and abroad, we reaffirm the critical role of education in injecting new blood into the Qatari society in particular and human society in general,” said Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Nasser Al-Missned.

In addition to a performance of the national anthem and a select reading of the Holy Quran, a video, entitled “Building Our Future,” gave a glimpse of the next generation and the significance of their achievements. The video, produced by graduates, featured students working together to construct an artistic Sidra Tree monument as they individually shared their thoughts and feelings on experiences as students at some of the most renowned universities in the world.

“You young people possess all the vital elements and attributes we need and will make an important and valuable contribution that cannot be taken for granted,” Sheikha Mozah said.

In her speech, Sheikha Mozah explained that the investment in the students, with the help of 300 educational specialists from around the world, was an essential contribution to human capital. Yet beneath the excitement, she explained, the night was a time of sadness as the country released 200 of its young citizens into the world.

“This is a message filled with emotion as we bid farewell to our children. You will always remain to me and in the eyes of Education City, no matter how old you grow, tender flowers in need for constant care and support,” Sheikha Mozah said.

The final moments of the ceremony involved WCMC-Q’s 2008 class spokesperson Jihan Al Riyahi. She was presented with a key to unlock “The Door to the Future,” which each student passed through upon leaving the stage and the ceremony.

According to a statement by the Qatar Foundation, doors symbolize the edge of home, and as students passed through “The Door to the Future,” they began the new journey into their own lives.

Report by Emily Alp