Carnegie Mellon Qatar celebrates largest graduating class in campus history

Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani attends to congratulate new graduates
 
Doha, Qatar, 06 May 2024 –Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university, celebrated the Class of 2024 at a ceremony in Education City. The class is the largest in campus history, with 120 graduates.
 
Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation,  attended the ceremony to congratulate the new graduates who hail from 31 countries. The United States Ambassador to Qatar, His Excellency Timmy Davis, was also in attendance at the ceremony. 
 
Michael Trick, dean of CMU-Q, addressed the graduates during the ceremony. 'Class of 2024, it is an honor and privilege to address you this evening,' he said.
 
'On behalf of everyone at Carnegie Mellon, I wish you continual learning, supportive communities, friendship, and creativity, no matter where your path takes you.'
 
The president of Carnegie Mellon University, Farnam Jahanian, also addressed the class and an audience of family, friends, faculty members and CMU-Q alumni. 'I am confident that when you speak, you will speak with curiosity and with kindness. I am confident that when you act, you will act responsibly, applying your talents and intellect for widespread benefit.'
 
Two graduates represented the Class of 2024 during the ceremony. Diram Tabaa read the Arabic poem, 'Students of Knowledge and Virtue,' by Gibran Khalil Gibran. Abdulrahman Darwish Fakhroo was the student speaker. 'In my speech,' he said, 'I decided to integrate something cultural, being Qatari myself. I chose the falcon, a symbol that many people can identify with and that is heavily involved in our culture. I worked my way around it, creating a story and a metaphor that reflects our journey through CMU-Q.'
 
CMU-Q announced a number of awards during the ceremony. Christos Kapoutsis, associate teaching professor of computer science, received the Meritorious Teaching Award.
 
Five students received Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards for placing first in their respective programs: Adel Fergatova for biological sciences, Sweety Devnani for business administration, Ulan Seitkaliyev and Diram Tabaa for computer science, and Huda Baig for information systems.
 
The dean also recognized the four Qatar Campus Scholars, Ahmad Alhallaq, Yahya Elkhatib, Amiko Gogitidze, and Ulan Seitkaliyev, with Alhallaq and Seikaliyev also named Andrew Carnegie Society Scholars.
 
CMU-Q now has an alumni network of more than 1,300 graduates who live and work in Qatar and around the world.