Speakers Challenge Graduates To Innovate
By Piper Staff
Carnegie Mellon in Qatar celebrated its largest graduating class at a May 7 ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Centre.
His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed Al-Thani, director general of the Al Jazeera Network, delivered the keynote speech to the 61 graduates and an audience of more than 1,000 family, friends and community members.
"Never stop learning, continue to question, continue to challenge, continue to be curious," Al-Thani told the graduates. "Think how can I do what I am doing better than I am doing today. We live in an ever-changing world. If you stand still you will be left behind."
Congratulating the graduating class, Ilker Baybars, dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar, said, "Graduation is an event that commemorates our heritage, celebrates our achievements and heralds the promise of a bright future - not only for our graduates, but for the university as well. These graduates will have a lifelong connection to this campus in Qatar, our home campus in the United States, and Carnegie Mellon alumni around the world."
Sara Abbas, who graduated with honors in business administration and was a recipient of a 2012 Senior Student Leadership Award, was selected to be the class speaker. Abbas reflected on her views on progress and innovation in the Middle East.
"People who continue learning and challenging the status quo to fill a gap are the innovators. Those are the people whose contributions move societies forward. Those are the people Carnegie Mellon has prepared us to be. Those are the people we all must be," Abbas said.