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3,000 graduates attended the winter graduation ceremonies at the Barbican to receive their degrees.

By Eve Lacroix (Senior Communications Officer), Published

City, University of London hosted its biggest round of graduation ceremonies this winter with 3,000 students donning their mortarboards and collecting their degree certificates at the Barbican Centre.

The ceremonies were presided by Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein, City’s President, who presented the Rt Hon the Lord Mayor Nicholas Lyons with an honorary degree for his service to the City of London. Also receiving an honorary degree was consultant midwife Dr Kathryn Gutteridge, for her work on maternal wellbeing and midwife-led care.

Outstanding student speakers were selected from each of the six schools to address their fellow graduates and share their dreams for their careers.

Student speaker David Fan, MSc International Finance (2022), from Bayes Business School (formerly Cass) addressed his fellow graduates:

My year at Bayes had made me more resilient towards life. The degrees we graduate with today may simply be a piece of paper, but it is our labour, the professors that educated us and the employers that will select us to fill prospective roles in their businesses, that give it meaning.

Though this event may feel like a finale, it is anything but. The choices you have made so far have led you to this moment, and the choices you will make after this will be greater still.

City’s Student Union President Gesmina Tsourrai, MA International Politics & Human Rights (2022), from the School of Policy & Global Affairs, and said:

To quote Ghanaian author Israelmore Ayivor: knowledge is power, power provides information, information leads to education, education breeds wisdom, wisdom is liberation. People are not liberated because of a lack of knowledge.

You have the knowledge and power to make change, to help and inform others, and whenever you get the opportunity to do so, please do it.

Representing the School of Health & Psychological Sciences, student speaker Samuel Joy, BSc Radiography (2022) said:

My journey to where I am standing has not been straightforward. From choosing to move down a year in sixth form, then changing  programmes to  radiography after my first year, it was sometimes tough to see my peers advance faster than me. I have no regrets about this; I am happier and more self-assured than I could have ever imagined.

Working in a busy, major trauma hospital as a radiographer has been amazing so far. I feel like I have a purpose and a newfound confidence in myself that I never had growing up.

From City’s Law School, Rachel Wilson, Graduate Diploma in Law (2022) addressed her classmates:

As our society evolves at lightning pace, we are reassessing what role our Courts, our government and we as citizens play in the pursuit of the elusive ideal of justice.

It is my hope that all of us in the room today, whether aspiring lawyers or not, can play our small part in fostering truth and fact in public discourse, the legal world and beyond, and that we strive to enable access to that backbone for all and not just the few.

From the School of Communication & Creativity, student speaker Arya Fatih, MA Broadcast Journalism (2022) said:

We live in times of great uncertainty. We must act and never lose a sense of outrage at the injustices that surround us. It is our job to be storytellers to share the stories that matter.

Journalism plays an important role in holding those in power accountable. The public deserve to make well-informed decisions. It is our role to learn from them and support them in achieving that.

Speaking on behalf of the School of Science & Technology, student speaker Ali Cem Orentas, BEng Electrical & Electronic Engineering (2022) said:

As 2022 graduates, we faced a lot of challenges during our studies, with Covid-19 striking in the first term. Without the support from our valuable lecturers and departmental officers, those times would be much more challenging for us.

We tried to predict how hard our exam questions would be and then in the exam, our first thoughts would be, ‘oh! How difficult the questions were!’  But I think that's how our professors show their love.

All of us are worthy of success, all of us are worthy of dreams and all of us are worthy of a future. And now is our time to do just that.

The ceremonies are available to view online. Join our community in sharing your photos and memories online using by using the hashtag #CityGrad.

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