Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university, celebrated the Class of 2024 at a ceremony in Education City on May 6. The class is the largest in campus history, with 120 graduates.

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 everybody at this campus, I wish you continual learning, supportive communities, friendship and creativity, no matter where your path takes you." 

Speaking at the ceremony, CMU President Farnam Jahanian said the work being done at CMU-Q was a great source of pride to the entire Carnegie Mellon community.

“I want to affirm Carnegie Mellon University’s commitment to this campus and to our mission in Education City,” Jahanian said. “Our purpose here is very clear: As a hub of knowledge, innovation and discovery, CMU is preparing students to be global leaders and citizens in today’s rapidly changing world.”

Jahanian encouraged the new graduates to be relentless in their pursuit of knowledge, to seek out perspectives other than their own and to be global citizens. 

“When the landscape shifts beneath you, make the world your classroom, your canvas, your laboratory, and your stage,” Jahanian said. “In a world that seems to be increasingly divided, it is more important than ever to find ways to forge common ground. By welcoming diverse points of view and taking the time to really listen to one another, your generation can help us build critical bridges of understanding. I urge you to embrace and defend the free exchange of ideas, even as you fearlessly pursue truth.” 

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, Timmy Davis, was also in attendance at the ceremony.

Two graduates represented the Class of 2024 during the ceremony. Diram Tabaa read the Arabic poem, “Students of Knowledge and Virtue,” by Gibran Khalil. 

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.

Trick 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.