Daily Times

On June 1, 2024, Habib University, a unique community owned liberal arts institution, was incredibly proud to confer degrees on 188 students at the commencement ceremony of its 7th batch, the Class of 2024. Amid celebrations, the graduating class expressed their sorrow, grief and hope for the people of Palestine. They stood in solidarity with Gazans facing genocide and registered their heartfelt support for the Palestinian people.

This graduating class is exceptional for they began their journey at Habib University at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and it was only through their incredible strength and resilience that they were able to accomplish this tremendously essential milestone today. The momentous ceremony, held at Pearl Continental Hotel, marked the successful completion of their undergraduate journey and represented the deep introspection, unbeatable perseverance and steadfast dedication displayed during their time at the university.

The Class of 2024 was awarded degrees from the university’s two schools, namely the Dhanani School of Science and Engineering (DSSE) and the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS). As many as 91 students graduated with Bachelors of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Computer Science from the former while 97 students secured the Bachelors of Science with honors in Social Development and Policy, and Bachelors of Arts degrees with honors in Communication and Design and Comparative Humanities.

Like each year, the ceremony was streamed online allowing Habib University’s global community, including members of the Board of Governors of Habib University, members of the Board of Directors of Habib University Foundation, graduate students, and others to join in on the celebrations from the comfort of their homes. Qaima Hussain, a Comparative Humanities major, was announced as the valedictorian for the Class of 2024. The valedictorian is chosen based on the outstanding conduct and academic excellence demonstrated during the student’s four-year undergraduate journey. At the onset of her speech, she called for a moment of silence in solidarity with the Palestinian people. “A valedictorian speech is supposed to be one of hope. While writing this speech, I searched for some semblance of this hope and optimism within, but instead, I found anger, grief and hopelessness. To give voice to these feelings, I dedicate this speech to Gaza’s class of 2024, offering us, parents, professors, chief guest, commencement speaker, and most importantly, Habib’s graduating batch, a message of resistance, a commitment to staying human,” she said.

Reflecting Habib University’s commitment to empowering its students as thoughtful leaders of tomorrow, she added, “Our majors have equipped us with varying forms of knowledge, but we all share a unique attunement to melancholy, which is our greatest, collective strength. Through this constant awareness of the grief and hardship shaping our worlds, we are compelled to imagine and work towards better futures and this is where our resistance begins”. The batch of 2024 also wore badges on their graduation gowns in support of the Palestinian cause. Addressing the ceremony, President Wasif Rizvi said, “The sum of the last four centuries is a litany of many types of genocides, in the midst of these genocides of continents of humanity, truly devastating phenomenon is mass epistemicide when violence against humans is cynically combined with violence against indigenous knowledge of cultures, cosmos and of the natural world, just to make way for a techno-fascist vacuity.