KARACHI: Some 84 students — 47 young women and 37 young men — became the first batch graduating from Habib University at its very first convocation held on its campus on Saturday evening.

The student body of the graduating class was a diverse mix of students who graduated in four major disciplines — BSc (Honours) Social Development and Policy, BA (Honours) Communication Design, BS Electrical Engineering, and BS Computer Science.

Receiving their degrees, the students also introduced themselves through videos in which they stated their achievements or described their thesis projects.

While congratulating them, president of Habib University Wasif A. Rizvi spoke of ‘The visions of Janice’, a concept that “looks behind as well as forward”.

He said that the meaning of a liberal arts education, which Habib University is known for, was teaching how to think and subscribing human value to education. “And your education is really the job of a lifetime. I wish you way more than luck. I wish you Yohsin,” he said.

Governor of Sindh and patron of Habib University Mohammad Zubair said that it was a privilege and honour to be present at the first convocation of the university.

He congratulated them and praised the graduates and their parents for “taking a risk and making the biggest contribution to the nascent university, and raising such outstanding kids”.

He also invited the top achievers in the graduating student body to Governor House.

The chief guest on the occasion, Babar Ali, congratulated the students.

In her valedictorian speech, Saadia Asad Pathan said: “You trusted us as we stepped into this university; trust us as we step out.”

Later, the chancellor of Habib University, Rafiq M. Habib, presented the chancellor’s Yohsin Award, the most prestigious award of the institution, to graduating student Abdul Wahid Khan.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2018