KARACHI: As many as 188 students were conferred degrees at the Habib University convocation.

Amid celebrations, the graduating class expressed their sorrow, grief and hope for the people of Palestine. They stood in solidarity with the people of Gaza and registered their heartfelt support for the Palestinian people, said a press release.

A ceremony, held at a local hotel on Saturday evening, the Class of 2024 from the university’s two schools — The Dhanani School of Science and Engineering (DSSE) and School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) — was awarded degrees.

As many as 91 students graduated with Bachelors of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Computer Science from DSSE, while 97 students secured the Bachelors of Science with honours in Social Development and Policy, and Bachelors of Arts degrees with honours in Communication and Design and Comparative Humanities from AHSS.

Qaima Hussain, a Comparative Humanities major, was announced as the valedictorian for the Class of 2024.

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.

The batch of 2024 also wore badges on their graduation gowns in support of the Palestinian cause.

Speaking at the event, Habib University President Wasif Rizvi thanked the donors for their support for the varsity and its students, noting that 87 per cent of the graduating batch was on some form of scholarship.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2024