Graduation speeches 2019

Moses Padi Amanor – Eszterházy Károly University – Ghana

On behalf of the graduating class of 2019, I say welcome to everyone and thank you for celebrating this special day with us.

Reflecting on our time here as students and scholarship holders of Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme at our various universities in different fields of our academic interest, there are oceans of words that can be recounted to highlight the moments, challenges, and our feelings. I will try to sum it all up by saying we made the right choice.

For some of us it was barely two years ago, for others it’s been four long years, but each one of us resolved to pursue further education degrees courses in different fields in Universities across this wonderful country of Hungary. I dare to say that halfway through this journey some of us wanted to give up, some wanted to pack their bags and books and go home. Some did that. Honestly, that would have been an easier choice, but we held on, and fought through the pressures and hustles of our academic journey. So, for what lies ahead I challenge and I encourage you to do the same.

Today, we are gathered here to celebrate our success. And we can raise our heads high for we have overcome, the many challenges life placed on our path these years. It hasn’t been easy but certainly it’s worth it having reached the end of this hurdle. It is a new dawn for another life’s journey, and I want to encourage us never to relent. I want to encourage you to use the same spirit you have shown, the sacrifices you have made, the sleepless nights you have had to endure, on your next journey, this I promise you my friends is the visa to our next destination.

Some of us came to Hungary with expectations, high and low but graduating today, tells me only one thing that our expectations have been met and the ball has been thrown at us to transform our lives, our families, communities and humanity as a whole. What is needed today more than ever is for each one of us to think of ourselves in the right way.

Education they say is the key to success – I have my doubts on that though. I add that transformative education is the one that human continually learn from their daily life experiences and apply these experiences to help solve every day social problem. It is the key that strengthens hope, and this is the kind of education Hungary provided for us.

Today I do not consider myself only as a Ghanaian. China Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Angola, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, Mongolia has touched me, and most importantly Hungary where we all received further education.

The big question is for most of us now what next? I say to you right here whether you decide to take a walk in the park or pursue PhD or your dream job always make the right choice and see yourself in the right way. See yourself as a mirror of the next person sitting next to you on the bus. Or the starving kid somewhere and the poor and downtrodden.

Before this chapter in our lives is closed and the commencement of a new one it is appropriate to thank all the people that have been there for us along the way. To all our families for your love and prayers. To our professors you have truly done your part. To our financier, the Hungarian Government, who took care of us with love we say köszönöm szépen.

I do not promise you an easy journey nor am I assuming that it will be the same for everyone, but I pray for the strength for you to endure and overcome every challenge at each phase of your life from here. And we must never forget to keep pushing hard and harder until we breakthrough.

At the end if we resolve to be relentless in pursuit of excellence against all odds from our various locations; Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East or wherever we find ourselves at a particular time, humanity will win.

To end, I would like to say this always strive to pursue excellence and success will follow.

Köszönöm and congratulation!!!

Murad Aslanli – Budapest Business School – Azerbaijan

I am Murad Aslanli, an International business student from Azerbaijan. As excited as I am standing here today, I am also proud to be sharing my experiences with you all.

First of all, I would like to congratulate all of the students here including myself for finally graduating.

Every end has a new beginning. Today might be the last day for some of us as students of Tempus Program, but I believe our learning will actually start from today. When I left home, 2 years back I wasn't sure what I will get in return. I was excited but at the same time a little scared of the new reality. Hungary was the first country outside Azerbaijan, that I would be living on my own.  I was prepared to learn, explore, make new friends and get to know me as an individual. Before Hungary, there was always someone to guide me, my teachers in schools, my elders and my mom. But here I was starting a journey where I set the rules and guided myself. It had finally occurred me that I had to leave my comfort zone and live a new reality. But today as I stand here, I am proud to say that I had made the right decision to come to Hungary.

Life in Hungary has been like coming out of the bed and landing on the couch. Hungary has truly been my second home because I have had some amazing people as friends in this country. The environment and the people of this country are so welcoming and helpful that you don't feel away from. The good experiences that I got here of course does not imply that I did not have to face my share of discomfort and challenge, but its these challenges that has made me a stronger and more confident person today

Finally congratulations once again and wish us good luck with the future ahead. Have a great day! Jó napot kívánok!

Daria Borodina – Eszterházy Károly University – Russian Federation

Good afternoon everyone!

We are gathering here today to celebrate our success and commitment to Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme! Life is a great journey with unpredictable plot, colourful views and impressions, where our future depends on what we are doing today, on our values and goals. Everyone from us is author of the life story with challenges, success and happiness. That’s why keep your pen strong with passion and inspiration.

We started studying in Hungary some years ago and have been changed a lot. We organized our life around the host universities in very different international society. Nowadays we are more independent, flexible, adoptive and broader – minded. When I came here and had not knew how many doors would be opened for me, we got wide range of opportunities for professional and personal development, theoretical knowledge and practical skills, improving of foreign language level, possibilities for travelling. It is not a secret that Hungary is a heart of Europe – and you can not imagine better destination for travelling in this area.

Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme gave us the chance to perceive cultural diversity, to get international experience, to know more about Hungary, its history, social practice, cultural and natural heritages, traditions, national cuisine, hospitality, wine festivals, Hungarian language which is not similar to any languages in Europe.

And the most important part for me – opportunity to meet people from all around the World, make friendship and build strong network! That’s why my friends – let’s keep in touch!

I wish you to achieve your goals, make your dreams come true and follow your lucky star! Be strong, be brave and enthusiastic. I know sometimes it is really hard to follow your goals, you can lose self-belief and want to give up but every step is experience and it doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad, it will make you powerful enough to pass all critical points.

Me as a person who passed strategic management course strongly recommend you to remember that you are the manager of your life – create clear vision and mission!

This is our finish of study and bright start of the future!

Stephen Okon – University of Miskolc – Nigeria

If you ask me about my Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship experience, I will say it was more than an academic adventure as it also accorded me the opportunity of integrating with people from other cultures. I did not really understand the true meaning of the saying: “there is beauty in differences” until I arrived Hungary for studies as a Stipendium Hungaricum scholar. I must say, it was a joy to see the Arabs, Asians, Africans, Europeans and South Americans eat, dress and speak differently. I can now easily tell people’s nationality from their English Language accent. I got to learn about various continental cuisines including: Arabs’ Mansaf (traditional lamb-rice-yoghurt dish), Europeans’ Goulash, Asians’ Pilaf (a special rice or wheat dish) and South-Americans’ Feijoada (a bean stew with beef and pork), dress codes, languages and behaviours. It was indeed an opportunity to learn how to manage cultural shock and I can say that I am now, more of a global than national citizen; many thanks to Hungarian Government.

Aside from exchange of cultural values, it created a family atmosphere where I built cordial and brotherly relationship with my professors, course-mates, people outside our academic circle and my fellow scholars.

Sadly, the interchange of cultural values we enjoyed and the friendship we built these past years is gradually slowly stopping and we will have to exchange parting pleasantries with one another as we may never get to see face to face again. Nevertheless, we are glad that this phase of our development is about to end and we are brimming with new energy, greater wisdom and more experience for the next level.

Ours, I must say, it is a resounding success especially given the initial intimidating challenges of the winter, language barrier, to adopt a different kind of food and catching up with lectures amidst inevitable registration in various places for those who arrived a bit late.

We thank all those who contributed in one way or the other to our success. We express our unreserved gratitude to our respective sending partners of the bilateral education agreement entered with Hungary and Hungarian Government who invested confidence in us in finding us worthy of the just concluded scholarship programme. We would not have been here if you had not sent us. I must say that we have added value to our lives by means of the opportunity you gave to us. Indeed, we are not returning home as the same people when we came, but as more intelligent, more experienced and more well-behaved people to become change agents in not only our home countries but the international society at large. As a way of giving back to the benevolence done us, we pledge to be at the service of Hungary and the Alumni Hungary Network any day anytime.

Long live Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Program! Long live Hungary and its people!

Raja’ Yousef – University of Miskolc – Jordan

First of all, let me say I am honoured to be here to give this commencement address. As a guest of this country I have always felt the warmth of the Hungarian people. You have welcomed me into your country and given me an education that now I can pass on to others and utilize to benefit society. A friend of mine once told me that the most valuable commodities in existence weren’t gold or land or other physical possessions but rather time and education. Time can be stolen or lost, but knowledge born of a university education such as we now possess can never be taken away. It is an asset that continually appreciates, particularly for those curious individuals such as ourselves who seek to maximize our opportunities to learn.

All of us should feel very proud of what we have achieved both individually and collectively during our time here in Hungary. We have all faced challenges and persevered. But, we should not forget that this is a step forward in life‘s journey. Quite soon many of us will leave to pursue their education or enter the working world as professionals where further challenges await us. We must not forget the lessons our time here has taught us.

As I bring my remarks to a close I would like to end with an exhortation and a word of caution. First be radically authentic. I think Steve Jobs said it best at a commencement address (very much like this one) at Stanford University in the US. He said: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” My word of caution is related to authenticity, and that is to always guard your integrity. In this world it is so common to be seduced by the easy way out or in pursuit of a quick profit at the expense of integrity. Nothing is easier to ruin and harder to repair.

As we go forward onto the next stage of our lives I’m sure many of us will look back with our time here in Hungary with fondness, particularly toward those faculty members who guided us on this journey.