On the last day of the 2023-2024 Spring Term Graduation Celebration at Near East University, 537 graduates from 3 faculties, President of National Assembly Zorlu Töre and YÖDAK President Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın attended the ceremony!
The most special moments of the ceremony were when 46-year-old Raziye Soykan Osmanoğlu, who graduated from Near East University Faculty of Dentistry, received her diploma with her 4 children.
Near East University’s three-day graduation festival has concluded. A total of approximately 2,500 graduates from 20 Faculties, 3 Vocational Schools, and 1 Graduate Education Institute received their diplomas and threw off their caps throughout the ceremonies held at the MOE Stage established within the campus, .
On the last day of the ceremonies, 537 students who were eligible to graduate from the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy of the Near East University and President of National Assembly Zorlu Töre, Higher Education Planning, Supervision, Accreditation and Coordination Board (YÖDAK) President Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın, Çankırı Mayor İsmail Hakkı Esen, whose daughter graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry, also attended the ceremony.
The ceremony, which took place with the intense participation of families, started with a cortege march of students. The opening speeches of the ceremony, which continued with a moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem, were made by Deputy President Zorlu Töre and YÖDAK President Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın and Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ. After artificial intelligence based trainer AI. Prof. DUX’s video message, Hazar Nimet Şahin, the valedictorian of the Faculty of Medicine, expressed her feelings on behalf of Turkish students, and Esther Shekunya Gamıya Bavugai, a graduate of the Faculty of Pharmacy, on behalf of international students.
Following the speeches, the students who completed the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy of Near East University with honors received their medals from National Assembly President Zorlu Töre and YÖDAK President Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın and Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ.
Among the most special moments of the ceremony was 46-year-old Raziye Soykan Osmanoğlu, who graduated from Near East University Faculty of Dentistry, receiving her diploma with her 4 children.
Zorlu Töre: “The world imposes an embargo on us, but we are breaking these embargoes in the TRNC in the field of education and training.”
Stating that Near East University is an institution with 22 thousand students coming from 143 countries, National Assembly President Zorlu Töre said, “The world imposes an embargo on us, but in the field of education and training, we break these embargoes in the TRNC and achieve success. Diplomas received from Near East University are valid all over the world.” Stating that UEFA and FIFA have imposed embargoes on TRNC youth for many years, Töre said, “Every young person has the right to do sports. The countries we call civilized also impose embargoes on us in the economic field, but we continue on our way. TRNC is the national state of the Turkish Cypriot People. This state was not given to us by the European Union or the United Nations Security Council members. We established a state in these lands by resisting. We will keep the independent Turkish state alive. TRNC is the honor of the Turkish Cypriot People and everyone who says ‘How happy I am a Turk.”
Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın: “Our universities have gone through great difficulties but have made progress worldwide.”
President of Higher Education Planning, Supervision, Accreditation and Coordination Board (YÖDAK) Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın, in his speech at the opening, expressed his belief that the graduates will be successful in their new lives. Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın stated that TRNC has come to this day with great efforts in the field of higher education in the last 40 years. Stating that the country’s universities have gone through great difficulties and made rapid progress, they have made world-class progress. Prof. Dr. Hocanın reminded that YÖDAK is an institution authorized for evaluation, supervision, accreditation and planning in higher education and works on behalf of the public. Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın said, “While carrying out this duty, our aim is to pave the way for our universities to go further. We are working in this direction. We are aware that quality must continue uninterruptedly in a continuous improvement cycle.”
Addressing the graduating students, Prof. Dr. Hocanın said, “Preserve the knowledge you gained from the friendships and esteemed teachers you gained on this beautiful island, even after you leave. Always remember the TRNC and serve as cultural ambassadors. We look forward to continuing these relations, good luck.”
Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ: “Universities keep societies alive while pursuing the truth with humility, reason and analysis.”
Stating that universities are institutions that keep societies alive by pursuing the truth with reason and analysis, Near East University Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ said, “Mind and analysis are similar to the beauty of our immune system. This beauty is like protecting those who have survived the infection when they are exposed to the infection again.” Emphasizing that this unique feature created by universities should never be destroyed, Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ said, “Harvard University’s motto is Veritas. It means “truth” in Latin. A society that does not value the truth and does not strive to discover it cannot survive. Universities keep societies alive while pursuing the truth with humility, reason and analysis.”
Stating that today is the ‘age of insecurity’, Prof. Dr. Şanlıdağ said, “We are in a time when borders are blurred and rules are stretched. We see that social state structures and parliaments are weakening, and areas of militarism and conflict are increasing. While crises become permanent, structural problems can no longer be solved. Violence experienced elsewhere reaches us as symbolic violence. We witness that the old is slowly dying, but the new has not yet been born. Now we need to be stronger and more equipped than ever, and perhaps more alert than ever. While anti-immigrant and micro-nationalist sentiments are gaining strength today, we must try to understand what awaits us next. We must realize that the masses punish the established orders with their choices and actions.”
Hazar Nimet Şahin: “We will all continue to work for a better world with the mission of contributing to human health.”
Hazar Nimet Şahin, who graduated from Near East University Faculty of Medicine with as the valedictorian, started her speech by saying: “By graduating from our faculties, we are taking a big step towards not only professional success but also serving humanity. During our education, we learned that we need to have not only knowledge but also empathy and love for people. Now we can’t wait to carry these values into our professional lives.”
Thanking his family, friends and teachers, Şahin reminded Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s words, “Entrust me to Turkish doctors” and said, “This word puts a great responsibility on us and shows how important a duty all officials in the field of health, especially us doctors, undertake. It reminds me more. We will all continue to work for a better world with the mission of contributing to human health. I hope that we will meet again in a better tomorrow where we, as physicians and all healthcare professionals, receive the value we deserve.”
Esther Shekunya Gamıya Bavugai: “The future is ours, let’s build an extraordinary future together to make the world a better place.”
Speaking on behalf of the international graduates, Near East University Faculty of Pharmacy graduate Esther Shekunya Gamıya Bavugai said, “During our university years, we experienced a journey that shaped us. We have faced seemingly insurmountable challenges, but we have become stronger and more resilient. We made lifelong friendships and learned lessons outside the classroom.” Thanking her family and teachers, Esther Shekunya Gamıya Bavugai said, “Today, as we prepare to step into the next chapter of our lives, we carry within us not only academic knowledge but also values such as perseverance, honesty, determination, work discipline and unity power. These lessons will be the principles that will guide us as we navigate beyond the walls of the world.”
