Carnegie Mellon Qatar goes virtual to celebrate Class of 2020
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university, is launching a suite of online events to recognize the 86 graduates in the Class of 2020.
Each graduate has completed studies in one of five programs of study: biological sciences, business administration, computational biology, computer science and information systems. There are 19 nations represented in the Class of 2020, and 47% are Qatari citizens.
Michael Trick, the dean of CMU-Q, emphasized the importance of recognizing the new graduates: “I have watched these 86 graduates grow into accomplished and confident young professionals. While the pandemic may change how we celebrate, it cannot dampen our enthusiasm, or how proud we are of the accomplishments of this class.”
The graduates were scheduled to cross the stage at a formal ceremony on May 6, but the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired CMU-Q to become creative. Instead, they will be honored at a series of virtual events, including a formal conferring of degrees for Carnegie Mellon graduates worldwide.
The Class of 2020 is particularly distinguished, with 16 students from all five academic programs completing a senior honors thesis. More than half of the students have been involved in community outreach during their time at CMU-Q, and nearly two-thirds have studied abroad.
This is the 13th graduating class from CMU-Q. Including the Class of 2020, the total number of CMU-Q alumni is more than 900.