Class of 2016 join more than 100,000 Carnegie Mellon alumni worldwide
DOHA, QATAR – Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar celebrated its ninth graduation ceremony as 89 graduates received their diplomas in the presence of family, friends, alumni, faculty and Carnegie Mellon leadership. There are now 570 CMU-Q alumni representing the classes of 2008 through 2016.
The 2016 graduating class is comprised of students in five programs: 11 in biological sciences, 41 in business administration, 17 in computer science, 19 in information systems, and, for the first time, one student in the highly selective computational biology program. The students join Carnegie Mellon University’s global network of more than 100,000 alumni.
In his remarks, Ilker Baybars, dean and CEO of Carnegie Mellon Qatar, said: “These young men and women exemplify the Carnegie Mellon qualities of hard work, collaboration across disciplines, and innovation. They have volunteered their time and talents, organized large-scale events, participated in international academic competitions and conducted complex research projects. Graduates, your success is well-deserved; you have earned your place on this stage today.”
The ceremony’s student speaker was Nada Arakji, a business administration graduate and the first woman to represent Qatar in the Olympics. Since competing as a swimmer at the London 2012 games, Arakji has continued to work with the QOC to promote sport and athletics to Qatar’s youth. Arakji will compete for Qatar once again at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In her speech, Arakji said: “Carnegie Mellon has always celebrated and taken pride in its students’ diverse skills and talents – the variety of colors of the Tartan weave are an apt analogy for the many talents that define us as a community to which we proudly belong. The university enables us to thrive and grow by giving us opportunity to innovate, collaborate, flourish and excel, all while offering steadfast and strong support, freedom, care and attention.”
The members of the graduating class represent 23 nationalities and speak a total of 26 languages. In the Class of 2016, 44 percent of graduates have studied abroad.
The Class of 2016 has compiled more than 47,000 hours of work experience, with 72 percent of the class completing at least one internship. More than 53 percent have been involved in community outreach, and 41 percent have started or led a student club.
Carnegie Mellon Qatar graduates are highly sought after by local, regional and international organizations. More than 90 percent of the university’s alumni are either in graduate programs or employed in top organizations such as Google, Microsoft, Qatar Petroleum, Shell and Commercial Bank Qatar.
