Tribune News Network
Doha
Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq), a Qatar Foundation partner university, graduated 144 engineers during commencement exercises at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) on Sunday.
The Class of 2024 includes 136 students who graduated with bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and petroleum engineering, and eight students who graduated with master’s degrees in chemical engineering.
The Class of 2024 includes 70 Qatari graduates and 73 female engineers, and represents 26 nationalities. To date, Texas A&M at Qatar has awarded a total of 1,656 degrees, with 43.5 percent awarded to Qatari graduates and 44 percent to female graduates.
The night’s invited speaker was Dr Mohammed Al Mulla, managing director and CEO of Qatar Petrochemical Company and past chair of the Texas A&M at Qatar Dean’s Development Council.
In his remarks to the graduates, Mulla said, “This persistent journey of learning equips you to navigate the complexities of a rapidly evolving world, ensuring you remain at the forefront of innovation and leadership. The detection of knowledge does not stop upon graduation; rather, it marks the beginning of a lifelong journey of continuous learning and improvement.”
He continued, “I encourage each of you to embrace this mindset of continuous growth and curiosity, understanding that every day presents a new opportunity to learn something valuable, not just about the world, but also about ourselves. As graduates of Texas A&M, you are now ambassadors of this transformative power of education, remember that your education is a beacon that guides your way, not just in your careers but as lifelong learners.”
Khalid Al Sada, a Class of 2024 chemical engineering graduate and president of the Student Government Association, was selected to address his fellow graduates during the ceremony.
He highlighted how the Class of 2024 overcame several challenges, including a global pandemic, and expressed his gratitude to his peers, family and faculty for their support during the undergraduate years.
“Thank you to the faculty and staff, and our families, who have spent years shaping and building us into the emerging engineers we have become,” Sada said. “We have all matured and grown together, whether through laughing hysterically in the middle of the night studying or stressing over our grades. You have all been magnificent, not just as students, classmates or friends, but as people who have impacted me deeply. The lessons you have taught me, I will treasure dearly. It was you all who taught me not to hold on to the past for too long and to embrace the future rather than worry about it.”
Dr César Octavio Malavé, dean of Texas A&M at Qatar, congratulated the graduates on their resilience and resourcefulness in completing their degree, and urged them to uphold the Aggie Core Values of Respect, Excellence, Loyalty, Leadership, Integrity and Selfless Service in everything they do.
Malavé said, “A degree in engineering is one of the most challenging degrees a student can earn, and the Aggie engineers we recognise tonight have completed an intense course of study to fulfil the requirements for their engineering degree. And not just any engineering degree — an engineering degree from Texas A&M University, a globally recognised leader in engineering education and research.
“Your hard work has paid off and tonight is the start of a lifetime of learning, leading and lending expertise to the challenges of the future. It’s time for each of you to fulfil your potential as engineering leaders for Qatar’s knowledge economy and for the global energy transformation.”
After the degrees were awarded, Texas A&M at Qatar alumnus Tabarak Al Lami, a Class of 2018 petroleum engineering graduate and reservoir engineer at SLB, inducted the graduates into The Association of Former Students, Texas A&M’s alumni organisation that comprises the nearly 575,000 graduates of the university worldwide and is known as the Aggie Network.
