#MSMGraduation19: Leaving a lasting legacy
Thursday 19 September 2019 was a day of celebration at Maastricht School of Management. More than 100 students representing over 30 nationalities were awarded their Master of Business Administration, Master in Management, MPhil and DBA degrees during the School’s annual Graduation Ceremony. The festive event gathered students, friends, family members and country delegates from close and far distances and marked the beginning of the next chapter of our graduates’ life journey.
“We expect to have brought off the 2.0 version of yourselves,” said MSM CEO Mr. Meinhard Gans in his opening address. “Our mission at Maastricht School of Management is to groom the talents who will become the new generation of leaders, and to provide them with the innovative and entrepreneurial mindset and the moral values required to bring sustainable development in our globalized world.”
Next to 23 full-time residential MBA, 16 MM and 8 Executive MBA graduates, MSM this year delivered its first three graduates from its online MBA program. More than 50 students of the Global MBA programs also travelled to Maastricht to join the Graduation Ceremony.
This year’s keynote speech focused on the power of disruptive innovation. Mr. Anthony Wahome Githinji, CEO AG Group International Ltd. Kenya, explained how he has successfully been propagating the triple helix model in various sectors in his home country. “Everybody has a chance to engage in innovation. That is why I am so committed to the mentorship program for young entrepreneurs that I have set up. I am driven by the dream of bringing about positive change and leaving a lasting legacy in my country, and I see an immense untapped potential in implementing the triple helix model in the fields of agriculture, healthcare, housing and education.” Looking at the audience, he added with conviction: “Remember: the three ingredients that will help you to succeed in your journey are discipline, dedication and disruptive innovation.”
After a musical intermezzo beautifully performed by the Maastricht Society of Music Quartet, everyone was ready for the highlight of the ceremony, the awarding of the MBA, MM, MPhil, and DBA degrees. “It feels like the whole world is represented here,” exclaimed one member of the audience during the handing over of the prestigious diplomas, as the students from countries as diverse as India, Peru, Iran, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Philippines, Uganda, Brazil, China and Chile, to name but a few, climbed on stage to receive their diploma.
A select number of students who demonstrated outstanding qualities and performed above and beyond expectations throughout the year were honored with additional recognitions, the Best Student of the Year awards.
The winner of the Best DBA Thesis Award, Mr. Ahmed Gaara, expressed his gratitude with humility: “Our achievements today have required a lot of strength, commitment and resilience but we could not have come so far without the support of our families.” Quoting Winston Churchill, he said: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” And added: “Be kind and helpful to others.”
This spirit of solidarity was present in all the speeches of the class representatives and in the video of the MSM Experience of the Class of 2019 that followed. It came back again during the evening reception at Café Ipanema in the surprise musical international version of the song “Stand by me” by four fresh MSM graduates, Parth, Claudia, Priya and Hermina.
“When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me”
They sang the words in English and in their own languages, Hindi and Spanish, and the audience enthusiastically joined in the chorus.
“The four of us all knew that we wanted to do something together to share our love for music but we never found the time for it during the year. But when we realized that we were about to graduate, we decided: “Let’s do this!” and we rehearsed for three days to be able to perform this evening. We supported each other a lot throughout the program and this song symbolizes our promise to our friends and our loved ones that we will always be there for them.”
Let us all stay inspired by the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, quoted by MBA35 class representative Aneesha Singh in her speech:
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
We wish our graduates a bright future ahead and continued success in their education and careers.
Click here for the pictures of the Graduation Day.
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