HH Sheikha Moza Witnesses Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Graduation

In the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), and Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of QF, 111 students from the Class of 2016 become Hamad bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU’s) newest graduates at a ceremony held at the HBKU Student Centre on 1 May.

This year’s class has 55% Qataris, an increase from 48% in 2015, and includes representatives from 29 countries. Within HBKU’s graduating class, there are 52 graduates from HBKU’s Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS), 43 from the College of Science and Engineering, and 16 from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The graduating students were joined at the ceremony by their families and friends, and faculty and staff of the university. Honoured guests included ministers, ambassadors and deans of HBKU’s partner universities.

Habib Haddad was the guest speaker at the event. Haddad is a tech entrepreneur and most recently founder of Yamli.com and YallaStartup.org. In 2009, the World Economic Forum recognized Habib as a Young Global Leader and the ArabianBusiness named him one of the top 30 influential Arabs under 30.

700 people witnessed the graduation ceremony, including Her Highness Sheikha Moza, who last year was herself one of the graduating class, receiving a Master of Arts in Public Policy in Islam. Her Highness commented: “Hamad bin Khalifa University was launched to create a dynamic new home for innovative research education in Qatar; a place built to push the boundaries of learning in line with the needs of Qatar and its people. The university continues to grow and thrive, and is graduating exceptional students who will have been greatly enriched by the knowledge, skills and friendships that they’ve developed during their studies.

"I applaud the dedication of Hamad bin Khalifa University’s Class of 2016. As an alumna of the university myself, I understand the effort they have put in to achieve a significant milestone and wish them continued success as they apply what they’ve learned to build bright futures for themselves and their communities.”