Graduand gives speech in rhyme

It is not every day that graduation ceremonies take place. It is less common for a student to make her graduation speech in a 41-verse poem with an ABCB rhyming scheme, which is what architecture graduate Samaria Bezzina did yesterday, followed by a standing ovation.

Taking her fellow graduands on a trip to the present from Freshers’ Week five years ago, Ms Bezzina thanked the student council (KSU) and other student organisations and lauded programmes such as the Degree Plus, which formally recognises extracurricular activities, as well as other exchange problems.

But in-between the rhymes, the former KSU executive member managed to slip in a couple of suggestions, calling for a continuous assessment system rather than examinations, practical training to complement the theory, as well as more interaction between academic staff and students.

Memory lane was also well-trodden by midwifery graduate Giliane Fenech, who recalled the difficult yet exciting days of her and her course mates’ internship in hospital.

She felt it was an honour to be in the first group of students graduating from the Faculty of Health Sciences and called on her colleagues to uphold their values and ethical standards to be an example to whoever they met.

Meanwhile, in the academic address, Christian Scerri from the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry called for higher priority – and funding – to be given to research at university at various levels.

“Whereas the number of undergraduate and post-graduate students actively involved in scientific research is constantly on the increase, opportunities for post-doctoral experience is chronically lacking,” Prof. Scerri said.

He said while it was encouraging to see Maltese PhD graduates seeking and being accepted to overseas positions, more had to be done to attract Maltese and international PhD positions to further their research in Malta.

He cautioned those who thought research had to be prioritised by its apparent relevance, saying basic research was necessary groundwork before any applied research could be carried out.

Prof. Scerri also called for the university to be distinguished from an employee-producing institution.

“In an apparent bid to provide full employment within the present economic situation, society might feel the need to call for career preparation as the main function of undergraduate education,” he said.

“In my opinion this would be a short-sighted move as the university should be the cradle that produces intelligent and educated persons and where students acquire the necessary analytical and entrepreneurial skills that can be utilised in a wide area of employment.

“It might be pertinent here to remind those who put relevance as the topmost of priorities, Michael Faraday’s reply to William Gladstone, the then British Chancellor of the Exchequer, when asked of the practical value of electricity, ‘One day sir, you may tax it’. And to those that request actual, tangible and fast results from scientists, Thomas Edison’s quote: ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work’.”

The graduates are:

Diploma in Baroque Architecture

Hubert Cini, Saviour Cutajar, Anthony Paul Saliba and George Vella.

Diploma in Diplomatic Studies

Christian Abela, Mark Anthony Bezzina, Paul Borg, Gabriele Theresia Bugeja Kaufmann, Anthony D’Amato, Margaret Richards, Graham Sciberras, Julie Xuereb and Mary Anne Zammit.

Bachelor of Dental Surgery

Sponsor: Dr Simon Camilleri

Fatemah Al-Qattan, Peter Paul Borg, Analise Camilleri, Roberto Cutajar, Jan Degiorgio and Maria Vella.

Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons)

Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla

Stephanie Falzon (robing), Gerard Abela, Svetlana Agius, Melanie Azzopardi, Stephanie Azzopardi, Vanessa Azzopardi, Rodianne Bondin, Gilles Briffa Rizzo, Alison Brincat, Glorianne Camilleri, Kathlene Cassar, Maria Cuschieri, Trevor Darmanin, Stefanie Farrugia, Maria Fenech, Wei Liu, Clint Pace, Simone Pace O’Shea, Gayle Papps, Annelise Saliba, Francesca Schembri, Karl Schembri, Elaine Seychell, Silvan Spagnol, Miran Spiteri, Angele Vella, Antine Vella, Rebecca Vella, Thomas Joseph Vella, Kirsten Zammit and Natalie Rita Zerafa.

Bachelor of Engineering and Architecture (Hons)

Sponsor: Prof. Alex Torpiano

Marcia Calleja (robing), Brenda Agius, Paula Agius, Randolph Nicholas Bartoli, Samaria Bezzina, Stephanie Bianco, William Nicholas Bondin, Christopher Bongailas, Simon Bonnici Mallia, Matthew Briffa, Sean Buttigieg, Malcolm Paul Caruana, Bernice Casha, Josmar Cassar, Sarah Cassar, Donatella Ciappara, Michael Cortis, Nadia Curmi, Karl Ebejer, Victoria Falzon, Analise Farrugia, Noella Farrugia, Michela Francalanza, Alan Galea, Tihomir Georgiev, Martin Grech, Patricia Ann Grech, James Manduca, Francois Mangion, Angiolino Micallef, Bernice Mizzi, Sarabelle Montebello, James Muscat, Mark Anthony Muscat, Katia Pace, Rupert Pace, Mark Peregin, Ray Said, Jessica Sammut, Christian Schembri, Keith Schembri, Steve Scicluna, Paul Spiteri, Rachelle Spiteri, Ramona Spiteri, Roderick Spiteri, Mark Sullivan, Kenneth Roderick Sultana, Matthew Tanti, Jean Paul Vella, Joanna Vella, Nathan Vella, Amber Wismayer, Adriana Zammit and Manuel Zammit.

Bachelor in Conservation and Restoration Studies (Hons)

Sponsor: Prof. Alex Torpiano

Sarah Marie Gafa’.

Bachelor of Communications

Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Saviour Chircop

Beverly Marie Abela, Melody Attard, Samuel Attard, Saviour Attard, Marco Avellino, Gabriella Azzopardi, Sarah Jane Baldacchino, Zhonghu Ban, Roberta Bellizzi, Symira Bianchi, Ryan Bonett, Keith Borg, Emil Calleja Bayliss, Danjela Camilleri, Christopher Caruana, Debbie Cooper, Miriam Dalli, Ann Marie D’Amato, Anna Druzhinina, Yasmine Formosa, Enrica Garroni, Ian Joseph Gatt, Naomi Gatt, Tamara Katryna Gauci, Audrey Harrison, Valerio Hili, Emily Louise Jones, Shazia Khan Darmanin, Inna Korchilava, Yasmin Kuymizakis, Yekaterina Ladyrda, Erika Micallef, Isabel Micallef, Christopher Mifsud, Katerina Milchevska, Taryn Mizzi, Nathanael Muscat, Megan Pisani, Ke Qi Borg, Heidi Ruggier, Andrew Saliba, Sarah Sillato Warrington, Mark Vincent Strijbosch, Beverie Sultana, Rebecca Vella, Anna Zago and Xavier Zammit.

Bachelor of Communications (Hons)

Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Saviour Chircop

Christopher Jason Agius, Matthew Bonanno, Eliza Bonavia, Julia Breschke, Amanda Bugeja, Louise Ann Buttigieg, Christine Debono, Rosemarie Dorekens, Mark Galea, Francis Ghersci, Louise Grech, Maria Meli, Marija Mijovic, James Moffett, Francette Muscat, Leigh Pisani, Yolande Spiteri, Yana Tsyganova, Paul Andrew Vella and Daniela Zammit Marmara.

Bachelor of Library, Information and Archive Studies

Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Saviour Chircop

Donald Briffa, Mario Gauci, Joseph Mary Grech and Sharon Scicluna.

Post-graduate Diploma in Conservation Technology for Masonry Buildings

Kevin Richard Abela.

Diploma in Health Science

Mark Abela, Esmeralda Agius, Pauline Agius, Matthew Aquilina, Angele Attard, Maali Boukadi, Paula Alexandra Briffa, Justine Marie Bugeja, Daniela Cumbo, Maria Curmi, Ivan D’Amato, Anthea Mari Falzon, Jonathan Farrugia, Jesmar Galea, Maria Christina Galea, Rebecca Galea, Marie Noelle Gatt, Grace Rosanne Grima, Christabelle Jones, Jessica Mercieca, Maria Micallef, Margaret Muthoni Njoroge, Sophia Ariet Ngugi Njue, Kenneth Scerri, Jean Paul Scicluna, Imran Shaikh, Naomi Vella, Sarah Jane Vella, Charmaine Zahra and Edward Charles Zahra.

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Community Nursing