An educational system that focuses so much on measuring success solely through academic achievement can be limiting, and we must widen the meaning of success and how it can be measured, a PhD graduate told her fellow graduates yesterday.
Claudia Borg, who received her PhD in linguistics, told her audience how she had succeeded and reached her goals despite the hurdles that came her way, including being a slow learner.
“Although I did not let my failures get in my way, too often I see children who shy away from their dreams because they don’t measure up to the performance of their peers or what they perceive as being good enough. They retreat inward. The difference between me and them is simple. I started at the bottom, and every rung upwards represented success, no matter how small.
“To a child who is accustomed to succeeding, a rung downwards can be shattering.”
Ms Borg added: “My message to you is to go out there, forget the labels, forget the difficulties and forget the failures… For, like me, you are here, you succeeded. It is the labels, difficulties and failures of other people that we encounter that we must put aside.
“I am sure that my Form 2 teacher had no idea that one day I would be standing here, and neither did I. But she looked past what others called a slow learner.
“She believed that an additional couple of hours a week of individual attention would make a difference.”
Faculty of Laws
Master of Arts in Financial Services
Sponsor: Professor Kevin Aquil-ina, Dean, Faculty of Laws
Sabrina Abdilla, Cherise Ann Abela, Stevie Kristina Aquilina, Aaron Baldacchino, Yvette Borg Cardona, Christ Briffa, Stephanie Bugeja, Adriana Ciantar, Raymond Dalli, Ursula Maria Francesca Farrugia, Keith Mario Fenech, Stephanie Galea, Christian Gauci, Bernard Mallia, Jurgen Karl Meli, Marilyn Mifsud, Sara Pavia, Sarah Scicluna
Master of Arts in Human Rights and Democratisation of Governance
Sponsor: Professor Kevin Aquilina, Dean, Faculty of Laws
Mariette Borg Zammit, Ruth Chircop, Lara Rose Farrell*, Thomai Iasonidou, Noelene Scerri
Master of Arts in Law
Sponsor: Professor Kevin Aqui-lina, Dean, Faculty of Laws
Christine Borg. Carlos Bugeja, Ilona Debono, Robert Thake*, Stephen Zammit
Master of Arts in Mediation
Sponsor: Professor Kevin Aqui-lina, Dean, Faculty of Laws
Neville Aquilina, Tonio Cauchi, Daniela Chetcuti,Tania Farrugia, Diane Marie Psaila
Master of Arts in Ocean Governance
Offered in collaboration with the International Ocean Institute
Sponsor: Professor Kevin Aqui-lina, Dean, Faculty of Laws
Ming Min Chen, Yan Haoxin*, Chenchen Shen*, Ratchanok Towong, Yimin Wang*, Xuan Zhang*
Master of Laws in Energy, Environmental and Climate Change Law
Offered in collaboration with the Institute for Environmental and Energy Law (IEEL) of the University of Leuven
Sponsor: Professor Kevin Aqui-lina, Dean, Faculty of Laws
Matteo Accorsi, Bram Devlies, Joachim Gellynck*, Elizabeth Ann Truesdale Witek, Cécile Kim Loan Vô
Master of Laws in European and Comparative Law
Sponsor: Professor Kevin Aqui-lina, Dean, Faculty of Laws
Katrin Alegren Benndorf, Christian Frendo, Aron Hegyi, Martha Mifsud, Niamh Parker*, Tamas Tafferner
Master of Laws in International Law
Sponsor: Professor Kevin Aqui-lina, Dean, Faculty of Laws
Daniel Calleja
Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation
Master in Knowledge Based Entrepreneurship
Sponsor: Professor Russell Smith, Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation
James Charles Lawrence Attard, Emmanuel Bouvett, Nicholas Cassar, Matthew Mark Costa, Brian Delicata, Katya Dingli, Daniel Fenech, Gabriella Giacchino, Eman Mifsud, Shawn Patrick Mitchell*, Rachelle Hjm Muschamp, Anthony Sant, Shaun Smith Roberts, George Larry Zammit
International Institute for Baroque Studies
Master of Arts in Baroque Studies
Sponsor: Professor Denis De Lucca, Director, IIBS
Glorianne Briffa, Desirée Quintano
Institute of Linguistics
Master of Arts in Linguistics
Sponsor: Dr Albert Gatt, Director, Institute of Linguistics
Marthese Borg
Master of Science in Language and Computation
Sponsor: Dr Albert Gatt, Director, Institute of Linguistics
Marco Distefano
School of Performing Arts
Master of Arts
Sponsor: Professor Frank Camilleri, Director, School of Performing Arts
Alison Claire Bird, Patricia Chetcuti
Master of Music
Sponsor: Professor Frank Camilleri, Director, School of Performing Arts
Fernando Benito Saico, Tom Lee Borg
Master in Performance Studies (Dance)
Sponsor: Professor Frank Camilleri, Director, School of Performing Arts
Christabel Bajada, Ilona Baldacchino, Felix Busuttil, Lynne Salomone Reynaud, Sara Wiktorowicz
Doctor of Music
Sponsor: Professor Frank Camilleri, Director, School of Performing Arts
Gottfried Schneider
Institute of Linguistics
Doctor of Philosophy
Sponsor: Dr Albert Gatt, Director, Institute of Linguistics
Claudia Borg
* In absentia