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

Success can be achieved despite difficulties, graduates were told yesterday. Photo: Steve Zammit Lupi

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