Time is on your side and you should use it wisely, senior lecturer Timmy Gambin told fresh graduates yesterday at the University of Malta’s 15th ceremony for this year.
Most people were today living longer, he said. Because of this new and stretched timeline, the dawn of added responsibilities did not creep up on youths as early as it once did, providing the time and space for the expanded intellectual adventures that were unavailable for previous generations, Dr Gambin said at the Jesuits’ Church in Valletta.
“Some of you may not be aware of this because you have been brought up within this new timeframe and are currently living it.
“If you take nothing away from my words kindly take this: more than ever, time is on your side. In spite of this, it is also essential to never forget that time is also a very precious and finite resource – I implore you to use it wisely.”
He urged graduates to recognise, in themselves, the bright people they actually were.
They were, in his eyes at least, potentially on the brink of starting the “next leg of life’s odyssey”.
Dr Gambin added that the sort of person they grew into determined the impact they would have on those around them.
“There may come a time when you will be the beacon for future generations of youngsters, be they employees, students or researchers.
“Keep in mind that the light your followers will focus on is that which is currently being kindled within you.
Showing and sharing this light is both a responsibility that you must shoulder and an immense privilege with which you will hopefully be blessed.”
During the same ceremony, PhD graduand Christine Borg Farrugia asked fellow graduates whether they would now stop dreaming simply because they had achieved their target.
Through her speech Dr Borg Farrugia urged her peers to pursue new dreams, live to the full and embark on a new journey so that one day they would be able to motivate others to do the same.
Ceremony 15
Jesuits’ Church, Valletta
Faculty of Arts
Master of Arts
Sponsor: Professor Dominic Fenech, Dean, Faculty of Arts
Archaeology
Bernard Cachia Zammit, Raissa Deguara.
Contemporary Western Philosophy
Daniel Abela, Yanika Bugeja, Alan John Clarke, Richard William Mcgonigle.
English (English Language)
Doriette Brincat, Maria Cutajar, Sarah Cutajar, Marie Therese Moore, Corinne Vella, Adrian Xuereb, Andre Zahra.
English (Modern and Contemporary Literature and Criticism)
Fabienne Lara Abela, Gillian Bartolo, Daniela Maria Calleja, David Camilleri, Rebecca Camilleri, Christine Caruana, Clara Chetcuti, Kelly Dent, Lorella Fava, Pauline Fenech, Ambrose Dae Galea*, Renald Galea, Rachelle Gauci, Sephora Gauci, David Mangion, Elizabeth Micallef, Jeffrey Micallef, Jessica Micallef, Sheldon Muchmore, Ana Carolina Pomilio, Joseph Portelli*, Alessandra Maria Rivell Amadoz*, Lorraine Stagno, Laurie Texier*, Luca Ray Zerafa.
English and the Media
Kelly Maryanne Azzoppardi, Maria Cremona, Maria Michela Formosa, Elaine Gerada Gatt.
French
Ryan Grima.
Geography
Joanna Causon Deguara, Jonathan Cutajar, Stephan Micallef, Tiziana Mifsud*, Denise Mizzi, Sephora Sammut.
German
Nicole Mari Falzon.
History
Daniel Meilak
History of Art
Carmel Cassar, Marie Claire Finger
Humanitarian Action
Rebecca Abela, Louisa Attard, Adriana Grech, James Naudi, Maria Kristina Pace, Diana Lynn Spiteri.
International Relations
Saleh Ahmed Mamme.
Literary Tradition and Popular Culture
Ella Marie Cardona, Laura Clark, Denise Demicoli, Maria Falzon, Dajana Laketic, Philip Mario Magri, Marlene Mifsud Chircop, James Pace, Charlo Pisani, Jessica Sacco, David Scicluna, Christian Tabone.
Maltese
Keith Azzopardi, Roseanne Fabri, Carlston Grima, Jessica Micallef, Mariaelena Tanti Gregoraci.
Philosophy
Raisa Bartolo, Roderick Camilleri
Social Studies
Ritalin Cassar Farrugia, Anthony Cristina.
Sociology
Sharon Agius Dunlop, Naomi Fenech, Janice Fenech Scicluna, Annalise Muscat, Sharon Seychell, Mary Grace Vella, Gabriella Zahra.
Theatre Studies
Andrew Abela.
Master of Arts in Hospitaller Studies
Sponsor: Professor Dominic Fenech, Dean, Faculty of Arts
Matthew Balzan, Matthias Ebejer, Danielle Mallia, Mario Carlo Sciriha.
Master in Contemporary Diplomacy
Sponsor: Professor Dominic Fenech, Dean, Faculty Of Arts
Eliphas John Chinyonga, Lutine Frijda De Boer, Desiree Zeljka Evans, Towela P R Nyirenda Jere, Nada Kanj, Eliot Nsega, Keith Powell, John Shifidi*, Matthew Sultana, Kevon Swift, Talietha Tlhabanello*, Ana Maria Vella, Desiree Zachariah*.
Doctor of Philosophy
Sponsor: Professor Dominic Fenech, Dean, Faculty of Arts
Christine Borg Farrugia, Gisella Orsini, Charmaine Tanti.
* In absentia