Abu Dhabi: Khalifa University held its first post-merger graduation ceremony on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, with 658 students representing the class of 2017 receiving their higher education credentials.
The university merger in 2017 saw Khalifa University, Masdar Institute and the Petroleum institute combine into one single university with the goal of combining the resource pool of all three institutions. The ceremony was attended by Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council, who congratulated the graduates.
“I have already started working with Nawah energy company and my goal is to be a nuclear engineer to help my country provide clean and safe energy,” said Abdullah Nasser Al Mulla, an Emirati who graduated with high honours in electrical engineering.
“Nuclear energy is a new field for our country and it is a challenging one as well, but it will help make our electrical distribution much more efficient, and so I’m excited to be a part of this new direction. The UAE will prove that nuclear energy can be used for peaceful reasons to generate energy in an environmentally clean way,” he added.
Alyazyah Ahmad Al Suwaidi, another Emirati who graduated with a bachelors in computer engineering, said she wanted to advance the UAE’s use of technology and AI for the future.
“There are so many things happening now with technology and AI. My goal is to help my country take the next step when it comes to technology so we can continue to make the UAE a better place to live in for everyone.
“Women can certainly play a role in the technological sector, in my own workplace there are more women than men working in this field, and you can find the same thing in many different workplaces,” she added.
Omar Kazim, an Emirati graduate who received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, said he wanted to find new ways of making the UAE a better country.
“Today is just the start of something new, the story does not end with us graduating. I want to make everything around me better, that’s my goal and motivation, I want to build on the success and legacy of our country.
“As an engineer I want to work in manufacturing to help build things that will benefit our society and economy. I want to also be creative and try new things, innovation can always bring good results and more success,” he added.
