UOW Virtual Graduation Celebration - Faculty of Business & Law
[Music] welcome to the university of wollongong's first ever virtual graduation event celebrating our graduating class of 2020 graduation marks the occasion where a student is conferred by their university officially receiving their degree it is a tradition that started in the 12th century and although it looks different this year this does not make the occasion any less significant not only is this graduation like no other in uow's history but your last year of study was like no other in history you faced huge hurdles yet you continue to show up with optimism innovation determination and confidence tonight we are incredibly proud to congratulate you on the work you have done and to celebrate this immense achievement graduation is always a special time at the university and our graduates are our proudest achievement the embodiment of our work your success drives us forward for almost 50 years eurow has educated and trained leaders of society and produced ideas and innovation which have led to great social and scientific change from humble beginnings we're now one of the world's best modern universities our researchers graduates and teachers inspire a better future through education research and partnership and uow people are recognised as some of the best in their field graduation is also a time to reflect on how you would like to contribute to the world it is the uow tradition to pursue your purpose stand for good and make a difference the formality of graduation will stand in place as a crucial milestone in your life but it is what you do from here that really counts graduating class of 2020 it is our sincere hope that you along with your family and friends enjoy tonight's virtual graduation event [Music] good evening and welcome to the university of wollongong's virtual graduation event celebrating our graduating class of 2020. for those of you who don't know me i'm professor colin picker and i'm the executive dean of the faculty of business and law hopefully you're watching along at home tonight with your family and friends as we together celebrate your momentous achievement maybe you've dressed up and perhaps you've prepared a celebratory meal with friends and family regardless in whatever way you've chosen to celebrate i'm extremely glad that you'll be able to take part virtually in this celebration i'm sure the people sitting beside you or cheering you on from afar now or when watching it later are all very proud of you as we are here at the university of wollongong pride in our graduates isn't anything new we have always incredibly proud of our uw graduates but i have to say during this past year especially we've been in awe the determination and resilience shown by our students the adoptability and endurance that you've demonstrated throughout your final year of university is an achievement in and of itself and an experience that you'll take with you into your careers and from which you will continue to draw for many years to come we know that this isn't how you imagined your graduation celebration to be but we hope you'll make the most of it tonight and that you and along with those celebrating with you tonight or later recognize the significance of this occasion tonight you're going to hear from the university of wollongong chancellor miss christine mclaughlin as well as from our vice chancellor professor paul wowings and one of your fellow students graduating from the faculty of business and law will give the student address here at the university we have over 2 000 staff members working in varying roles across teaching research and administration but what makes uow such a nurturing environment is that our staff wherever they may be all care about our students indeed we've gathered messages of congratulations from all across the uw community for you to hear tonight as part of the celebration and we hope that you recognize some familiar faces tonight you will become a part of the uow alumni community joining over 163 000 graduates from 179 countries across the world as you would have learned in your studies our faculty of business-in-law takes the role of the individuals in working ethically and for the public good very seriously for example through the deep presence of social justice in our lost subjects or through our focus on socially responsible business practices in our business subjects but now as you go out into the world you will have the chance to use those lessons in your future careers and in so doing we'll be contributing to the betterment of our world following in the footsteps of previous generations of business and law alumni so without further ado i'd like to welcome jade kennedy to give the acknowledgement of country see regardless of where you find yourselves today it's important that we take a moment to acknowledge country see for us not only is it right way but it's also an act of reverence and respect for the learning that you've undertaken in this place on this country and with this country see in our way we're always in relationship with country and in that we have an exchange we learn from country and country teaches us too and so for each and every one of you wherever you are at this time we asking that you take a moment to acknowledge give reverence and respect to this country that has helped you learn and achieve the amazing achievements that you are being recognized for today and in that act we give respect and regard to guruwi to beriberi and the wara binji nandagari see from this day forward they will all walk with jew too that is the seagull the humpback whale and the red belly black snake congratulations all of you and remember with our country with only ourselves and alone and through that acknowledgement of country we are never just ourselves and alone thank you thank you jade i'd now like to introduce the chancellor of the university of wollongong ms christine mclaughlin to address our graduating class of 2020. 2020 was the year you proved what we always knew about our uow students that you are resilient you are determined and you are courageous the great privilege that i have as chancellor of the university is to say how proud all of us are in you our graduates we are confident that the education you've undertaken with us here at uow will be a means of transformation in your life the life of your families and society at large i encourage you to take on the challenges of your career with vitality and confidence and to use the knowledge and skills you have gained responsibly we are certain that your achievements will continue to enhance the uow tradition of professional excellence and community service more than ever before the world needs people like you to help us face the challenges that lie ahead this moment marks the beginning of many things not the least the start of your career and your continuous growth as a professional but it also marks the beginning of the life ahead of you and what a unique and brilliant life that shall be congratulations to each and every one of you thank you chancellor for that lovely message to our graduates and their families we certainly face many challenges moving forward however having gotten to know many of you over the years i'm confident that we are in good hands [Music] now we hear from uw's vice chancellor professor paul wellings i would like to extend a warm welcome to our graduating students along with your family friends and supporters the coronal virus pandemic has brought about many changes and this includes the way we present our graduation ceremonies traditionally the vice chancellor doesn't have the honor of addressing graduates at these ceremonies as that's left to the university's chancellor so tonight i'm honored to have the opportunity to acknowledge our newest graduates in this special graduation event as you watch on from home it's my hope that you're in the company of friends and loved ones for tonight is not only a celebration of you but also the opportunity to thank all those who've made your achievements possible your family your friends and your teachers this is a special moment for them too and i'm sure they're incredibly proud of how far you've come tonight we acknowledge the important role that they've played and invite them to share in your success 2020 was certainly a year where everyone had to adapt to doing things differently the responsiveness resilience and flexibility of our students and staff in the face of these challenges has demonstrated the strength of our culture and the commitment to our students the university has been creative and innovative as we ensure that we remain a truly global institution throughout these unprecedented times for example as the kovid 19 pandemic took hold staff were quickly retrained and a thousand subjects were made available online as a community we came together to overcome perhaps the biggest global challenge that most of us will ever see in our lifetime i congratulate each of you on your graduation and wish you every success in the future the skills and knowledge you've drawn upon to adapt to the changes faced throughout the year will serve you well throughout your career the university and our alumni contribute greatly to lead the leadership innovation and the renewal of businesses in our communities this is particularly important during these challenging times you're now part of a vibrant global community with more than 163 000 alumni from 179 countries each with the shared experience of studying at the university of wollongong i encourage you to stay connected with the university and your fellow graduates the relationships you have formed here will be invaluable in the years to come these bonds provide a strong support network wherever you may go congratulations graduates you are exceptional people who reflect the university's sense of commitment to contribute to give back to our communities i'm confident that you're all equipped to make the difference in this important and unique time in our history thank you for professor williams each year graduation we recognize those students who have passed away before reaching their graduation we send our thoughts to their families and to their loved ones and hope they're watching today in recognition of their achievements we will now pause to recognize and pay tribute to these graduates [Music] thank you for taking that time it's now my pleasure to welcome our student speaker for the faculty of business and law hello everyone i'm craig conway and i'm going to assume that you also are sharing both my relief and excitement to have successfully completed your degree as a mature well maybe that's taken a little bit too far as an older student it has been especially grand to experience undertaking new practices and thought processes as i move through my coursework i have had the added bonus of sharing my studies with two cohorts which was a complete windfall and an honor to work alongside such talented people it has been fantastic to watch everybody either enhance their current role within their organisation or to move on to a new role with a different organization and some have even started up their brand new business opportunities along the way the sydney business school smorgasbord was definitely a hit and each weekend left all of us a couple of kilos heavier we're lucky that covert 19 changed up the delivery mode as we would have had to add these additional kilos to our waistline i can genuinely state for my cohort that team uow was instrumental in facilitating both our individual learnings and encouraging collegiate ways to grow us personally and professionally we would like to acknowledge three amazing supports of ours in dr grace mccarthy dr alex kabinska and the international librarian of the year for two years running miss lauren richardson this is probably a good time to acknowledge our loved ones and friends that have also supported us to achieve this outcome i am really excited to practice my new skills and experiences and even more excited to continue the relationships with my university colleagues and to watch them all further succeed in their professions to every graduate from our faculty of business and law i congratulate you on reaching this milestone and i sincerely wish you the very best in your careers thanks very much thank you craig it's wonderful here to hear from one of our graduates who i'm sure will continue to achieve amazing things in his career it is now my great pleasure to present the university medalist and doctoral award recipients from the faculty of business and law for the year 2020. [Music] [Music] it is now time for the graduate role you have the opportunity to see your degree and your name on screen and as is the benefit of watching at home you can even pause when your name is up on the screen so everyone watching along with you can share and take photos during the time you'll also see messages of support and congratulations from across the uw community we hope you enjoy hearing how proud we are of you [Music] so [Music] congratulations graduating class of 2020 your completion of your studies in the unique world that we find ourselves in is truly inspirational i'm teresa hoynes director of student and accommodation services division graduation is the highlight of my job i would normally be applauding loudly as i officiate graduation as your master of ceremonies today my pride and joy is not diminished as your completion of studies in a year of firsts is truly inspirational you have joined our alumni community having shown determination and resilience through our most difficult year you provide aspiration to the students who follow you as 2021 unfolds thank you to your family and friends and everyone who has supported you your teachers your pets and many more i'm sure my warmest congratulations as you join our amazing global alumni community the students of the university of wollongong have come through the test of fire this year they've come through the tremendous struggle against curve at 19 on a global level and on a personal level they've missed out on a lot of things but they've shown their metal and that metal will take them on to being concerned for others in our world and realizing how all the big issues are global issues at the university of wollongong and its alumni must play a big part in improving our world upholding human rights and standing up for minorities including the indigenous minority and for women for people of color and for lgbt people so good luck to the alumni and graduates of the university of hong kong [Music] hello everyone and congratulations to all of our business undergraduate and post-graduate students you are absolutely amazing you've coped with all the changes of 2020 all the anxiety the switch to online and switch to working from home all the anxiety around health not being able to travel to see friends and family and you did it you've graduated you are absolutely wonderful you've demonstrated great perseverance resilience qualities that every employer values so as you go into your next stage whether it's a new job going up the corporate ladder starting your own business all the wonderful opportunities that you have do keep in touch keep in touch through our alumni keep in touch on linkedin and we look forward to seeing you take part in our alumni events in the future well done and all the best [Music] [Music] congratulations graduates on behalf of career central what you've achieved this year in the face of such adversity is a real testament to your grit your resilience and your focus on your goals we continue to be here to support you throughout the next stages if you need some assistance applying for roles or to talk through your career options please get in contact with us and congratulations again remember that careers is a journey and you're about to embark on the next step so go brilliantly thank you congratulations yay you did it going to miss your beautiful faces on campus and congratulations nicole from gypsy jones with my team here um 2020 has been roughly all i'm sure but you've graduated now so that's fantastic congratulations to all of you we hope you've done really well and you're enjoying life hope to see your faces on campus again soon congratulations everyone and take care [Music] graduates [Music] congratulations graduates you did it 2020 has been a surprising and scary year but apparently not as surprising as our covered virtual service desk regardless thank you for making the library such a happy and friendly place to be a part of even if it was from behind the screen you deserve to celebrate be proud hi there michael mcqueen here just wanted to say congratulations to the graduating class i mean hey it's been a really difficult last year or so there's there's no way of getting around that you know what i want to encourage you with is you have made it you are here and it's interesting my work on a daily basis today is with people who are leading organizations and institutions and the conversations i have with them around what they're looking for in graduates in next generation leaders in the world that comes up consistently is that of resilience and if there's one thing that the last few years has taught all of us particularly in light of the covert 19th pandemic and everything that surrounded that is and resilience is something that's like a muscle it needs to be worked out it needs to be strengthened over time and the fact that you're here shows that you've got what it takes i just wanted to affirm you encourage you and wish you all the very very best hi how's it going it's adam and hazar from tulish and would like to congratulate all the graduates this year and hopefully we'll see you one day for a snack pack thank you congratulations guys all the best [Music] [Music] congratulations congratulations on graduating we're going to miss you guys at all of our events fun and good times our events won't be the same without you guys best of luck in the future congratulations congratulations on graduating from an easy crew we'll be seeing you guys around getting one morning carpets [Music] hey everyone this is zach from saltwater dreamtime i just wanted to wish congratulations to all of those students that are graduating from the university of wollongong i myself am a graduate of uaw many years ago i graduated and i just wanted to give you all a little bit of advice that i like to live by it's to be like a palm tree so remember to stand tall remember your roots enjoy the view drink plenty of water and soak up the sun congratulations again and all the best bye congratulations you've made it through the hardest year we'll see you for your replacement documents from all of us at student central g'day wollongong legends it's luke here from the class of 2006 uh sending you a big congratulations all the way from london like me if you get the opportunity to teach and travel abroad i definitely recommend it it's an amazing adventure and it's great for your personal and professional development i thought i'd pick an iconic spot for this message so i'm currently out the front of the blue anchor which is famous for being in the movie sliding doors and um i think it's time for a pint and to send you guys some cheers from the uk enjoy the celebrations congratulations on graduating from everyone at learning developments it seems that you made it through and that all your hard efforts have paid off so congratulations well done [Music] so well done on graduating all the best for the future congratulations from the student programs team [Music] congratulations everyone who has graduated with the uowx record it's so great that you've engaged in learning experiences and opportunities outside of your academic coursework throughout your time at uow to help you stand out to future employers an extra special congratulations to all of you who have gone above and beyond in your involvement and achieved the uows award to achieve this award especially in such a challenging year really demonstrates your commitment and dedication to your personal professional development well done the uowx team wish you all the best in your future endeavors hey there i'm matt bullock i'm the founder of spinify i'm also the founder of eway the payments company and the founder of the 10k club you may have heard of this is just a quick video from my lego room in canberra to say congratulations you should be super proud of what you've done i did my computer science degree at the university of wollongong so long ago but it's something that i've kept and it's just made an amazing difference to my life you should be crazy proud of what you've done it's a huge achievement well done enjoy [Music] hello from casper nepal congratulations on graduating when i was graduating i did not know where i was headed you probably are thinking the same but trust me someday you'll know exactly where you want to go and you will get there with full success once again congratulations and best wishes hi everyone this is the imts av support team congratulations on beating the odds and graduating congratulations to all students on graduating considering it was a very very difficult year for everyone well done very proud congratulations to all of you for making this through the year it's really [Music] welcome [Music] so [Music] [Music] congratulations class of what an extraordinary achievement my name is monique harper richardson and i'm the director of advancement here at the university today is a really special day and i hope that your friends and family are joining in this momentous occasion what's even more exciting is that you're joining an alumni community of 170 000 people all around the world and you'll add your distinctive style flavor and experiences to that extraordinary community so welcome to the alumni and have a fantastic graduation to the graduating class of 2020 congratulations you've worked so hard to get to this point and it is now time to celebrate and and to enjoy this time with your family and friends i look forward to seeing all the difference that you'll make and i wish you all the very best in your careers congratulations [Music] do [Music] [Music] hi my name's jenny martin i'm the deputy vice chancellor research and innovation i'm really delighted to congratulate everybody on graduating today it's been such a crazy world the last 12 18 months so you should all be very proud of your achievements under very difficult and challenging circumstances i wanted to congratulate everyone with a special shout out to all of those higher degree research students phd and master's students but everyone who has lived through this crazy time and has worked through to get the degree of their of their choice so well done and uh i guess i'd just like to say aim high um this is just the beginning of your journey and use it as a great stepping stone to whatever comes next congratulations and uh celebrate your achievements [Music] hello my name is alex freino i'm the deputy vice chancellor global strategy at the university of wollongong i'm responsible for the internationalisation of the university can i first congratulate uh the class of 2020 what a year it's been and what a great class you're going to be i remember that sitting exactly where you are being in exactly your position 32 years ago here at this university and what i can tell you is there's an exciting time that's going to unfold in front of you the world's your oyster you can do anything you're a graduate of the university of waldon once again congratulations to you and i wish you all success in future congratulations to the class of 2020 on your graduation and the completion of this phase of your life of learning i'm tim mccarthy the head of school of civil mining and environmental engineering special shout out to the students from high school on your graduation the country needs you to help rebuild in the post coven 19 economy i'm filming this from the solar decathlon desert rose house that many of today's graduates helped build from across all faculties of the university a special shout out to solar decathlon alumni each and every graduate from all faculties of the university deserve the highest praise for completing your studies under such adverse circumstances i praise you and your lecturers for not letting the greatest disruption to normal life in our lifetimes from halting your progress your graduation is a proud achievement made extra special by your tenacity and resilience in the face of adversity well done [Music] hello and welcome to nikki's backyard biochemistry where today i'm talking about your graduation now you will receive a degree this is a testament to all of your hard work all of that stress all of the sacrifices that you've made we honour and we recognize your massive achievement and now that you have that degree you can know it in here that you have earned it and there's no one there is no one who can ever take that away from you from this day you should stand tall you be proud because this is validation of the truth that you are strong you are smart you are so capable and whatever challenges life now throws at you you know you can rise up and you can meet those challenges you can succeed and you will excel and graduates i am so so deeply proud of you congratulations graduates congratulations congratulations to the graduating class of 2020 you're walking into a world that's been forever changed and my greatest hope for you is that you continue to be the ones to change it for the better when i graduated from uiw i didn't know what i wanted to do or where i wanted to go but i do remember feeling like anything is possible harness the feeling that you can do anything because you can hi graduates mike snesby chief executive stan here congratulations on your graduation from the university of wollongong whatever age or stage of life you're at this is the start of a brand new chapter for you it's a chapter that i remember very fondly myself when i graduated from the university of wollongong over 20 years ago so wherever you are today and whomever you're with please take the time throw a cap in the air and celebrate this fantastic achievement [Music] congratulations [Music] so [Music] hi i'm jamie beveridge a proud aboriginal woman and uow alumni i'm currently the executive director of indigenous strategy for many of you graduating today university wasn't a rite of passage many of you have succeeded against all odds and overcome personal challenges graduating today illuminates determination commitment and hard work your newly acquired toolbox of skills and education combined with truth-telling empathy and a genuine desire for positive change for our tomorrow well it'll see doors open and provide you with access to places in spaces of responsibility and i encourage you all to be courageous and kind in your professional journey congratulations to you all each and every one of you the emerging leaders and change agents of our tomorrow [Music] [Music] congratulations for your graduation enjoy this day it's very important for you and remember this is only the beginning believe in your dreams and do your best to realize them bye and congratulations again hello uh class of 2020. um my name is professor theo farrell i'm the deputy vice chancellor for education here at the university of wollongong and i want to start by saying congratulations congratulations on on your graduation now you know this past year between the bushfires and the global pandemic has been a really tough year for our whole community and of course most of all for you our students so really really well done on completing your studies and on a graduation from your course as we begin the third decade of the 21st century we see so many challenges ahead and global climate change global and local inequalities and also of course the need to tackle global economic recovery so lots of challenges there and lots of opportunities as well for bright hard-working dedicated people to forge careers and make a difference in the world so i'm confident that you will be enjoying those careers and making that difference we're very proud of our graduation students and of course you join a community of alumni who have graduated over the years with us so we look forward to hearing from you in the years ahead and hearing about your successes we hope you keep in touch and most of all i wish you the very best with your future careers [Music] thank you all for joining us tonight as we celebrate the university of wollongong's graduating class of 2020.
what a change this has been from past ceremonies though different i hope you all agree that it has been no less special so for one final time congratulations and good night [Music] [Music] [Music] you
2021-03-04 18:54
