AKU graduates urged to seize opportunities to innovate

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

In his address to Aga Khan University’s 2017 convocation, chief guest Sindh Governor, Mohammad Zubair, extended his personal congratulations to the 360-strong graduating class.

He praised parents and faculty for their contribution in the graduands’ achievements calling them “great players” in building the character and future prospects of today’s students. 

In his welcome address, the AKU President, Firoz Rasul, recognized the determination, passion and talent of the students as he urged them to remember the importance of innovation in overcoming tomorrow’s challenges. 

He highlighted how an innovative mindset required a willingness to explore new perspectives and to engage with others to find alternative ways to solve problems. 

“The innovator is above all a seeker. She feels in her bones that there is another and better way. But she also knows she does not possess all the answers. So she is driven to search for knowledge, to question the prevailing wisdom, to explore the world with her eyes wide open.”

In the quest for knowledge, there is no greater resource available than a mindset that values pluralism and diversity, which enables one to pool together the benefits of different traditions, novel perspectives and undervalued opinions to deliver meaningful innovations, the AKU President added. 

The convocation was an especially memorable day for MBBS student Atiya Hameedullah as she joined her father in becoming alumni from the University. Atiya’s father, Dr Hameed Ullah completed his residency in anaesthesiology from AKU in 1996. 

Speaking on the day, Atiya said: “It is such an honor to be graduating from AKU today, 26 years after both my parents graduated as doctors. Words cannot do justice to the sacrifices they have made to get me to where I stand today so I shall just say this: ‘Ammi and Abbi, this one’s for you. Thank you.” 

Another proud parent, Kashif Malik, a gastroenterologist at Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, was delighted to see his daughter, Ramsha Kashif, an MBBS graduate, follow in his footsteps by becoming a doctor. 

A delighted Ramsha said: “My father has made such a tremendous effort to support me through these five wonderful years at AKU. His dedication to patients was my key inspiration to begin this journey and I really hope that one day I am able to give this profession the same level of commitment that he does.” 

The Convocation 2017 saw the School of Nursing and Midwifery graduate 129 nurses, 118 with undergraduate and 11 with graduate degrees. The Medical College awarded 40 masters and 91 bachelor’s degrees, as well as three advanced diplomas and 11 diplomas in dental hygiene. 

The AKU also awarded 37 master’s degrees in education and 12 Master of Arts in Muslim Cultures. The Medical College’s 2017 Best Graduate Award was presented to Dr Mujtaba Mubashir who achieved the highest aggregate score in the certifying examinations through the five-year programme leading to the MBBS degree. 

Dr Mubashir also received the Medical College’s Gold Medal, only the 9th to be awarded to a student who achieves the top scores in at least three of the four certifying examinations, including the final examination. 

Amyna Ismail received the 2017 Best Graduate Award from the School of Nursing and Midwifery. This award is presented to the student who achieves the highest CGPA among the graduating classes in the BScN and Post-RN BScN programmes and who is also selected for the Nursing Practice Award. 

The Nursing Practice Award is given to the graduating student whose clinical and community practice reflected a client-centered approach, distinctive critical thinking, problem solving abilities and ethical decision making.