A total of 406 graduates received their diplomas at the graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Health Sciences (ETK) that was held in the Budapest Congress Center. Following the taking of their oath, students were recognized as graduates with handshakes from rector Dr. Béla Merkely and dean Dr. Zoltán Zsolt Nagy.
“You can proudly say that you were students of a great and diverse university, and that your diploma bears the name of an institution that is well-known and recognized world-wide,” said dean Dr. Zoltán Zsolt Nagy in his speech, noting that Semmelweis University is highly ranked on international ranking lists and that its international students arrived from more than 70 countries to study in Hungary. He commented that while in the previous year, the 200th anniversary of the births of two greats of Hungarian patient care and medicine, Zsuzsanna Kossuth and Ignác Semmelweis, were celebrated by the university mostly in Hungary, this past year the celebrations continued on an international stage, among others with the unveiling of several new Semmelweis statues in cities around the world. “In September, our university will begin its 250th academic year, which our faculty is making special preparations for, with close to 50 events to be held on October 4,” the dean pointed out.
He advised students to strive to make use of the knowledge they gained as much as possible in their practical work, and placed special emphasis on the word ‘vocation.’ “If you truly experience the practice of your profession as a vocation, you will happier and will more easily overcome problems and difficulties,” said Dr. Nagy. The dean recommended that graduates continue to develop the skills of their profession and hoped that the university managed to successfully impart on them the thinking and sensitivity to problems of the health care professionals working in their field, as well as their empathy and willingness to help others. “Believe in yourselves and radiate self-confidence that you are capable of pursuing the noble and complex task of your work,” he added.
The dean reviewed the most important faculty events of the past academic year, noting that in the last semester, 2761 students took part in the Hungarian-language program at the faculty, and a total of 375 students were enrolled in the English-language and off-campus programs. The expansion of the faculty’s building located in Vas utca has come to its final, third phase, with the design and implementation plans completed this year. He highlighted the fact that the faculty’s Hungarian-language physical therapist BSc program received during the year the accreditation of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) for a period of five years. Finally, he expressed his hope that the students will be able to meet the challenges of the world with the knowledge they have gained.
Led by vice-dean Dr. István Vingender, graduating students took their oaths, after which Dr. Béla Merkely and Dr. Zoltán Zsolt Nagy recognized them as graduates with their handshake. Students were presented diplomas at the ceremony in a total of 17 different programs and specializations.
In the 2018/2019 academic year, 75 students graduated at the Lugano off-campus training of the Faculty of Health Sciences: 73 graduates received their diplomas at the graduation ceremony held in Lugano, while two graduates were conferred their degrees at the Budapest event.
Gallery
In the name of the graduating class, the first speech was held by freshly graduated nurse Orsolya Kozák, who emphasized that students can be proud of themselves for successfully overcoming many challenges over the past four years. “We not only increased our knowledge, but we developed a lot as people too, and we made connections that will define the rest of our lives,” she said, expressing her thanks to the lecturers, who passed on their knowledge and experience relentlessly, and emphasized that it is they who give Semmelweis University its reputation, not the buildings or the great halls.
“This summer, many of us will be starting entry-level jobs that will be the beginning of our careers, once again on the bottom rung of the ladder, but thanks to everything we have learned so far, I am confident that we will keep climbing, as if we are on an endless ladder to heights we have never achieved before,” noted physical therapy student Kennedy Anelechi in his farewell speech. He thanked the support of their families, and urged graduates to make their unique contribution to the world.
The ceremony concluded with a performance by the university’s Medic Orchestra.
For the complete photo gallery, please visit our Hungarian site for the report on the event.
Tamás Deme
Photo: Gábor Ancsin
