INSIDE ACK 2017 GRADUATION ISSUE
CLASS OF 2017 The Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) celebrated the graduation ceremony of its students from various Bachelor and Diploma programs at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel under the patronage of Dr. Mohammad Abdulatif Mohammad Al-Fares, the Minister of Education and the Minister of Higher Education. 2 Inside ACK
In his opening remarks, Prof. Issam Zabalawi, President of ACK, said, We are celebrating the graduation of a new cohort of ACK students and recognizing the efforts, commitment and the intellect they brought to their work here in the College. As they are leaving ACK to join their predecessors to start their professional career or to pursue high education, we congratulate them on their tremendous achievement. Prof. Zabalawi extended the greetings and congratulations of Mr. Abdullah Al Sharhan, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees wishing everyone a successful endeavor. From his end, Mehran Jean Seraidarian, Diploma of Civil Engineering graduate, in his speech said, ACK has offered us a perfect learning environment and an experience that we can never forget; it will always stay in our memories. Thank you ACK for this great opportunity, we are proud for being your graduates. 3 Inside ACK
President s Message to the Students Dear Graduands, The ACK is proud of you because you acquired the attributes that integrate knowledge and employability in a domain characterized by modernity and authenticity. At ACK, our conducive environment energizes you to meet the needs of the workplace and to have positive attitude and the consciousness associated with the social and ethical responsibilities. Our programs and the extracurricular activities foster your attributes span as a professional and as a citizen and deepen your appreciation for the importance of knowledge, lifelong learning, communication, information literacy, problem solving, project based learning, teamwork, social responsibility and international perspectives, among others. Today one of the chapters in your life is completed and culminated by this graduation. However, a new endeavor is awaiting you. In that you may face many challenges, so it is the time to apply the basic principles that you have learned at ACK to conceive, to analyze, to synthesize, to optimize, to evaluate, to team and then to act accordingly. We know that each of you, as our ambassador, will find your own path of service to the nation and to the society. We look forward to seeing that path evolved and we hope that you remain connected to ACK to share your experiences, so we can benefit from your perceptions and talents. Graduands, you should know that your parents are very proud of you tonight. They have high hopes for you, and they believe in you, and you are making them proud by showing what you can accomplish. Take a look at them now, and you can see them smiling and snapping photos so they can record this moment forever. Today is an important day for you and for them. Tonight they are very proud of you. This would also be a good time to thank them for supporting you, because as much as this is your achievement, this is also the achievement of the people who care about you the most. They want you to be at your best and to live up to your potential and aspirations. Prof. Isam Zabalawi President Australian College of Kuwait 4 Inside ACK
Enabling human potential within a culture of care - ACK Core Value 5 Inside ACK
Valedictorian Speech Mohamed Al-Einawi Bachelors of Engineering Technology (Petroleum) It is a great honor to stand in front of you today, and talk about our lovely journey thus far at ACK. Words cannot express our feelings for such a sweet-bitter day. Sweet for we have finally graduated, and our hard work has finally paid off. It is also bitter because today we say farewell to our lovely family at ACK. ACK has been a second home for the past few years, and the faculty and staff have been our family during these times. And what a lovely family, may I say! No one would ever ask for more caring instructors, and more helpful staff that stood with us in bad before good times. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela wasn t exaggerating when he said these words. Education is indeed the most powerful tool to fight ignorance and enlighten minds. Today our world is in dire need for education, for knowledge can be the key factor in solving all our crises. With knowledge comes more understanding among us, and it will ultimately lead to peace and satisfaction. Without any doubt, the ideal environment to receive such knowledge is an advanced and joyful environment such as ACK s. In a few moments, we will end our journey here by throwing our graduation caps up high, which can symbolize our limitless dreams that I know we can all achieve. My fellow graduates, it has been a wonderful journey for me to study and work with all of you. I would like to sincerely thank you for everything, and especially those who were the closest to me, you are indeed like my brothers and sisters. Our instructors, whom we all cherish, we will carry your legacy in our hearts, and we will create our imprint in the world with this legacy; thank you for all your efforts. A special thank you goes to my family and loved ones for their constant support; I could not have done it without your guidance and love. And finally, on behalf of all the graduates, I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the parents for standing with us in every step of our lives. 6 Inside ACK
Graduation Speech Mehran Jean Seraidarian Diploma of Civil Engineering Every end has a new beginning. Today might be the last day for some of us as students, but I believe our learning will continue forever. When I joined the college, 3 years ago, I was excited but at the same time I was a little scared of the new reality. I was prepared to learn, explore, make new friends and get to know myself as an individual. I started a journey where I set the rules and guided myself, but today as I stand here, I am proud to say that I had made the right decision to come to ACK. ACK has offered us a perfect learning environment and an experience that we can never forget; it will always stay in our memories. Thank you ACK for this great opportunity, we are proud for being your graduates. Being a high achiever wasn t really easy; it needed full commitment, hard work and always seeking excellence. I thank God for all what he has granted us and would like to dedicate my success to my family, to my father who passed away three years ago, but will always be in my heart; my mom, who is here with us tonight, I couldn t have done it without you. Thank you mom and sister for being heroes in my life. Dear fellow graduates, be optimistic, be ambitious, don t give up in life and if you fall down, get back on your feet. Special thanks go to our instructors, who worked hard for us from day one, shared their talent for teaching and knowledge with us and tried every teaching method to deliver us lessons; you took the time to explain assignments, sometimes repeatedly because we weren t paying attention. You put in the effort to make lessons more interesting so we wouldn t just tune out. We are all proud for having our instructors as our role models, and today we promise them to continue our journey, by working hard in life and never giving up. Today, we stand up honored and proud for what we have achieved, looking forward to a bright future and to bring more and more success to our beloved country Kuwait. Always remember that the future is truly in our hands, so let s make the most of it. 7 Inside ACK
Pictures from the Graduation Ceremony 8 Inside ACK
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ACK Auspice Partners, from left to right: Mr. Alastair Dawson - Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (International and Services Division) at CQUniversity, Prof. Lee Di Milia - Dean, School of Business and Law at CQUniversity, Mr. Richard Pierrynowski - Associate Dean School of Science and Technology at Cape Breton University, Prof. Dale Keefe - President and Vice- Chancellor (Interim) at Cape Breton University, Prof. Colin Greensill - Dean, School of Engineering and Technology at CQUniversity, Dr. Abdullah Karkouh - Vice President Administrative Affairs at ACK, Dr. Mohammed Abdul-Niby - Acting Dean School of Engineering at ACK, Dr. Sam Toglaw - Dean School of Business at ACK, and Prof. David McCorquodale - Dean School of Science and Technology at Cape Breton University 17 Inside ACK
Organizing Committee and Staff Volunteers 18 Inside ACK
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2017! Inside ACK 19