Graduation Ceremon
On October 21, 2021, The Catholic University in Erbil (CUE) held its first graduation ceremony at its campus for the class of 2020 and 2021 under the auspicious of the university Chairman of Board of Trustees and Chancellor, His Grace Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, and the presence of His Beatitude and Eminence Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Luis Sako, His Beatitude Assyrian Patriarch Mar Awa Royel, His Excellency Archbishop Mitja Leskovar Papal Nuncio, and His Excellency Mr. Idris Nechirvan Barzani, the Chancellor of the University of Kurdistan – Hawler (UKH).
The ceremony was attended by KRG ministers, KRG representatives, government officials, the university’s Board of trustees, faculty members, and graduates’ families. During the ceremony, CUE awarded 31 degrees to students graduating from its different departments, including Accounting,
Computer Science, Information Technology, International Relations, and English Language.
After welcoming the attendees and the guests, the ceremony started with a speech from His Grace Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, where he expressed his gratitude and appreciation to all those who have supported the university from the beginning. Additionally, he thanked the administration and faculty for their tremendous efforts in achieving the CUE mission and vision for helping the students throughout their educational journey. His Grace stated that “The Catholic University in Erbil presents significant platforms to progress many opportunities for young people of all faiths and their parents, bringing the country back to nationhood over time.”
The event continued with a speech by His Beatitude, Cardinal Sako, where he thanked Archbishop Warda for establishing such an institution that provides hope for the minorities of this region and a setting stone for their future careers.
Moreover, this event was taken as an opportunity to formally announce the establishment of the CUE Alumni Association which aims to serve the CUE Alumni in the IKR and beyond in their journey of success.
After declaring the degrees by the President and Vice-Chancellor of CUE, Asst. Prof. Dr. Riadh Francis and awarding the top students per department by Mr. Ibrahim Rasheed, the Director of Private Universities at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research at KRG, the event was closed with a speech on behalf of the student that Maryam Sa’oor delivered. Maryam thanked the university Chancellor, her parents, and colleagues for their support and enthusiasm, considering the challenges and triadic stories they passed through after ISIS took over to her hometown Mosul. Maryam said, “I am proud to be one of CUE’s graduates; this opportunity came to me as a miracle.
