On Friday, May 20th, 40 students from 15 different countries and 4 continents received their degrees from The American University of Rome today, May 20th. AUR’s Commencement Exercises were held in the charming settings of Villa Aurelia, on the Gianicolo hill, close to the AUR Campus. Degrees were awarded in International Business, Art History, Communication, Film and Digital Media, Interdisciplinary Studies, International Relations and Global Politics, Business Administration.
An Honorary Degree was awarded to The Honorable David H. Thorne, US Ambassador to Italy, for his business accomplishments, exemplary community service, philanthropic achievement and long standing support to the arts in Italy and in the US.
AUR’s Degrees offer students a broad range of opportunities. 30% of this year’s 40 graduates will continue their study in Italy or elsewhere in the world, with several of them already accepted on Post Graduate programs at Columbia University in New York, Kings College in London, London School of Economics, The American University of Paris. The remaining half is entering the job market. Last year over 80 % of AUR’s graduates were employed within 3 months from graduation.
Read the Speech by Class Representative Petar Stoykov
Graduation Speech by Petar Stoykov
Your Excellency, Mr. President, distinguished guests, dear classmates, faculty, friends and families. We have gathered in this solemn moment to celebrate the biggest achievement of our life, so far that is. When I came to AUR 4 years ago, I perceived graduation as an end. Now I have come to realize that this is just the beginning.
When I started writing my speech so many memorable moments of our life at AUR flashed in my mind. But I wish to focus on the things that we have taken from our experience here that we will always carry with us and will always make us unique. Eternal love for the eternal city is certainly amongst one of them. But what is really the most valuable attribute that we acquired here. Not an easy question but if you think about it the answer is simple – the power of freedom. Many of you come from the land of freedom and have experienced it in many ways but there’s another kind of freedom that I want to talk to you about, one that we’ve achieved here in Rome and AUR. First of all, the purpose of a university education is not solely to provide us with the skills necessary to perform well in our future job. It has a lot bigger mission – to make us individuals that are aware and conscious of the world surrounding them and the opportunities that it offers. To know how to be social human beings, to know what we like and don’t like, essentially, to know ourselves. To provide us with knowledge and in this way with the freedom to think, evaluate and most importantly the freedom to make an educated choice. Because only the one possessing knowledge can truly be free. Without a doubt AUR has performed this mission in a flawless manner and when we all turn back to the day we came here we see what a long way we’ve walked and how far we’ve reached. Furthermore, something that truly makes AUR and respectively its students unique is that it did make us citizens of the world, taught us how to find a common language with people from all corners of the planet, and thus taught us that there can be an immense number of answers to the very same question. Our experiences here have really expanded our horizon and world perspective. For example I now know that in Italy this (cornutto symbol) does not mean Heavy Metal nor the Long Horns, but can easily mean a blue eye. I now know that a can of ice-cold Coca-Cola can really warm the heart of an American – Alexa Caesar.
We not only obtained this richness but we did it in the most spectacular fashion – We’ve had the opportunity to travel the world and to visit remarkable places such as Brussels, Geneva, Montenegro, Vienna, the Basque Country, Northern Ireland, Boston, Cinque Terre, Genova, Sicily, Modena and of course, the one and only trip to Kosovo (which Prof. Luca Ratti might well remember) and many many more. These unforgettable experiences are already legendary, with the prospect of becoming part of Roman mythology. These are the moments I will always remember, look back at and smile, knowing that we’re rich not in monetary value, but in culture and unique experiences. And of course how can one forget the endless Roman nights that only Giordani Bruno’s statue can tell you more about. Thank God there’s you guys as proof that those moments were real because no one back home believes my Rome stories.
However, we didn’t only grow through our studies at AUR but also through living in Rome, as Romans. This city has given us so much, but most importantly it taught us how to live la dolce vita. We all remember having to deal with those elderly neighbors who complain that you’re walking too loudly in your room or taking a too noisy shower, managing to get on that 44 bus when your eyes tell you that there is physically no space in there. Buying that slice of pizza in time to get back to class even though the pizzeria is crowded and no one even thought of standing in a line – it might have not felt like it at the time, but yes, dear classmates, this is also freedom. Because we know that wherever we go we can make it on our own no matter how far from home, and we can and will do it again.
Fellow classmates, I am thrilled to see us all achieve more and more every year, but as I’ve already mentioned this is merely the beginning. Remember those mornings that you didn’t want to open your eyes because you knew that that paper is due in several hours, or that night that you didn’t close your eyes because you needed to finish that presentation. And you asked yourself- when am I finally going to become a real person. Well, this time has come. Now is the time to blaize our trail and to leave our mark. And it’s not that we weren’t real people until now, but as of today we can really make real impact on the world we live in. And I want to encourage all of us to do that, not to be afraid of challenges and to pursue our dreams no matter how big or crazy they might seem.
Last but not least, on behalf of Class of 2011, I would like to thank all the people who made this amazing journey possible.
Today, we are grateful to the entire AUR faculty who empowered us, inspired us and through their efforts made us truly educated individuals and not simply schooled.
Today, we are grateful to the AUR administration who assisted us during our studies in every way. To our friends from Student Life who really made our student lives easier.
Today, we are grateful to our loving families, who gave us the invaluable opportunity to be here and supported us all the way.
But most importantly, I am grateful to you, dear classmates for showing me so much of the world, for sharing with me, and for learning from eachother. Above all, thank you, for the friendships that we’ve built which I am more than sure will be life-lasting.
Class of 2011 – In bocca al lupo , THE WORLD, IS, OURS.
Other Speeches in PDF format:
