December, 2019
Volume IV, Issue III
Fall XlX
BracU bids farewell to graduates were able to overcome the obstacles in their lives and gain success. He then stated the 4 maxims that guided these individuals, “follow your heart, dare to be different, embrace failure, and walk your own path.” He encouraged the graduates to follow these steps as well. After his speech, the respected Chairperson of BracU’s Board of Trustees, Tamara Hasan Abed gave a heartfelt speech about the history of BracU and how the university has transformed into one of the best private universities in the country. She hoped that this legacy will continue with what Professor Chang calls Brac University 2.0. Following this, the convocation was dignified with the attendance of former United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon who delivered a motivating speech to the graduating students, where he affirmed that the students hold the key to unlocking a more sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous world and hoped that the new graduates will open the door for a better future for all. Moreover, honourable Minister of Education Dipu Moni, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr A K Abdul Momen were some of the guests of honour BracU was privileged to have. They shared their thoughts and journeys through their speeches.
President Abdul Hamid being welcomed to the ceremony
Anindita Bose Sarah Nazia Chowdhury Journalist Journalist On December 23rd, Brac University held its 13th convocation with phenomenal success. With over 3,200 students graduating, this was one of the largest convocations in BracU’s history. The ceremony took place in the Bangladesh Army Stadium where there was a total of 9,000 attendees including students, faculty, and graduates with their proud family members. The ceremony began with the national anthem followed by recitals from the Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Quran and Tripitaka. The ceremony saw the presence of the honorable President of Bangladesh and Chancellor of Brac University, Mohammad Abdul Hamid, who declared the convocation open. Following his declaration, Vice Chancellor Professor Vincent Chang began his speech by sharing the compelling stories of 4 different individuals who had seen many struggles in life. However, with perseverance, these individuals
Among the graduates, Aritro Roy Arko (CGPA 4.00, CSE), Maisha M Chowdhury (CGPA 4.00, MS BIO), Arnisha Khondaker (CGPA 3.99, CSE) and SM Mahfuzur Rahman (CGPA 4.00, MA ENH) were selected to receive the Chancellor’s award. After the Chancellor’s awards were distributed, the 48 commendable students who received the Vice Chancellor’s award were asked to appear on the stage and receive their distinctions. Furthermore, other students who had outstanding results received acknowledgement by getting separate distinctions. The distinctions are classified into 3 categories which are the highest distinction (CGPA 3.80 or higher), high distinction (CGPA 3.65 to 3.79) and distinction (CGPA 3.50 to 3.64). After the acknowledgement, the students collected their certificates from their respective departmental stages. With the concluding speech from the Vice Chancellor, the convocation came to an end. After a long and exhausting day filled with excitement and anticipation, it was finally time to bid farewell to the graduates. The convocation would not have been successful without the help of the organizing team and the aid of over 400 volunteers who worked in different sectors and managed the whole event aptly to make sure the ceremony was carried out without any inconvenience. The end of the convocation marks the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of the graduates, as they embark on their dreams. We wish them the best in their journey and hope to see them achieve excellence in their future endeavours.
Help to Heal: a fundraiser for breast cancer Marzuq Mohammad Alam Journalist Brac University embraced an elegant shade of pink on November 18th with Help to Heal, a day-long fundraising event organised by BRAC University Natural Sciences Club (BUNSC). The key objective of this event was to raise funds and to create awareness of the persisting fight against breast cancer. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), breast cancer impacts around 2.1 million women each year, while being the leading cancer-related cause of death amongst women. The cause for concern elevates as incidence rates are on the rise on a global scale. As a result, the annual theme of ‘breast cancer awareness month’ is held globally throughout the month of October in order to raise awareness and gather the resources required to address this issue. Help to Heal was BUNSC’s way of bringing the message of ‘breast cancer awareness month’ directly to everyone at BracU. The event featured stalls from different commercial businesses established in Dhaka. Azuria, Lunettes, Organikare, Parmeeda and Styline Cosmetics were few among the 23 stalls present. The registration fees, collected from the stalls, were donated to Community Oncology Centre, a social organisation involved in the screening, counseling, research and treatment of cancer, focusing specifically on breast cancer. A spokesperson of BUNSC stated that the donation was meant as a token of gratitude and encouragement towards the organisation and their continuing work against cancer.
Yusuf Haider, Chairperson, Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, BRAC University and Dr Mahboob Hossain, Head of Microbiology Programme, BRAC University.
Furthermore, a general discussion session was held during the event with the key speakers being Dr Habibullah Talukder Ruskin, preventive oncologist, Community Oncology Centre; Hosneara Poly, a breast cancer survivor; Dr A F M
The event concluded with a certificate distribution ceremony along with the ceremonious handover of the collected funds, a total of BDT 1 lakh 7 thousand to Dr Habibullah.
Dr A F M Yusuf Haider inaugurating the event