28 June the graduates of three faculties - the Faculty of Public Governance and Business (FPGB), the Law School (LS) and the Faculty of Human and Social Studies (FHSS) - were awarded their diplomas at a ceremony held at Mykolas Romeris University. 769 diplomas were handed out during the celebration.
The ceremony was attended by the Rector of MRU, Vice-Rectors, Deans of the Faculties, distinguished guests, graduates, faculty and staff.
The Rector, Prof. Inga Žalėnienė, congratulated the graduates and said that she believed that if young people persist in pursuing their dreams, they will come true. The Rector wished the graduating students to take the values of honesty, respect, responsibility, trust, doing good deeds and uplifting the human spirit with them as they close the doors of their Alma Mater on their life journey.
"If I could sign, I would give each of you a diploma for a long, meaningful and happy life. But I can rejoice with you that you have studied in a country whose young people are the happiest in the world! So be happy, and most importantly, know how to share your happiness with others and create happiness yourself. The more happy people there are, the better our world will be," said Prof. Inga Žalėnienė.
Dr. Eglė Malinauskienė, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation, said that a degree in the social sciences has a special mission nowadays - to contribute to the reduction of economic, social, cultural, geographic and digital exclusion. The Vice Rector said she believed that graduates would contribute to the creation and promotion of an inclusive society with the knowledge and soft skills they acquire at the University.
"I hope that the knowledge you gained at the university, the time you spent in academia and the people you met were a good investment of your time. I would like to wish that this day is not the end of your education, but the beginning of a new phase of learning that will last a lifetime. I hope that the main skill you will take away from the University is the desire to learn every day and the understanding of how to do it effectively", - said the Vice-Rector.
Vice-Rector Assoc. Prof. Saulius Spurga invited the alumni to stay in touch with the university, to continue their education, to take part in alumni activities such as mentoring, to improve their qualifications, to participate in courses, seminars and to share their experience with students.
"I look at you and I wonder, I ask myself and I ask you - what is the world today? What kind of world will you leave the university to. And what change can you make? What is it?", the Vice-Chancellor asked.
Before the diplomas were handed out, the deans of the faculties also congratulated the new alumni.
The Dean of the FPGB, Prof. Danguolė Jankauskienė, was proud that our country has been enriched and enriched with new specialists, who will enter the labour market like new fresh blood. She stressed that in addition to the knowledge and skills they have personally acquired, all graduates have defended either their bachelor's or master's theses, in which they have shared their insights useful for public policy, business organisations and the future of science. They are well trained to bring their knowledge and skills to the public sector or to business.
The Dean recalled that the University, feeling its social responsibility towards society, focuses not only on special, but also on general human skills and competences. Therefore, it is very important for MRU that its graduates are not only good specialists and alumni, but also good, honest and civic people who will build the future of our country.
The Dean of the LS, Prof. Lyra Jakulevičienė, congratulated the graduates and emphasised the importance, uniqueness and responsibility of the legal profession to ensure that all of us are able to exercise our rights and that violated rights are effectively protected. This is the goal of every healthy, thoughtful society. There are no alien rights; human rights exist as long as there are those who support them, fight for them and believe in them. The Dean wished that human rights would be above all a guide, a companion and a goal for every lawyer's professional path, wherever that path may lead.
The Dean reminded the audience that a diploma only shows how much we have grown, not how much more we can grow as professionals and individuals. She wished us to believe in ourselves, not to give up in the face of failure, and to seek our own individual path, which would motivate us, give us meaning, and allow us to be ourselves.
Congratulating the graduates on joining the community of almost 50,000 Mykolas Romeris University alumni, the Dean emphasised that the community is a powerful force and inexhaustible opportunities. She invited people to dare to seize these opportunities.
The Dean of the FHSS, Prof. Odeta Merfeldaitė, told the graduates that the diploma is a symbol of their determination, effort and perseverance. It reflects their ability to think critically, their understanding of how the world works and how they can change it.
The Dean wished them to remain indifferent to social issues, to open their minds and inspire them to new goals. For in achieving their goals, it is not only what graduates have learned that counts, but what they become.
The graduates were also greeted by honoured guests - the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, Arūnas Dulkys, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Lithuania, Nida Grunskienė, and the Deputy Director of the State Consumer Rights Protection Authority, Aida Gasiūnaitė-Stavginskienė.
Graduates Arnas Skardžius, Dominyka Šeputaitė and Laura Baškytė also congratulated their colleagues.
At the ceremony, 246 diplomas of the Faculty of Public Governance and Business (213 Master's and 33 Bachelor's), 226 diplomas of the School of Law (182 Master's and 44 Bachelor's), and 297 diplomas of the Faculty of Human and Social Studies (105 Master's, 145 Bachelor's, and 47 Professional Studies certificates, together with a teacher's qualification) were awarded to students who had completed their studies at higher education institutions.
Congratulations once again to the graduates and best wishes for a successful career path!
You can see the celebratory moments here.