713 of the ‘country’s finest’ pass out as LUMS graduates

The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) held its 24th Annual Convocation on Saturday (June 23), in the Syed Maratab Ali Sports Complex at the university campus. The varsity community came together in traditional, celebratory spirit to mark the graduation of 713 students in a glittering ceremony that also featured as the largest Convocation in the history of LUMS.
Degrees were conferred to these graduates in various majors and disciplines from all three schools of the university, while outstanding students, securing top positions in various degree programmes were honoured with awards and medals by the National Management Foundation (NMF), the governing body at LUMS. The keynote speaker at the Convocation was Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, the Pakistani Oscar winner for her documentary “Saving Face,” also included in this year’s Time Magazine list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In her address Ms Chinoy said, “Please take a moment to reflect on the haunting difference between the two scenarios. In 1947, the dream that our founding fathers had envisioned for this land became a reality. Today, the very citizens of this land do not dare to dream. But as a nation we must dream, and we must dream big.”
While highlighting the significance of working towards a better Pakistan, Ms Chinoy added, “You are all here for the very same reason. You want to make something of yourself. And for many, you want to make something of your country. It is your responsibility as Pakistan’s finest, to direct your talent towards the progress of this nation.” An evening earlier, on June 22, the traditional Graduate Night dinner was held. At the ceremony, graduates from the Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) achieving distinction in business subject areas were presented with 10 Corporate Gold medals. This was followed by the presentation of the Deans’ Honour List shields to 129 graduating students from all three schools for excellence in academic performance.
This year’s convocation was also notable as it marked the first ever convocation for the inaugural batch of School of Science and Engineering (SSE) undergraduates.