President Andreas Timm-Giel opened the evening with a welcome address and paid tribute to the graduates' achievements: “By successfully completing your studies, you have shown that you can approach highly complex topics with critical curiosity and independence,” Timm-Giel explained. “At the same time, you have grown personally and demonstrated determination and stamina.” The TU's current success is largely due to the cohesion of the university family, which trains responsible engineers “made in Hamburg,” Timm-Giel continued.
The president asked those present to take these values out into the world. “We are releasing you into a difficult, tense world situation this evening. Don't let that discourage you,” said Timm-Giel. “I would like to encourage you to see the world as your next ‘project’ and to help shape it responsibly. To do that, technology is your key, your tool for creating a better future.”
The President emphasized how the TU Hamburg considers the internationality of its student body to be one of its greatest strengths: This semester's successful graduates come from 33 countries, including Afghanistan, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Ecuador, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Cameroon, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Palestine, Peru, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Vietnam.
The keynote speech of the evening was given by Sonja Neubert, head of the Hamburg branch of Siemens AG, who also motivated the graduates to set and ambitiously pursue big goals even after their studies.
The cello duo Anna Olivia Amaya Farias and Fabian Sturm from the University of Music and Theater, who played between the speeches, received great applause. The graduates expressed their special thanks to all friends, companions and parents in attendance.
