On 26 July 2022, 12 students graduated with degrees from ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-IAS, 10 from the MSc in Sustainability programme and two in the PhD in Sustainability Science programme. This year¡¯s graduates come from 11 countries: Afghanistan, Ghana, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Malawi, Philippines, Sri Lanka, U.S.A, Viet Nam, and Zimbabwe. To celebrate this special occasion, approximately 70 people participated in the ceremony to congratulate the graduates at the ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Headquarters.
Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi (Director, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-IAS), David M. Malone (Rector, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ), Sawako Shirahase (Senior Vice-Rector, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ) and Takahisa Murakami (Deputy Assistant Minister and Director of International Affairs, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan) delivered congratulatory remarks to the graduates and invited guests. In a video lecture, Melissa Brown Goodall (²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-IAS Advisory Board Member, Senior Director of Environmental Innovations Initiative, University of Pennsylvania) praised the students' accomplishments and offered real-life advice highlighting the importance of learning by being an active listener and creating one¡¯s personal board of advisors.
Following an introduction of the 2022 graduating cohort presented by Kensuke Fukushi (Academic Programme Advisor, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-IAS), the academic degrees were awarded. The graduates received their diplomas from Director Yamaguchi and celebratory gifts from Takashi Asai (Managing Director and Secretary-General, Japan Foundation for ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ).
Four of the new graduates, Evan Michael FitzGerald, Nam Anh Tran, Marlex Olandiz Tuson, and Bernadettah Maria Kamzimbi Zimba, gave speeches on behalf of their graduating classes.
The ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-IAS postgraduate degree programmes are intended for future global leaders who will make important contributions to the international community by advancing creative solutions to issues of sustainability.
²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-IAS extends its congratulations and best wishes to the graduates on their achievements and looks forward to hearing about their future endeavours.
