Gladstone graduates championed as agents of change
More than 100 graduates crossed the stage and turned their tassels at the CQUniversity Gladstone graduation ceremony last week (Friday, 8 December 2023).
With standing ovations - family, friends and loved ones turned out to the exciting occasion held at the Gladstone Entertainment Centre to support the hard work and achievements that these proud graduates put in across Schools of Education, Health and Humanities, Engineering, Laws and Business.
Graduating from across both the higher education and vocational education and training (VET) sectors, several students also received multiple awards.
Chancellor Graeme Innes AM warmly opened the ceremony and championed both graduates and their network of support that helped them throughout their studies and encouraged them to continue to be agents of change in their spheres of influence.
“Opportunities to contribute empower everyone, and believing in others and ourselves is one way that we can all change the world around us,” Chancellor Innes said.
“I hope the knowledge and experience that you take away from this study journey can be utilised so that you can make change within your communities, and I encourage you to harness your qualification to empower others and become an advocate for those who are disempowered, and importantly also for yourselves, so that you can challenge limitations and create your own unique mark in the world around you.”
Guest speaker Mr Craig Haymes, CEO of Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) delivered the occasional address and spoke from a wealth of knowledge garnered over more than 30 years of leadership and project management experience in multinational corporations and portfolios including multi-billion-dollar energy projects.
With his background and reputation of inclusivity, community, sustainability and business and governance excellence, Mr Haymes inspired the graduands on their paths forward, giving them five words to remember for success and to build strong foundations on: family, respect, emotions standards, and health.
Addressing the topic of respect, Mr Haymes said: “Everybody is diverse, everybody has value, everybody is important in their role - it doesn’t matter what they do.
“Always listen first, think, then speak. You won’t be remembered for your achievements, but you will be remembered for how you treat others – the way you undertake your work is just as important as the results.”
Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Nick Klomp acknowledged that the graduates’ successes through juggling the challenges of work, family and study commitments was a testament to their character, adaptability and resilience.
“Your unwavering commitment has paved a bright future, not only for yourselves, but for your families, communities and future generations,” Professor Klomp said.
“You can be proud in knowing that your achievement today will have a profound impact and a ripple effect of benefits that extend to those who come after you – and you can be proud knowing that you are graduating from a University that produces exceptional graduates and a University that has prepared you for an ever-adapting workforce.”
Delivering the graduate response was Gail Griffiths, a mature-aged student who’d previously only attained a Year 10 education, having now completed university with two degrees, CQU’s STEPS program, and a global study program, inspiring her peers and offering gratitude to CQUniversity for their collective success.
“We have been committed, persistent and have learnt life-long skills, and CQUniversity has offered us this foundation,” Mrs Griffiths said.
“We have embraced the opportunities head-on, gaining essential skills that will be instrumental in our success in the workplace and so we thank the CQU lecturers and staff wholeheartedly for their unwavering support.
“We have done ourselves proud today.”
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