This morning, excitement filled the Emalus Campus’s corners in Vanuatu as 391 students graduated and received their qualifications during The University of the South Pacific (USP) graduation ceremony.
The USP Emalus Campus graduation signifies the resilience of the staff and students, having faced two cyclones last year and remaining steadfast in completing their studies in the face of adversities and challenges.
Delivering his keynote address during the graduation, USP Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Pal Ahluwalia said, “Completing a degree is a significant accomplishment and marks the culmination of several years of hard work in your chosen field of study”.
Professor Ahluwalia also stressed that “USP has nurtured you not only to achieve academic success but prepared you to have intellectual curiosity, professional integrity, ethical values, leadership qualities, appreciation for our differences and a deeper respect for one another”.
Like previous graduations, today’s graduation also celebrates the university’s continuous trend of producing higher female graduates, who make up 62% of the overall numbers.
The Vice-Chancellor added, “We want to see more women play leading roles in spaces that promote innovation, adaptation and create positive change. As USP graduates, you have the tools to take up leadership roles in these spaces”.
During the graduation today, six students received their Masters, 19 received their Postgraduate Diplomas, three graduated with Postgraduate Certificates, 207 received their undergraduate qualifications, and 150 students completed their Pacific Technical and Further Education (TAFE) studies.
Students were also reminded that as graduates, they become ambassadors of the university and play a significant role in the social and economic transformation of the Pacific region.
The university is confident the time graduates spend at the Emalus Campus has shaped their nature and raised the level of their motivation to succeed in a way that reflects the level of their ambition.