At the 69th Graduation Ceremony of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Szeged (SZTE), 117 students received their diplomas, 53 of whom graduated with) with excellent grades.
This year marked the first graduating class for the Agribusiness and Rural Development Management Bachelor’s program, as well as the Plant Protection and Nature Conservation Engineering Master’s programs.
The ceremony, held at the Bessenyei Ferenc Cultural Center in Hódmezővásárhely, opened with a welcome speech delivered by Dr. habil. Edit MIKÓ, Dean of the Faculty.
"Our invited guests represent the broader professional, social, and institutional environment: partners, supporters, future employers, and cooperating organizations; the voices of the community. Their presence is more than mere courtesy; it signals to our graduates that what they have learned here has a place in the world. A diploma is not an internal document of a closed system, but a connection to the outside world," the Dean stated. She added that the years spent together were a process of transformation, leading the students from their initial freshman oath to their final professional oath as engineers.
The event continued with the presentation of faculty awards and honorary titles.
Following the engineering oath, Prof. Dr. Márta SZÉLL, Strategic Vice-Rector of the University of Szeged, presented the diplomas, while Dr. habil. Edit MIKÓ, Dean of the Faculty officially welcomed them as engineers with a handshake.
Among the 117 graduates, the oldest student earned their degree at age 54. Five international students graduated this year, returning to Jordan, Kenya, China, Laos, and Nigeria with the expertise acquired in Hungary.
In her speech, Vice-Rector Márta SZÉLL congratulated the new graduates on behalf of the university leadership and thanked the faculty members and families for their support.
"I wish you success in your professional careers and happiness in your personal lives," she concluded.
Dr. Péter MÁRKI-ZAY, Mayor of Hódmezővásárhely, also offered his congratulations: "In life, nothing is given for free. What an employer values is performance. Your work, knowledge, integrity, and fairness are why you will be employed and paid. Keep learning and familiarize yourselves with new techniques needed in both agriculture and industry."
On behalf of the Hungarian graduates, Réka DOBÓ, Agricultural Engineer, gave a farewell speech, followed by Wanjiku MOGENI, Agricultural Engineer, representing the international graduates, while Anita Erzsébet DORÁNÉ GYÖMREI, a Certified Plant Protection Engineer, addressed the participants on behalf of the Master's students.
The ceremony concluded with the traditional tossing of graduation caps.
