Record-breaking graduation at ESADE with nearly 400 graduates
The largest graduation ceremony in the history of ESADE was held today in Barcelona. Nearly 400 students received a diploma after studying for four years in the various university degrees programmes taught at ESADE Business & Law School. In addition to the graduates, the ceremony was attended by more than 2,000 family members and friends, who filled the auditorium at the Barcelona International Convention Centre.
The students, who received a graduation photo during the ceremony, have spent four years in the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) or Bachelor in Law or five years in the Double Degree in Business Administration and Law. The Double Degree graduates comprised the first graduating class in this programme.
The patron of this year’s graduating class was Prof. Alfons Sauquet, former Dean of ESADE Business School. Prof. Sauquet’s main message to students was the importance of “acting with conviction”, which he defined as a combination of “passion and reason”. As the prospects of the future world are largely unknown, he urged the graduates to “to trust more in science and technology” as well as in leaders who are “creative and consistent, with the conviction to do things in accordance with their values”.
In her speech to the assembled graduates, Eugenia Bieto, Director General of ESADE, declared: “Be the entrepreneurs of your own future. [...] You must write your own story; do not let anyone write it for you.” Dr. Bieto also predicted that the nearly 400 new graduates will become “agents of change in a world that needs to be improved”.
Josep Franch, Dean of ESADE Business School, urged the graduates “not to be afraid of failure or of risk” and encouraged them to apply their talent “to change the world”. Similarly, Eduardo Berché, Dean of ESADE Law School, urged the new graduates “to be not the best but the most useful people for society”. He added: “You will only be remembered for your work and actions, so you must fight for the common good.”
