International Studies students receive their diploma
On 30 August 2024, about 330 students received their Bachelor Diploma of International Studies. The students were awarded their diplomas in the historic Pieterskerk in Leiden. A large audience of about 1000 people consisting of friends, family, and staff members gathered to celebrate the graduates’ achievements in a joyful atmosphere.
Words of welcome
After the impressive entrance of the lecturers in the academic procession, followed by the graduates, professor Isabelle Duyvesteyn, Chair of the International Studies Programme, officially opened the ceremony.
She started with extending good wishes to the class of 2024, adding that this is the moment in which they are all about to step into the world with the knowledge and skills acquired during the programme. However, knowledge and skills cannot do the job all by themselves, we need wisdom to give use direction. Professor Duyvesteyn elaborated on the theme of wisdom by focusing on advice people wished they had received earlier in life, as well as things people say they regret, in old age. The one thing that stands out as the most important is relationship, bonds between family and friends. The International Studies programme offers students and graduates the opportunity to create such bonds and a community that will hopefully last, which is just as important as the degree itself.
Subsequently, Mark Rutgers, Dean of the Humanities Faculty welcomed the graduates and their family on behalf of the Faculty Board. He also emphasized the importance of fostering a community, a community in which different opinions, ideologies and experiences create great opportunity for dialogue and for truly learning to see the world through the eyes of others. Furthermore, he called for sensitivity, for keeping in mind how what you say and what you do, impacts other people. Professor Rutgers concluded by congratulating the graduates and the programme on their achievements.
After those warm words of welcome, the awarding of the diplomas started with students with the specialisations in the regions Africa, East Asia, Europe and Latin America.
Alumni speech and speech on behalf of the Class of 2024
Then it was time for alumnus and former president of Study Association BASIS, Maurice Kirschbaum, to give this year’s Alumni Speech.
Maurice used the opportunity to share experiences about life after graduation which he gathered from International Studies alumni over the past 12 years, starting with the first cohort of 2012. His message was that there is a lively and diverse community of alumni of International Studies waiting to welcome our graduates into their ranks. All over the world, alumni from International Studies gather to meet each other, or simply run into each other on the job market, help each other with housing and establishing local networks. This is truly a network one would want to be a part of!
Then it was time for Stijn Verbeek to give the speech on behalf of the class of 2024. Stijn, who has been member of the Programme Board and a student ambassador for International Studies, reflected on how the International Studies student community is special. He reminded everyone of their beginnings in the summer of 2021, an extraordinary time right after a series of COVID-related lockdowns, when everyone had the chance again to socialize, have fun, and party. Looking back on how, over the course of three years, a close community of students was formed, Stijn is proud of the accomplishments of everyone, the challenges they overcame together, the ways in which they developed, both as individuals and as a community.
The ceremony continued with students from the regions Middle East, North America, Russia & Eurasia and South and Southeast Asia.
Best thesis
When all graduates had received their diploma, the Golden Stork Award for ‘Best Thesis’ was awarded to Beatrice Scali for the thesis "Taiwan’s #MeToo: Early Takeaways from a Late Movement". The Award was presented by the chair of the Board of Examiners, dr. Kamila Krakowska Rodrigues. She noted that that the Stork Committee focused in their deliberations on the extent to which the nominated theses contextualize their local case studies within a global dynamic and on the multidisciplinary character of the adopted approach, the two pillars of academic identity of BA International Studies. Beatrice's thesis stood out for showcasing how the analysis of a local case study can yield important insights for a more nuanced understanding of a global phenomenon.
Commencement speech
At the end of the ceremony, professor André Gerrits delivered the commencement speech. He made a case for what he called “intelligent foolishness”, for openness, tolerance, and kindness, and against conformity and imposed unanimity. Professor Gerrits will be retiring this year, so the programme took the opportunity to thank him for everything he has done for the programme. He was not only the first Chair when the programme started running, but has also taught a wide variety of courses, and presented the programme on Open Days and Introduction Days, to name but a few things.
After the this the ceremony was closed officially by Jaap Kamphuis, the master of ceremonies and programme manager. While enjoying some festive drinks, the celebrations continued informally.