A total of 243 students from 25 countries representing Asia, Africa,
Europe and South America were conferred with graduate degrees at the
ceremony held at the National Science and Technology Development
Agency’s (NSTDA) Convention Center at Thailand Science Park, adjacent
to the AIT campus in Pathumthani province.
The ceremony was graced by Ms. Margareta Wahlstrom, Special
Representative of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for Disaster Risk
Reduction, as the graduation speaker. Members of the AIT Board of
Trustees, AIT Alumni Association, high-ranking officials, and special
dignitaries joined the proceedings.
Prior to the official program, attendees observed one minute of silence
to honor the memory of Mr. Sandeep Kalita, 23, an Indian MBA student of
AIT’s School of Management who tragically passed away on January 5. It
was announced that Mr. Sandeep Kalita would receive his degree
posthumously, and that a permanent academic award will be instituted in
his name.
During Thailand’s recent catastrophic flooding,
AIT was completely inundated under 2.5 meters of water. It suffered
severe damage to 50 percent of its academic and administrative
buildings and close to 40% of its residences.
The devastation to half of the institute’s
infrastructure prompted an unprecedented temporary relocation to
university campuses in Hua Hin and Cha-Am provinces, which enabled the
resumption of academic activities on 6 December 2011, making AIT one of
the first flood-affected institutions to restart classes.
Convening the graduation ceremony so soon after
the disaster was recognized as a significant accomplishment by AIT
President Prof. Said Irandoust. “It’s a victory for all of us,” he
remarked to the 116th Graduating Class, paying tribute to the hard
work, sacrifice, dedication and commitment of the entire AIT community
to make the graduation ceremony happen “despite the odds”.
Ms. Wahlstrom brought senior-level perspectives
from her career spanning more than 30 years in international disaster
response and humanitarian work. In the aftermath of some of the
worst-ever flooding to hit Thailand, and the pain it wrought to AIT,
Ms. Wahlstrom called on AIT’s newest alumni to use their special and
newfound expertise to reduce the risks of disasters on people
everywhere.
We cannot completely prevent disasters, but we can
considerably lessen their impact by properly assessing risk by using
science, technology and social science to plan properly above all else,
she remarked. “We know where disasters come from,” she said, “they come
from people,” she said, stressing the need for professionals like AIT
graduates.
AIT Alumni Association (AITAA) President Mr.
Chawalit Chantararat, Executive Director, Team Group, echoed Ms.
Wahlstrom, saying he strongly believed AIT graduates can tackle the
most difficult of challenges.
He also welcomed the newest graduates as members
of the AIT alumni, beginning a new lifelong relationship with their
alma mater. He called on the graduates to “join hands to support AIT”
since “together AIT and the AITAA can make a significant impact on the
world.”
Indian Mr. Somen Choudhury, who graduated with top
honors from the Executive MBA Program of the School of Management,
delivered the Most Outstanding Student Message on behalf of his
class-mates.
Once again, the newest batch reflected AIT’s
overall international diversity and commitment to development, as
graduates included citizens of Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Peru,
and Timor-Leste, to name but at few. Vietnamese made up the largest
number graduates by nationality, with 97 earning post-graduate degrees,
followed by 73 graduates from Thailand.
See Photo Gallery of 116th Graduation, please
click
here.
