In the first ceremony of the series, degrees were awarded to 233 graduates of the Faculty of Design, who received B.Des. and M.Des. degrees, and to 215 graduates of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, who received B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees.
The degree ceremony marks the culmination of four demanding years of study and is a day of pride and joy for the graduates and their families, who filled the Institute’s plaza. This is a class that faced extraordinary challenges throughout their years of study from the COVID-19 period that disrupted the routine of academic life, to the war that broke out afterward and required many students to report for reserve duty alongside their studies. Despite all this, they reached this long-awaited moment, and they deserve every measure of respect and appreciation for doing so.
HIT’s President, Prof. Eduard Yakubov, congratulated the graduates and their families, saying: “We don’t see ourselves as merely an academic institution serving industry; thanks to you, our graduates, we are contributing our part to strengthening the State of Israel, strengthening Israeli society, the economy, industry, and the defense establishment. You are our pride. At this moment, standing here on stage, I see myself as your father. Each of you has your own family, but you also have a second family – the Institute family. You are becoming our ambassadors in industry and in society. I am confident that professionally you will excel, and so we all applaud you. And finally, the most important thing is to do everything for the State of Israel out of love for the land, and to be good citizens and ambassadors who advance the country because we have no other way and no other land. I wish you all that wherever you may be, you will know how to listen, to respect the opinions of others, and to treat every person with unconditional love.”
The Dean of Students, Dr. Limor Sahar-Inbar, addressed the graduates: “You are now heading out into a working world whose future shape – and the role artificial intelligence will play in it -cannot be known with certainty. I hope you will carry with you all the tools we have given you: that you will remain excellent in theory, but also that you will stay curious and keep learning throughout the journey. And above all, don’t forget to stay human: listen, support your colleagues, and bring your values with you, because while technology and knowledge can truly transform and open up new possibilities, it is people who build upon that foundation.”
Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Ligad Shagan, a graduate of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Technology Management and former chair of the Student Association, said: “Let me take us back in time for a moment: the year is 2021. The iPhone 13 has just been released; Maccabi Haifa is the National Champion Does anyone remember that? You needed to show a Green Pass to enter most places, half the people are still walking around in masks, and no one has yet heard of ChatGPT. That’s when we began our studies – partly in person, partly via Zoom, with the shadow of COVID in the background. We took our very first exam period over Zoom, during another wave of the virus. And since then, what haven’t we been through? On behalf of myself and all the graduates, I want to thank everyone who helped us get through this period, everyone who truly saw us along the way: thank you to the faculty and administrative staff, the Students Accessibility Office, the Dean of Students’ office, the Academic Administration office, the Institute’s management and staff. We didn’t just earn a degree – we proved a real ability to meet any challenge life throws our way.”
Tami Sianov, Public Relations Coordinator of HIT’s Student Association, said: “I believe that the times we live in remind us of every day how important it is not only to strive for personal success, but also to use our knowledge and abilities to make a positive impact on the society around us. Today, as HIT graduates, you are joining a generation of professionals and creators who have the power to lead change, innovate, and build a better reality.”
The ceremony featured a performance by singer-songwriter Adi Avrahami, performing “It Starts with a Step,” along with a drum ensemble that set the rhythmic tone. As in previous years, the ceremony was hosted by Yifat Rosenthal-Cohen, Deputy Director General for Academic Administration.
Congratulations to all the graduates on this wonderful achievement.
