RWTH Graduates Celebrate Their "Certificate to Dream"
After the planned 2020 ceremony was canceled due to the pandemic, graduates were recently able to attend the large Graduation Celebration in the dressage stadium of the Aachen-Laurensberg Riding Association (CHIO Stadium).
"Your RWTH degree certificate officially entitles you to to dream – if you really want to change the world, you have to be able to dream!" These were the words Aachen Engineering Award winner Professor Sebastian Thrun gave the RWTH graduates in his keynote speech before they threw their caps in the air together above the dressage stadium in the Soers district of Aachen, as has been custom for years.
After RWTH had to cancel the central Graduation Celebration for all graduates last year due to the pandemic, the popular event could now take place again – as part of the current Corona-Schutzverordnung (Coronavirus Protection Ordinance) and with for the necessary 3G compliance check for all participants. Graduates from all RWTH faculties and levels – Bachelor’s, Master’s, Diplom, Staatsexamen, Magister, doctorate – who completed their degree in summer semester 2019, the winter semester 2019/20, summer semester 2020, or winter summer 2020/21 attended the 2021 Graduation Celebration. Students who graduated from the medicine and dentistry courses of study in winter semester 2019/20, summer semester 2020, semester 2020/21, and summer semester 2021 are also eligible to attend.
Each of the 400 graduates was given a farewell from the University with a varied stage program among family and friends. As always, the graduates were welcomed with a round of applause as they entered the stadium together. Among the participants in the program were the three presenters RWTH Rector Ulrich Rüdiger, Vice-Rector for International Affairs Ute Habel, Vice-Rector for Industry and Business Relations Malte Brettel, the Minister for Science and Culture of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen via video message, for AStA – students’ committee, Lena Schrader and Paul Heuermann, Mayors Hilde Scheidt, Norbert Plum, and Holger Brantin, and Deputy District Mayor Marianne Conradt. Entertainment was provided by student dance groups Herencia Latina, Tequila y Limon, and DC HipHop Crew, with musical accompaniment by the RWTH Big Band and DJ Kevko.