Saying goodbye to the graduating scholarship holders and welcoming them amongst our alumni is always a special occasion. Especially now, that we are closing the celebration of the first ten years of Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme. These were the main ideas that inspired the concept of the Farewell 2024.
To frame the past ten years and celebrate this anniversary, we have invited graduates from 17 countries and 3 categories: students from the very first partner countries, first graduating students from the newest partner countries and students from the top countries with the highest number of graduates.
On the other hand, it was an honour to welcome the representatives of 9 sending partners, including H.E. Camilo Samhueza, Ambassador of Chile, H.E. Zhanibek Abdrashow, Ambassador of Kazakhstan, H.E. Joanna Azzi, Ambassador of Lebanon, H.E. Malallah Al Balushi, Ambassador of Oman, H.E. Bashar Smarah, Ambassador of Syria and H.E. Le Trong Ha, Counsellor of Vietnam and Eszter Tóth, event organizer from the Foundation for Africa.
The event was opened with the welcoming words of Miklós Lengyel, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He greeted the graduates and wished them success and joy in their future careers. After his speech, Richárd Bodrogi, General Director of Tempus Public Foundation expressed the importance of joining Alumni Network Hungary and staying connected. To reaffirm his message, the students listened to the video messages of H.E. Zoltán Németh, Ambassador of Hungary responsible for Belize and Costa Rica, H.E. Edit Bucsi-Szabó, Ambassador of Hungary in Chile, H.E. Zsófia Antal, Head of Office in Rwanda and H.E. Barnabás Fodor, Ambassador of Hungary in Oman. They both prepared short video messages to celebrate the graduates’ achievements and welcome them back home.
Then, Nour Al Wattar, graduating Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Holder of Corvinus University of Budapest greeted the graduates. In a very personal speech, she shared her story about finding the light when she got accepted and started her studies in Hungary with Stipendium Hungaricum.
After the plenary session, the guests had the chance to meet the International Alumni Volunteers who are active members of Alumni Network Hungary. The volunteers hold thought provoking presentations about their volunteering activities, which include creating content to promote the network and facilitating the development of self-organizing local alumni networks, the so-called chapters. They encouraged the graduates to join the network, inspire others to apply, and grow even further than they thought they ever will.
Closing the day, the graduates enjoyed a delicious dinner at the farewell reception, while had the chance to network with ambassadors and volunteers. The event provided a great platform for the scholarship holders to celebrate their achievements and create connections. It was a truly great and cheerful celebration, which marks an important milestone in their professional and personal journey. We congratulate them once again and wish them all the best in the future.
To see the photos taken at the event visit our gallery HERE.