Graduation Ceremony 5
Graduand’s Address
Friday 23 November 2012 at 1630hrs
JESUITS’ CHURCH – VALLETTA
Robert Formosa
Ph.D. graduand and representative of the students
When I was informed that I had to present this speech I was only given a few days’ time
to summarize 4 years of hard and exhausting work. These past few days summarized the
last four years of my life. I started out full of ideas, discarded most of them after some
time, almost gave up midway through but then I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and
realized that I might actually be able to do this and then suddenly it was over. Whether it
is a speech written in a few hours or years spent reading for an undergraduate or
postgraduate degree, I think we have all had these rollercoaster feelings. We start out
with high ideals of how these years will be spent, with all the joys and excitement that
these years will bring and as time passes by, doubts and fears surface. Can we do this?
Are we smart or tough enough? Is this the career I want to follow for the rest of my life?
Can I study all this material, or in my case, will these experiments actually work? Am I
fooling myself that a hypothesis that I came up with based on purely circumstantial
evidence can actually hold water? Well after innumerable failures, headaches and tons of
patience, the hypothesis held up and here I am standing in front of you, living proof that
believing in yourself, together with hard work and sacrifice eventually pays off.
What does it all mean, however, to be a University graduate? What are we now? Are we
now defined by the work or career that our degree will enable us to aspire for? Is that all
we gained after years of restless nights, seemingly endless experiments, or examinations,
and the multitude of little victories and losses that come along the way. Well of course,
we are all much more than that. If each and every one of us had to look back at the person
they were years ago when they started studying at this University, they would appreciate
all the changes that the last few years of our lives have resulted in. I think we all can
agree that the confidence and satisfaction one experiences after successfully completing
their studies has a lasting effect on you as a person. The sense of fulfilment generated by
the achievement that we today celebrate is by no means a small feat and it should be
something that we carry with us our whole lives.
However, the fulfilment and pride we feel today should by no means quench our thirst for
more challenges, both personal and professional. We should not sit on our laurels but
should continue on a path of lifelong dedication to learning and achievement. In this day
and age, given the global economic and social pressures, we must aim not only at
personal and professional advancement, but also at using our careers and ambitions to
improve the standard of living of others. Speaking for myself, I believe that all the work
and research that I do will one day help us understand the molecular mechanisms of
disease and with this understanding better treatment options can be developed that will
ultimately benefit the patients. In the case of the medical graduates, I think your impact
can be much more immediate and direct. Your contact with patients from all walks of life
gives you the opportunity to directly influence these peoples’ daily livelihoods. This
responsibility is not one to be taken lightly and I hope that the years spent studying at this
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University have provided all of us with the character, determination, compassion and
skills that will enable us to serve others.
Although we as individuals accept these degrees today, let us not be deceived into
thinking that such an accomplishment belongs to any one of us alone. My personal
thoughts and endless appreciation go towards my family and loved ones in particular
without whose support I admit I would never be standing here today. Similarly, I am
indebted towards my friends and now my fellow colleagues with whom I have shared the
brunt of these arduous years of study. Last but not least, heartfelt thanks are due to our
educators, academics and those who we may now also call colleagues. Although these
people may have through the years appeared cold hearted, tough or relentless, their
efforts made us what we are today. I remember that I chose this path in life mostly
because my Form III biology teacher made the subject so astounding and interesting that
from that moment on I couldn’t think of anything else I would rather do. Since then a
number of teachers and academics have influenced my learning and life in so many
different ways, formative and educational experiences that have helped mould me into
what I am today.
My thanks also go to this University and its administration. Too often people are only too
ready to criticize this establishment for its short comings whilst forgetting the blessings
which we are provided with, not least the access to free education at a university level, a
fact that students from foreign countries would certainly not take for granted. Personally,
I feel very grateful that this University has taken major steps to support research in the
last few years. I am fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of this financial support,
which has led to employment of full-time researchers within the Faculty of Medicine and
Surgery. Although most of you might take such developments forgranted, the financial
challenges that undertaking medical molecular research pose are not to be
underestimated. Whilst thanking our administrators and supporters for such initiatives, I
urge you to continue such support and if possible even increase it. In a time of economic
challenges, one can understand why such aid could be seen as excessive or unnecessary.
However, if this University is to grow and develop, research and development must
become one of the top priorities along with education. Only such advancements can
guarantee that the University of Malta finds its place among other such academic
institutions around the world. The University needs to acknowledge the significant
research that is carried out at this University despite the very limited budgets and
appreciate the potential that could be realized should such financial limitations be
removed. This can only be achieved through development and enhancement of our
academic infrastructure, investment in specialized staff and technology and increased
budgetary allocation for research funds.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate you all on the culmination of your
achievements here today. In this moment we celebrate years of hard work, frustration,
determination, tears, heartache and joy. I wish you all the best that the future can bring.
May your careers, but more importantly, your lives, be filled with all the satisfaction and
joy that moments such as these can bring and may all your dreams but one come true!
Thank you.
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