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Thursday 25 January 2024

Ceremony 4 – 10am

• University of Sussex Business School
• Economics
• SPRU
• Strategy and Marketing

• Video transcript

  [‘Trumpet Fanfare’ music playing] (A procession of University senior academics and staff in ceremonial robes enter the auditorium, walk down the aisles betwixt the audience of seated graduands and guests, ascend the stage via staircases on the left and right respectively, and take their seats. At the end of the procession are two academics/staff with ceremonial torches who on stage bow to each other, the rows of academics/staff, and then place the torches on a small, raised table with a cloth at the very front of the stage.)

  [The Chancellor, Sanjeev Bhaskar, stands and goes to the lectern to make his opening speech.]

  Chancellor, Sanjeev Bhaskar:
  I declare open this congregation of the University of Sussex. Good morning, everyone. Uh, I'm delighted as chancellor to welcome you formally to this graduation ceremony. A warm welcome to our honoured guests, our distinguished faculty members, and to those of the professional services here at Sussex, but the warmest of welcomes as ever are for you, our graduands, and family and friends who join you here today. And to those who couldn't make it here in person and maybe watching via video link around the world, you are most welcome to. Sussex is proud to be considered a world university since its inception 63 years ago. This year, Sussex remains mindful of its relevance and contribution to a much-changing world whilst being indelibly connected to the local community that hosts it. One of the guiding principles of Sussex as one of the first universities created here after the Second World War was that it should be a forum for ideas beyond more conventional lines, embracing concepts and experiences from different backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems. And then combining these with the best of our own, realising that invention and innovation have no colour, gender, or creed. Recognising that interconnectedness has an important part to play in a fast-evolving society, hence a focus on interdisciplinary teaching and an application of theories and concepts. But it is you, our graduands, that make us a truly global university. And it is a profound honour for us that you all chose Sussex as your place of study. And I know that many of you have had to be strong to get to this day, struggling to balance your studies with home life, in some cases, whilst raising children or supporting loved ones, experiencing loss and sickness, trying to survive on overdraft loans or family health battling. Not just self-doubt, but sometimes even the doubts of others. But you didn't give up. You didn't give in. You've seen it through. And here you are. Well done. I know that some of you, many people in the winter graduations are doing second and third degrees, but some of you may be continuing with further academic study. But for many of you, today will mark the end of that academic journey. And what a journey. It's been a journey that started all those years ago with your first day at nursery or kindergarten, where the world was introduced to your remarkable artistic abilities. Three blobs of paint and squiggly lines that you had to explain were obviously your parents. When your musical prowess consisted basically of hitting or blowing something so hard that cats and dogs leapt vertically into the air, and adults were sent through the cat flap, and the reaction was always the same. "Well done". "That was lovely". Every musical outrage was treated like an aria, and every pastel abomination was treated like a Jackson Pollock. And over the years, as you continued to bring home your artistic gems, everyone was treated consistently to a kick in the arias and a right load of Pollocks. And then all those years of higher school and those high-pressured exams that would determine your future. Parting too hard, drinking too much, not enough sleep, relationships, rejection, confusion. And then came Sussex. Tranquillity, long walks on the beach, invigorating swims in the sea, joining the chess club, learning how to knit, avoiding the pubs, clubs, and Brighton party scene, and basically having fun, which brings us to today. Your glorious day. And thank you, families and friends. I know from experience how much you've supported and had to sacrifice to get your graduate here. And we're humbled and so proud of you. So graduands, in a short while, a name will be read out, hopefully approximating to yours, and you will take the mere 20 or so steps across this stage, terrified that you're gonna lose your hat or your mortarboard, wondering whether the heels were such a good idea after all. Wondering whether your flies are open and praying that you don't trip over your gown and end up in the lap of someone in the front row. If you do decide to do that, what an array of laps we've arranged for you this morning! I mean, if you haven't seen Barbie or Oppenheimer, you have now. I'm beholden to tell you, or remind you if you've been up here before, that you haven't actually got your degree yet and you getting your degree, may just depend on how much love you show me when you come up here. No love for the Chancellor, no degree. I'm joking, of course. Seriously, feel free to express yourselves when you come up here in whatever way you want. As long as it's within the bounds of decency and legality. But seriously, we've had handshakes, hugs, high fives, dabs, fist bumps, dancing, press-ups. Please don't do press-ups. I mean, if I get down there, I can't get up again. I mean, yesterday, someone did the splits. Boy was here on his own. Oh, and no selfies on the stage. I'm afraid, every time you take a picture of me, I lose power. Families and friends, this is your day too. So, when the time comes, please do have your cameras ready, and feel free to make as much noise as you can when your superhero crosses the stage. If anyone is here on their own today, then I'll be your family or friend. So no one's on their own!
  I call upon the Vice-Chancellor to address the congregation.

  [Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil stands and goes to the lectern.]

  Professor Sasha Roseneil:
  Madam Mayor, distinguished guests, colleagues, parents, supporters, friends, and especially our graduands. Sussex class of 2023. It's my great honour and pleasure to welcome you here today. I'd like to start by thanking our fabulous Chancellor, Sanjeev Bhaskar, for a wonderful opening speech, which is enormous, an almost impossible act to follow. But as Sanjeev has reminded us, today's all about you, our graduands. This is a day of celebration of you and for you and all that you've achieved. It's also a moment to acknowledge that many of you have benefited in intangible ways from the care and support of your family, guardians and friends, and of course, from the teaching and guidance of staff from the university. You may also had support, some of you, from our alumni community and donors whose generosity has supported scholarships that have enabled some of you to study at Sussex.
  So I'm now gonna ask for a little bit of audience participation from you, our graduands, and I'm gonna ask you if you can, would you please stand up and yes, you really do have to all stand up.

  [Graduands stand up and applause.]

  Professor Sasha Roseneil continues:
  Thank you very much. And would you turn and face your family and friends behind you, your supporters, and would you give them a great big round of applause to thank them? Thank you. Please do sit down again. I would also like to thank you, for all that you have done during your time at Sussex to make Sussex the friendly, creative, and open university that we are alongside your academic work. Many of you have taken part in an impressive range of other activities as members and leaders of student societies and groups and as volunteers helping and supporting other people on and off campus. Many of you today are receiving a spirit of Sussex Award for your positive involvement with our community. From serving as campus ambassadors to fundraising for local causes and creating new ways for our campus to be more sustainable. I commend your commitment. And I truly hope that you found both your academic and your extracurricular experiences at Sussex intellectually rewarding and personally enriching. In the 18 months, nearly 18 months since I became Vice Chancellor, I've come to realise that Sussex students are the very embodiment of energy, hope, and possibility. I've had the great privilege of meeting many of our alumni, not just from the UK but from across the globe, from Asia to Africa and the Americas. And what a great thing it is that our students come from so many places. I've visited alumni in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand. In South Africa, Mexico, and the United States. And I've been overwhelmed by how many of them told me how much they loved their student days at Sussex. And how the experience had fundamentally shaped their lives and careers. They record encountering new ideas and new ways of thinking, as well as making lasting friendships and building networks that have accompanied them ever since. I sincerely hope that you, our graduands today will feel the same in the years to come. Whether you already have a job or are taking time to explore the world or are looking for your next opportunity. You can be confident that you're leaving a university with a global reputation. A university that's equipped you with the knowledge and skills to think creatively and critically, to work across the boundaries of established knowledge and to understand the importance of a global perspective. You've been tutored and supervised by academics who are internationally recognised for the quality of their research and scholarship. The depth and breadth of their research have directly informed your education across the disciplines and in the spaces between. Our research focuses on many of the urgent concerns of our time. From measuring the effects of climate change on farming to innovative ways of capturing the sounds of nature in rewilding landscapes. From pioneering research into diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer to identifying how insect brains can help us design fast-learning robot systems to explore the workings of our minds, to understand consciousness and neurodiversity. Indeed, we are proud that according to the latest independent review of research quality, 93% of our research was found to deliver a very considerable or outstanding impact. That means it makes a difference in the world right now. It's making the world a better place. In particular, Sussex has been ranked first in the world for development studies for the last seven years. And this year we were placed joint 26 in the world and 13th in Europe for sustainability out of 1400 universities. And within that, we were ranked joint 16th in the world for our work on equality and 19th in the world for environmental impact. Environmental sustainability is central to our mission. It's our aim for Sussex to be recognised globally as a university that's making a transformative contribution to tackle the threats to humanity and to our planet, not just internationally, but closer to home, such as by encouraging staff and students to travel to campus by bike, returning more of our already very green campus to nature and recycling more and more of our waste. This mission and all that we do align with our institutional values of collaboration, and courage. There's a fly. Well, at least that. At least there are still some flies. Um, I think it's actually good that there are still some flies, although go away. Inclusion, integrity and kindness. I know that many of you graduating today have already had extraordinary and sometimes difficult life journeys. Whether you came to Sussex because we were able to offer you an education you couldn't get elsewhere, or you returned to study after taking time out and wanted to create opportunities for your future. Or if you just wanted to explore a subject for the sake of it. I hope you found Sussex warm and supportive and your studies intellectually challenging and rigorous. You'll now take many different paths as you join our community of over 200,000 alumni worldwide. They include Nobel Laureates, Grassroots, Campaigners and Activists. Heads of State and Vice Presidents. Leaders, Influencers and Creative Practitioners in the Arts and Entertainment. Chief executives of National and Multinational organisations. And those with less publicly high profile, but no less significant lives and careers. People whose actions and relationships remake and renew our complex social fabric in small positive ways every day across the globe in more than 160 countries and in all walks of life. Sussex alumni are sharing the benefits of their time at Sussex to make the world a better place. I know you'll do that too. So graduands, celebrate who you are today. Celebrate the fact that the sacrifices you made were worth it. Celebrate the commitment you made to achieve your degree. Celebrate the belief in yourself that has made it possible, and celebrate those who helped you reach this point in your journey. In short, celebrate.
  I now call upon the Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Sussex Business School, professor Sambit Bhattacharyya.

  [The Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Sussex Business School, professor Sambit Bhattacharyya goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as he reaches the lectern. As he reads the names aloud, the graduands walk across the stage to applause and shake hands with Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar. The Chancellor will stand when the first graduand name is announced.]

  Professor Sambit Bhattacharyya:
  Chancellor, I present to you graduands for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Economics;
  Niyi AMOO-PETERS;
  For Economics and Finance;
  Chun GURUNG.
  Whitney KANDA.
  Frederick PEARMAN-WRIGHT.
  For Economics and Management Studies;
  Courtney CHIKWANHA.
  For International Business;
  Owen BURKE.
  Pedro PEREIRA.
  Marietou-Curie UWIZEYE MAPENDANO.
  Jingtong WU.
  For Marketing and Management;
  Alaa AL ZAIYADI.
  For Marketing and Management with Psychology;
  Maddison HUGGETT.
  Syeda Tooba SABZWARY.
  For the Postgraduate Certificate in Energy and Policy;
  Adina-Andreea TOGAN.
  For the Postgraduate Diploma in International Marketing;
  Chinedu Innocent ADIKWU.
  Munevver TUNCER.
  For the degree Master of Science in Development Economics;
  Twaibu Amadu ALI.
  Nabeel ASHARAF.
  Nada Ashraf Mohsen BAKRY.
  Xhail Odete BALAM DE LEON.
  Devakrishna BIPIN CHANDRAN.
  Taiba CHAUDHRY.
  Navya Kirti GARG.
  Geeta Ashok GIRI.
  Shreya HEGDE.
  Muhammad KHAN.
  Johanna LEDGERWOOD-VINCZE.
  Also awarded the prize for Best Student on the MSc Development Economics.
  Helena Claire LOWCOCK.
  Dominica Pantaleo MALLYA.
  Abdulkadir MUHAMMAD.
  Javier MUNOZ GIJON.
  Didem OKYAY CETINEL.
  Abdus SAMAD.
  Anupama SEN.
  Mohammad Abubakr SHEHZAD.
  Valeria Regina TERRONES RODRIGUEZ.
  Francisco Javier VALVERDE RODRIGUEZ.
  Gersan Ernesto VASQUEZ GUTIERREZ.
  For Energy Policy;
  Ibrahim ALGHITANY.
  Diana Cristiana BARBU.
  Khudsia BASHA.
  Joan CHAHENZA.
  Brian DUBE.
  James FERROL.
  Fiona HUBBARD.
  Darshan JAYANNA.
  Russell JULIER.
  Jana-Elena KOSER.
  Hsiang-Ping KUAN.
  Rafael NAVARRO ACEVES.
  Alexandra SALTISSI.
  For Energy and Climate Policy;
  Jael Modupe ADETIBA.
  Gerardo CARDENAS ALONSO.
  Marlene GUMPOLTSBERGER.
  Roshna Shirin KAKKADATH.
  Declan Joseph KIELY.
  Akihiro KUWAMURA.
  Marcellinus Chibuike OGUDO.
  Rahmayani.
  Onur UYANUSTA.
  Gurbani WALIA.
  Yunus Emre YILDIZ.
  For Entrepreneurship and Innovation;
  Lia Katrina ALFONSO.
  Dhelal Mubarak Arsan ALSHORMAN.
  Raghad Abdullah ALSURAYHI.
  Chayanon AMARANGKUN.
  Aleksandr BOGDANOV.
  Dariele SANTOS.
  Sangeeta KACHHAP.
  Alice Wanjiku KAGWI.
  Ofentse Eric MOTAUNG.
  Also awarded the prize for Best Student in MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation;
  Odwin NATALINO.
  Narin NEAMNOY.
  Mohammed OUAYNI.
  María Camila PATINO MORENO.
  Ahmad Jazuli RAHMAN.
  Sanjana RENGARAJAN MAHESWARAN.
  Thavin RUKKHITO.
  Almir TOKTABULATOV.
  Yu-Wen WU.
  Xintao XIE.
  For International Business Economics;
  Also awarded the prize for Best Student in MSc International Business Economics;
  Elliot CARPENTER.
  Thank you.
  Utku CHETIN.
  David John GARGADI.
  Samuel JULIAN.
  Elif LARENDE.
  MANPREET KAUR.
  Mark YAROVYI.
  Hanwen ZHAO.
  For International Finance and Economics;
  Amr ELSHEKH.
  Chanaporn KETWORRACHAI.
  Akinbobola Olaniyi OLABISI.
  Wilson Kalu UDUMA.
  For International Management;
  Cagcan ARPA.
  Yadi CHI.
  Haomin CHU.
  Om Santosh DARANGE.
  Ezgi DEMIRCI.
  Chetan DUVEDI.
  Halil Kubilay ELIBUYUK.
  Royston Antony FRANKLIN.
  HU xin yue.
  Wisdom Ifechukwude ISIEKWELE.
  Kiran KAILE.
  Aye Myat Moe KHIN.
  Rutuja Anil KULKARNI.
  Huimin LIANG.
  Yixuan LU.
  Erdinc METE.
  Kaydeen MORRIS.
  Purva Rajesh NAMJOSHI.
  Lizhen PAN.
  Junhao PENG.
  Sonashree PRASANNA KUMAR.
  Pranshu SAGGI.
  Shikhar SHAILY.
  Anshul SRIVASTAVA.
  Ipek TEMIN.
  Dana TURLYKHANOVA.
  Lingxin WANG.
  Peimiao WANG.
  XIANG Yang.
  Junlin YAN.
  Ni YU.
  For International Marketing;
  Yousuf Abdulrahman Yousuf Jolo ALMOHANNADI.
  Flo FEAST.
  Alexander GLENDINNING.
  Nina GREMEZ.
  Davina KAVUKCUOGLU.
  Also awarded the prize for Best Research Project in MSc International Marketing and the prize for Best Student in MSc International Marketing;
  Maëlle MANGOLD.
  Martin O'CALLAGHAN.
  Kathryn ROE.
  Emma SCARFE.
  Shanaye SMITH.
  For Marketing and Consumer Psychology;
  Nora Salah ABAHSAIN.
  Fowsi ALI.
  Vipasha Rajesh BADANI.
  Nichakarn BANGVIWAT.
  Tekla BERIDZE.
  Lovisa BJURLE.
  Juan CABALLERO BAEZA.
  Alessandro CALZOLARI.
  Kaiwen CHEN.
  Philippa CUNNINGHAM.
  Also Jointly awarded the prize for Best Research Project in the Department of Strategy and Marketing;
  Eve Sarah DICKIE.
  Daniel William EASTLEY.
  Nihaarika GOPALAKRISHNAN.
  Also jointly awarded the prize for Best Student on MSc Marketing and Consumer Psychology; Bethany GORDON.
  Hayliegh GREEN.
  Jasmine GRIFFITHS.
  Tabitha HAWKER.
  Tzu-Wen HUNG.
  Kaori KANAOKA.
  Sasipach KRITYOTHIN.
  Miriam LENDINEZ LORENZ.
  Shannon LLOYD.
  James LOADER.
  Bavna Susan MATHAI.
  Diana MIHAILESCU.
  Riza Berkay MUDRISLER.
  Khadija MURAD ASHRAF.
  Zak O'DONNELL.
  Leman OKTAY.
  Csenge Anna RIGO.
  Georgina SADLER-LAMBERT.
  Hanseo SHIN.
  Michael SMITH.
  Also jointly awarded the prize for Best Student on MSc, Marketing and Consumer and Psychology;
  Lena Marie C STOZ.
  Shrushtee Anil VAIDYA.
  Maanya VIJ.
  Emily WIGMORE.
  Chih-Yin YEH.
  Chancellor, this concludes the first half of the list of graduands from the University of Sussex Business School.

  Professor Sasha Roseneil:
  I call upon Professor Gabriella Cagliesi, to present Paul Johnson.

  [Professor Cagliesi goes to Paul Johnson’s seat. She bows to Paul Johnson who stands. She shakes his hand and both move to the centre of the platform and both bow to the Chancellor. Professor Cagliesi moves to the lectern on the Chancellor’s right side and Paul Johnson stands facing the audience on the Chancellor’s right.]

  Professor Gabriella Cagliesi:
  Chancellor, it is my great honour to stand before you today, to recommend Paul Johnson for the award of an honorary degree from the University of Sussex. Paul is a citizen whose remarkable contributions have left an indelible mark on economics, public and social policy on public understanding of these fields. Paul's career has been characterised by dedication, leadership, and a profound commitment to advancing knowledge and public understanding in this field. Paul grew up and was educated very close to us in Shoreham-by-Sea, where he attended King's Manor, a comprehensive school. He went on to study politics, philosophy and economics at Kebble College Oxford and followed this with an MSc in economics at Birbeck. Paul began his career as a research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, IFS in 1988. His ascent through the ranks was swift, culminating in his appointment as deputy director. Subsequently, he assumed the senior positions in various government departments, including a period as chief economist at the Department for Education, director of public spending at His Majesty's Treasury and Deputy Head of the Government Economic Service. In 2011, Paul returned to the IFS as its director. Under its visionary stewardship, the IFS has expanded substantially solidified its standing as an authoritative, nonpartisan voice of the nation's critical economic issues. And as a director of the IFS, he has not only shaped the trajectory of economic discourse in the United Kingdom, but has also fostered an environment that encourages and obsolete the next generation of researchers. His leadership of the IFS has transformed it into a beacon of excellence where rigorous analysis and independent thoughts thrive. Alongside his work at the IFS, Paul has served for 10 years as a member of the UK Climate Change Committee and has been a member of the Economic and Social Research Council and of the Royal Economic Society. In 2011, the significance of Paul's contributions was officially recognised by his appointment as a commander of the order of the British Empire. This honour bestowed for his services to economics and social sciences is a testament to his impact on shaping our understanding of complex economic landscapes. Also, noteworthy is his election as a fellow of the academic of the social sciences in the same year 2018. This recognition is a not to pull exceptional scholarship and the profound influence he has exerted on the social sciences community. Throughout his career pulls dedication to public service and to public engagement stands out. His commitment to evidence-based policymaking via the most rigorous analysis of economic data in order to subject the performance of government policies to scrutiny is exemplary. Moreover, his work as a public intellectual and communicator of the findings of research at the IFS is second to none. He's regularly be heard early in the morning on BBC Radio Force Today program explaining the latest economic trends and their implication for ordinary people's lives to millions of listeners. Through many years of appearances in the media, he has become one of the most highly respected and trusted expert voices in the UK public sphere. Paul's desire to make economic analysis and research and the complex concept and debates the underpinning economics as a discipline accessible to all is demonstrated in his 2023 book; "Follow the Money, how Much Does Breed and Cost", which is a Sunday Times bestseller. We, at the University of Sussex, were delighted to host a sold-out launch event for "Follow the Money" Artel Art Center in the showroom in February last year, which Paul was in conversation with our vice-chancellor. And as we honour Paul Johnson today, we reflect not only on his outstanding professional contributions and achievement and his selfless dedication to public service, but also on the qualities that make him a mentor, a leader, and a catalyst for positive change. His legacy inspired us all who aspire to contribute meaningfully to economics, public policy, and the social sciences. We express our deepest gratitude to Paul for his unwavering dedication, visionary leadership, enduring impact, and we ask him to continue shaping the future of academic, social, economic and policy landscapes. The matter to us all. Chancellor, I've resent to you for the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, Paul Johnson.

  [Paul Johnson bows to the Chancellor. Paul Johnson shakes hands with the Chancellor, who hands the degree scroll to Paul Johnson.]

  Sajeev Bhaskar:
  By the authority of the Senate of the University, it gives me great pleasure to confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. Many congratulations.

  [Paul Johnson moves to the lectern on the Chancellor's right side. He will deliver his address.]

  Paul Johnson:
  Was that about me? Didn't really sound like it, but thank you. I should start with an apology. You are all here collecting your degrees after years of hard work. I'm just swatting in and getting mine because I've done my job. I've hung around for a while. I'm a bit worried about this talk of legacy that does suggest that it's time for me to go. But, anyway, I'm sorry you've done the work I've just waned in. but seriously, what an honour. Thank you so much. And from my local university too. And it's been extraordinary. Many of you come from all around the world. I've come about five miles up the road. I would never have imagined growing up just along the coast in Shoreham-by-sea, that I would one day be so honoured and rewarded by Sussex University, really does mean a huge amount. Sussex has played an important role as the university in my life since then. People from the IFS have moved to Sussex and possibly even more importantly, people from Sussex who have studied economics here or at the IFS. One of my deputy directors did her undergraduate work here. Our head of communications also did her undergraduate work at Sussex. So again, thank you, Sussex. When I was growing up, a long time ago, 1970s, 1980s, the university was still actually something of a mysterious thing to most of us, I think. I think other than my teachers and my doctors, I'm not sure I actually knew any or not very many adults who'd gone to university. I recall my mother, who grew up just down the road in Brighton, talking about Sussex students. I think she thought they were frankly a bit dodgy. Um, hippies and layabouts I think were the sorts of words she used for students at Sussex. If that was ever true, I'm sure it no longer is. The world really has changed a lot, since then. I'm gonna sound like a terribly old man now. I'm sorry. So many more of you, so many more people go to university and most of you have done not just undergraduate, but master's degrees and that's huge social progress. But one thing I'd say is; don't forget that despite this huge room full of you graduates, you are still a part of a just a privileged minority. And that suspicion that my mother always had, I think of me as well as other graduates, was not always unjustified, suspicion of the university-educated classes, as you will have heard in populism around the world, does still exist. You are now the elite, who the political rhetoric is offered about the elite versus the rest does have resonance for some. Unlike me, you've earned your degrees, but you'll still need to earn your place in the world and respect for our fellow citizens. I do want to stick for a moment with that theme of progress. You'll hear a lot from people, frankly, like me, saying how frankly rubbish everything is now. Um, and yes, it's true. A lot of things are a bit rubbish. Wages have stagnated for more than a decade. House prices, if you're staying in this country, are ridiculous. Taxes are all-time high. Public services are failing left, right and centre. But, and I really do want to stress this bit, the world and the country are vastly better places than they were when I was your age. I only have to look at the city around me and the transformation of the showroom just down the coast to see that. But also the data on health, life expectancy, education, income, all of that bears me out. We live longer, healthier, wealthier lives than we've ever done. Globally, billions have been lifted from destitution. We are, it's true on a plateau, in a dip maybe, but we are still a long way up. A very, very tall mountain. You who have studied economics and business and some of you who've studied things other than economics, but we can't all get it right, will have your role to play, not just in finding your own path in life, but in determining whether we get back on that upward path. Economists occasionally get a bit of a bad press, but in my experience they, we play an absolutely fundamental role in designing and evaluating policy in cutting through the crap frankly, and holding governments and businesses to account in making progress. At least that what is what I've aspired to do throughout my career. And I want to send end with another word of thanks and this time to all of my colleagues at the Institute for Fiscal Studies. I mean, absolutely sincerely, when I say that this degree, I see this degree as an honour, not for me, but for them. For the work they put into analysing the data, doing the econometrics, publishing the papers on which all of the IFS's reputation is founded. I have been unbelievably lucky to pursue a career working on issues that really matter to me and to the country with colleagues that I love and respect. I wish you all equally good fortune. Thank you.

  Professor Sasha Roseneil:
  I call again upon Professor Sambit Bhattacharyya.

  [The Head of Department goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as he reaches the lectern. The Chancellor will stand when the first graduand name is announced.]

  Professor Sambit Bhattacharyya:
  Chancellor, I present to you graduands for the degree of Master of Science in Project Management;
  Oluwatimilehin Samson ADENIYI.
  Mehul AGRAWAL.
  Nikhil AHUJA.
  Harigovind AJITH.
  Diyar Fayeq Saadi AL-SABTI.
  Abdallah ALGHALAYINI.
  Nourah M A M A ALHAQAN.
  Dhari Fawwaz F ALOTAIBI.
  Latifah M S A J ALSAID.
  Jila AMIRI.
  Carla Fiorella AVALOS ARELLANO.
  Noor BLAYBEL.
  Christian Selom Biassey BOGART.
  Hayley BOWERMAN.
  Weijie CHEN.
  Matthew COOKE.
  Sylvester Thomas DATARIBI.
  Kishore DHANAPAL.
  Sadik Emre DUMAN EMRE.
  Chioma Jacinta EZIKE.
  Sampada Suresh GAIKWAD.
  Dafni-Evridiki GAROFALAKI.
  Masood JALILIGHODSI.
  Sheshapriya JONNALLAGADA.
  Nodirjon JURAEV.
  Srinivas Rao Ashok Kumar KARNOOL.
  Suruchi Krishnakumar KATHANE.
  Zainub Usman KHAN.
  Aya KHASSOUMI.
  Suyash Sanjay MAHAJAN.
  Insiya MALIK.
  Aayushi MISRA.
  Ganesamoorthy MUTHIA.
  Nkechi Ifeyinwa OBI.
  Morenikeji Ayotunde OKANLAWON.
  Jamiu Ishola OLADEJO.
  Oluwatominiini Deborah OLAPOJU.
  Joseph Gbenga ONADERU.
  Sara OWERS.
  Jingwen PANG.
  Riya PATHAK.
  Morteza REZAEI.
  Keegan Savio RODRIGUES.
  Matin ROUH AFSHARI.
  Kakharman SHYNGOZHIN.
  Seema Sherbahadur SINGH.
  Arailym TULEGENOVA.
  Okan USLU.
  Furkan YILDIRIM.
  Shengchao YUAN.
  Ahmad Zahid YUNISI.
  For Science and Technology Policy;
  Hanwen LIU.
  Santiago MOLINA TORRES ARPI.
  Kelo Ogechukwu UCHENDU.
  For Strategic Innovation and Management;
  Joseph ABU.
  Oskar Valentin BENTHIN.
  Giovanni COCCHI.
  Boglarka KISS.
  Anusorn KLEEBMEK.
  Lorato MAHALELO.
  Tim MERRITT.
  Simon PADDICK.
  Yakup SAGIR.
  Also awarded the Rothwell Prize for Excellent Dissertation;
  Daniela Antonia VALENZUELA MUNOZ.
  Kelvin Sena Kwame WORDI.
  Peiyao WU.
  Tilegen YEDIGEYEV.
  For Strategic Marketing;
  Monia S M A O ALMUTAIRI.
  Rao Dawar AMAN.
  Also awarded the prize for Best Research Project in Strategy and Marketing.
  Sarasjuntorn ANGKINUN.
  Rachanon CHAROONSAK.
  Neha CHATURVEDI.
  Khushal CHETWANI KARANIK.
  Adenike Esther COLE.
  Yongyi CUI.
  Ruiming DUAN.
  Berk EBCIM.
  Chanan EKINTHUMAT.
  Rana ELWALLY.
  Mohammad Dawood FARRUKH.
  Ruyi GONG.
  Vanessa GRAGEDA.
  Sammar HAFEEZ.
  Yizhen HU.
  Linghao HUANG.
  Mingqiang HUANG.
  Yinghan HUANG.
  Ziyu HUO.
  Sanjana Shivaprakash KAREMAGI.
  Ruolan LI.
  Shihui LI.
  Manasa MAHADEVAIAH.
  Amina Tarek Nabil MAKHLOUF.
  Uzair Ahmad MALIK.
  Abdul Rehman Faisal MIRZA.
  Akshatha NAGARAJA.
  Also jointly awarded the prize for Best Research Project in the Department of Strategy and Marketing;
  Amelia NGUYEN.
  Also jointly awarded the prize for Best Research Project in the Department of Strategy and Marketing;
  Donia NOBEY.
  Natarnong PAKKAYANON.
  Eshwari Kishan PAWAR.
  Mia POGGI.
  Daniel Kumar RAVIKUMAR.
  Ayca SAHIN.
  Dipti SARAWGI.
  Sanjana SHANBHAG.
  Achattaya SIMACHOKEDEE.
  Liwei SONG.
  Lauren SPINA.
  Kexuan TAO.
  Aiza TARIQ.
  Duc Thinh TRAN.
  Yidian WANG.
  Yiwen WANG.
  Wen-Yen WU.
  Anli XIAO.
  Shun ZHANG.
  Tian ZHANG.
  For Sustainable Development;
  Carolina AGATA DE SOUZA.
  Also the recipient of the Geoffrey Oldham Scholarship;
  Mohammad Omer AIUBY.
  Modupeola ALESHINLOYE.
  Amenah ALHAKEEM.
  Afsah ALUMIA-KHAN.
  Michel ANDERMANN.
  Kuldeep ARYAL.
  Nour ATTIA.
  Ava BAHRAMI.
  Emily Mae BARNES.
  Hermando BERNARDES.
  Nitya BHARATI.
  Also awarded the prize for Best Student on the MSc in Sustainable Development;
  Stephen BRYNE.
  Luca BUCKLEY.
  Lynn CHELAGAT.
  Ulrike CLAUSEN.
  Ana COTFASA.
  Kathryn DE CARVALHO.
  Marta DE PRISCO.
  Natalia DEAS.
  Eduardo DJANIKIAN.
  John Luke DUSABE.
  Christopher EDWARDS.
  Conor ELLIOTT BOYLE.
  Silvio Mauricio GABILLO ZAPATA.
  Sebastián GARCÍA VÁZQUEZ Alyssa GERVAIS.
  Nicole GRAY.
  Louitha GREAVES.
  Donald GRIEVE.
  Soumya GUHA.
  Kristina HALMELA.
  Jessica HART.
  Michelle HAWTHORNE.
  Fionita Putri HERAWATI.
  Amira HERZ.
  Ellenrose HILL.
  Helen JARVA.
  Zeineb KATLAN.
  Taishi KAWAMURA.
  Mark KING.
  Rebecca KREBS.
  Farida Nwamaka KURE.
  Olivia LARTER.
  Camilo Andres LIZARAZO CADAVID.
  Marco MARCH.
  Aaqib MD SHATIL.
  Samuel MEAD.
  Georgina MICHEL RODRIGUEZ.
  Sophia MILLANGA.
  Nicola MUIR.
  NADILAH SALMA.
  Aurin Hasan NOVA.
  Rita OLAH.
  Sara PASQUALI.
  Apologies, correction.
  Pornsak PANYALIKIT.
  Sara PASQUALI.
  Sergio Andres PEREZ ABIANTUN.
  Daniela PFEFFER.
  Tijani Abayomi QASSIM.
  Alice Rose ROWELL.
  Rodrigo Andres SAA MALDONADO.
  Joseph SALMON.
  Gasser SEDDIK.
  Irina SHUBINA.
  Jiangyi SONG.
  Hannah SPENCER.
  Natasha SPERREY.
  Owain TURNER.
  Ximena URIBE ZACARIAS.
  Clara WALTER.
  Adriana WILMOTS HELSEN.
  Chancellor, I'll now present to you for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy;
  For the thesis; The role of Socioemotional Wealth on Family Firms' Foreign Subsidiary Establishment Mode, post-acquisition performance and Divestment Decisions;
  Jacqueline LYONS.
  For the thesis; The UK between Brexit and COVID-19; an assessment of FDI, output and trade; Nicolo TAMBERI.
  Chancellor, This concludes the list of graduands from the University of Sussex Business School.

  [The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robin Banerjee, goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as he passes in front of him.]

  Professor Robin Banerjee:
  Chancellor, I will now present to you those who are unable to be presented earlier. For the Postgraduate Diploma in Corruption and Governance in the School of Law, Politics and Sociology;
  Mihail TOGAN.
  For the degree of Master of Science in Development Economics;
  Marina PASIALOUNTA.
  For Entrepreneurship and Innovation;
  Shivani YESA.
  For International Management;
  Adnan Omar Aboulgasim ELGHUL.
  Pavan Sagar GOUNI.
  Chancellor, You have now met all the graduands being presented to you at this ceremony, and the moment has come for the formal conferral of degrees of the University of Sussex.
  I therefore ask you to confer their degrees on those presented to you and to the other graduands who have indicated their wish to graduate in absentia at this ceremony.

  Sanjeev Bhaskar:
  I formally confer degrees on all those mentioned by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor. Congratulations, graduates. Congratulations again to all our graduates and Paul, our honoris causa as well.

  [The Chancellor goes to the lectern. He will make his closing speech now.]

  Sanjeev Bhaskar:
  Um, there's, it's always interesting after this amount of time that I've done it, when you find a first. Where something hasn't happened before, and I think this is the first time we had a Jedi Night come on stage. But with a, um, secondhand, uh, laser. Um, but still great. And thank goodness my dancing lessons paid off. Thank goodness I took them yesterday. So as your time here at Sussex draws to a close, we hope that you will remain connected to us and to each other as alumni. Now, whether your next step is gainful employment, the search for it even further academic study, or simply some time out, I wish you the very, very best. In closing a ceremony, the chancellor is supposed to say something inspiring or impart some wisdom. If I recall correctly, I think one of the students is called Wisdom, so really should all go to him. But since I'm up here, I'll share some things with you, which you are absolutely at liberty to take or ignore as you see fit. It's quite obvious we're living in troubled times. You turn on the news, and many times it can be quite overwhelming. From wars, politics, poverty, inequality, climate. Not to say the still far-reaching impacts of the pandemic. The world just seems really complicated. Politics is complex. People are complex. History is complex. Our heroes are complex, and problems are complex that no doubt require complex solutions. What I've found that's simple, is gratitude. Empathy and Compassion. It's not necessarily easy sometimes to express those things as you have to go through overwhelming sometimes to get there. But the last year, for me personally, brought a number of family bereavements, culminating in my father passing away about six weeks ago. And it struck me that any one of those things, state of the world or, you know, personal difficulties can be emotionally overwhelming. And the problem with dealing with anything that is overwhelming is that, and that's, you know, whether it's loss, fear, anger, envy, or even beauty or love, anything that overwhelms you is that for a period of time we can lose perspective. And if we have to make decisions in that time, they may not be the healthiest decisions we could make for ourselves and anyone else. So the quickest way to get perspective back, and the quickest way to do that is to talk to someone. Is to just to get another viewpoint and another opinion, or get a sense of humour. Irony is very good at giving you a perspective. When my dad passed away, I found myself, as I did during the pandemic actually, reaching for gratitude. I was suddenly kind of very aware of being grateful for the amazing experiences and people I've met. Grateful that I do something I really love for a living. Grateful for my amazing friends and family. Grateful that I get to share these days with you. These are extraordinary to me. And it's such an honour to be a little part of your story now. And I'm really grateful that my dad got to see and know all of that. And I believe that gratitude gave me some perspective in terms of the loss. The other thing I find I reach for is empathy and compassion. For myself, those around me, for people I've never met. Sometimes it can be a real challenge to extend those things towards someone who's done something truly horrific. But I know at some point, I need to know why and how a person can get to that stage. I need to understand so that ultimately I believe that spark of compassion or empathy leads me to an understanding. Which ultimately gives me perspective. My dad was always concerned with the future and planning for it. You know, what's your plan? Have you got a plan? You haven't got a plan? Why haven't you got a plan? Planning, of course, is great. It's important. It allows you to see and build small steps up to your goal. But it's linear, right? It kind of has to be. It's kind of... it's like the rungs of a ladder. You follow the steps and then you reach the top. Life is anything but linear. Life is full of curve balls and the unexpected and weird coincidences. And WFS, World Tennis Federation for the little kids and the very old people. And I've got two lived experiences of this. I mean, you may be aware that Sussex University was my first choice when I applied many years ago. I didn't wanna go anywhere else, and I didn't get in. Um, apparently my grades "weren't good enough". So I took my business elsewhere, in fact, did a business and marketing degree, so I have something in common with you. Um, but I waited. I waited 25 years till all those who'd prevented me from getting in had either retired, been ported, were in prison, or just became plain dead. And I got back in as chancellor. So, hey, I know that's childish. My point is, where was linear planning in that journey, right? So take that linear planning. Also, I wanted to act in, right since I was five years old. And I know this because when I was five, an uncle came to the house and said; so young man, what do you want to be when you grow up? And I said, actor. And my dad said, "It's pronounced doctor". And, so I didn't go to drama school. I didn't do GCSE drama, but the dream was always sitting there behind this kind of wall of impossibilities and doubts. And at the age of 30, I had to sue the last company I was working for, for breach of contract. And I couldn't get any kind of job for two years. And no one could have foreseen that just two years after that, I'd be on television in a successful show and about to embark on, quite an amazing career, doing something I absolutely love. And again, I have to say, where was linear planning in all of that? So if there's a lesson from it, it's to be open to possibilities and to adapt your plans. I believe we are always what we do next. Whatever's just happened to us. It could be down to our decisions or circumstances around us, but our response to it is us. So we get to do that every single time. So process it, learn from it, and move on. And I believe that every negative experience I have, will pay me back in some way, at some point. In a manner that I just cannot see. Just like applying to Sussex all those years ago, or saying I wanted to act and write when I was five. I leave you with a story which I really like. It's about two mice that fell into a bowl of cream and couldn't get out. And one mouse decides they're never gonna get out and gives up and drowns, and the other mouse struggles and thrashes around and splashes and crashes until all the cream has been churned into butter and then steps out of the bowl. Sometimes the struggle is the solution. And finally, I'll leave you with an ancient Sanskrit proverb, which I'm translating obviously into English. Too many cooks still won't make enough food for an Asian wedding. It happens to be true. At the end of the day, I think, what we all really need is kindness, acknowledgement, the space to make mistakes and to evolve. And I hope that you take your considerable intelligence, talents, achievements, compassion, empathy, humour and gratitude, and find a way of expressing that every single day to the world, to each other, and especially to yourself. And in all of your planning. From now on, please factor in happiness. Good luck. We're super proud of you. I'm grateful to you. I officially declare this graduation closed.

  [Music playing] (Senior academics and staff on stage tip their hats as two academics/staff walk across the stage to pick up the ceremonial torches from the small, raised table. They bow to one another before bowing to the rest of the academics/staff. Both lead lines single files of all the professors in separate directions down the staircases on the left and right. The academics and staff walk down the aisles betwixt the audience of seated graduates and guests and exit at the back of the auditorium.)

Download the Ceremony 4 video [MP4 5.1GB]

Ceremony 5 – 1.30pm

• Engineering and Informatics
• University of Sussex Business School
• Accounting and Finance
• Management
• Roffey Park Institute

• Video transcript

  [‘Trumpet Fanfare’ music playing] (A procession of University senior academics and staff in ceremonial robes enter the auditorium, walk down the aisles betwixt the audience of seated graduands and guests, ascend the stage via staircases on the left and right respectively, and take their seats. At the end of the procession are two academics/staff with ceremonial torches who on stage bow to each other, the rows of academics/staff, and then place the torches on a small, raised table with a cloth at the very front of the stage.)

  [The Chancellor, Sanjeev Bhaskar, stands and goes to the lectern to make his opening speech.]

  Chancellor, Sanjeev Bhaskar:
  I declare open this congregation of the University of Sussex. Good afternoon. I'm delighted as chancellor to welcome you formally to this graduation ceremony. A warm welcome to our honoured guests, our distinguished faculty members, and to those of the professional services here at Sussex, but the warmest of welcomes as ever are for you, our graduands and your family and friends who join you here today. And also to those, who are following this via live livestream across the web, across the world, you're most welcome to. Sussex is proud to be considered a world university since its inception 63 years ago. This year, Sussex remains mindful of its relevance and contribution to a much-changing world whilst being indelibly connected to the local community that hosts it. One of the guiding principles of Sussex as one of the first universities in the UK created after the Second World War, was that it should be a forum for ideas beyond more conventional lines, embracing concepts and experiences from different backgrounds, cultures and belief systems, and then combining these with the best of our own. Realising that invention and innovation has no colour, gender, or creed. Recognising that interconnectedness has an important part to play in a fast-evolving society, hence a focus on interdisciplinary teaching and an application of theories. But it is you, our graduands that make us a truly global university. And it is a profound honour for us that you all chose Sussex as your place of study. And I know that many of you have had to be strong to get to this day, struggling to balance your studies with home life, in some cases whilst raising children or supporting loved ones. Experiencing loss and sickness. Trying to survive on overdraft loans or family help. Battling not just self-doubt, but sometimes even the doubts of others. But you didn't give up. You didn't give in. You've seen it through. And here you are. Well done. I know that many people are receiving second and third degrees, in the winter graduations, and some of you may be continuing with further academic study, but for many of you, today, will mark the end of that academic journey. And what a journey. It's been a journey that started all those years ago with your first day at nursery or kindergarten where the world was introduced to your remarkable artistic abilities. Three blobs of paint and some squiggly lines that you had to explain were obviously your parents. When your musical prowess consisted of basically hitting or blowing something so hard that cats and dogs leapt vertically into the air and grown adults went through the cat flap and the reaction was always the same. "Well done". "That was lovely". And you took that encouragement and continued with it over the years. And every musical outrage was treated like an aria, and every pastel abomination was treated like a Jackson Pollock. And as the years continued, you brought home your artistic gems and all of us were treated consistently to kick in the arias and a right load of Pollocks. And then all the years of higher schools and the high-pressure exams that would determine your future path. Partying too hard, drinking too much, not enough sleep, relationships, rejection, confusion, and then came Sussex. Tranquillity, long walks, invigorating swims in the sea, joining the chess club, learning how to knit, avoiding all the pubs, clubs, and the Brighton party scene and basically having fun, which brings us to today. Your glorious day. And thank you, family and friends. I know from experience how much you've supported and sacrificed for your graduand to be here. We're humbled and so proud of all of you. So graduands, in a short while, a name will be read out, hopefully approximating to yours, and you will take the 20 or so steps across this stage, terrified that you're going to lose your hat or mortarboard. Wondering whether the heels were such a good idea. Wondering whether your flies are open and praying that you don't trip over your gown and end up in the lap of someone in the front row. But what an array of laps we've arranged for you. If you decide to go down that path. Look at that! It's like Barbie meets Downton Abbey. I'm beholden to tell you or to remind you if you've been up here before, that you haven't actually got your degrees yet and you getting your degree might just depend on how much love you show me when you come up here. No love for the Chancellor, no degree. I'm kidding, of course. Seriously, feel free to express yourselves, in your moment when you come up here, in whatever way you want. As long as it's within the bounds of decency and legality. Seriously, we've had handshakes, hugs, high fives, fist bumps, dabs, dancing, press-ups. If you're gonna do press-ups, don't expect me to do them with you. I can get down there. I'm not sure I can get up again. Yesterday someone did the splits. I've never seen that before. Brought tears to my eyes. Anyway, and no selfies on the stage. I'm afraid every time you take a picture of me, I lose power. And family and friends, this is your day too. So when the time comes, please do have your cameras ready and feel free to make as much noise as you can as your superhero crosses the stage. If anyone is here today without family or friends, then I'll be your family and friend. So no one's alone. Okay?
  I call upon the vice chancellor to address the congregation.

  [Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil stands and goes to the lectern.]

  Professor Sasha Roseneil:
  Deputy mayor, distinguished guests, colleagues, parents, supporters, friends, and especially our graduands, Sussex class of 2023. It's my great honour and pleasure to welcome you here today. And I would like to start by thanking our chancellor, Sanjeev Bhaskar, for a fabulous opening speech, which is impossible to follow. But as Sanjeev has just reminded us, today is all about you our graduands. This is a day of celebration for you and of you and of all that you've achieved. It's also a moment to acknowledge that many of you have benefited in intangible ways and many tangible ways, as well from the support of your family, your guardians or carers, and from the encouragement of your friends and of course from the teaching and guidance of staff from the university. You may also have had support from our alumni community and donors whose generosity has supported scholarships that have enabled some of you to study at Sussex. So I'm now going to ask for a little participation from you all. Our graduands, I'm gonna ask you if you can, please stand and turn and face your friends and family behind you, your supporters, and give them a really hearty round of applause. Please rise and stand and applaud.

  [Graduands stand up and applause.]

  Professor Sasha Roseneil continues:
  Please be seated. Graduates. I would also like to thank you for making Sussex the friendly, creative, and open university that we are alongside your academic work. Many of you have taken part in an impressive range of other activities as members and leaders of student societies and groups and as volunteers helping and supporting other people on and off campus. Many of you are receiving a Spirit of Sussex Award for your positive involvement in our community. From serving as campus ambassadors to fundraising for local causes, creating new ways for our campus to be more sustainable. I commend your commitment. And I truly hope you found both your academic and extracurricular experiences at Sussex, intellectually rewarding and personally enriching. In the 18 months or so, since I became vice-chancellor, I've come to realise that Sussex students are the very embodiment of energy, hope, and possibility. I've had the privilege of meeting many of our alumni, not just from the UK but from across the globe. From Asia to Africa and the Americas. And what a great thing it is that our students come from so many places. I've been able to visit alumni in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand. In South Africa, Mexico, and the United States. And that's only a tiny fraction of the places that our students come from. I've been overwhelmed by how many of them told me how much they'd loved their days at Sussex and how the experience had fundamentally shaped their lives and careers. They recalled encountering new ideas and new ways of thinking, as well as making lasting friendships and building networks that have accompanied them ever since. I sincerely hope that you, our graduands will feel the same in the years to come. Whether you already have a job, are taking time to explore the world or are looking for your next opportunity. You can be confident that you're leaving a university with a global reputation. A university that has equipped you with knowledge and skills to think critically and creatively. To work across boundaries of established knowledge and to understand the importance of a global perspective. You've been tutored and supervised by academics who are internationally recognised for the quality of their research and scholarship. The breadth and depth of their research has directly informed your education across the disciplines and in the spaces in between. Our research focuses on the urgent concerns of our time. From measuring the effects of climate change on farming to innovative ways of capturing the sounds of nature in rewilded landscapes. From pioneering research into diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer, to identifying how insect brains can help us design fast-learning robot systems to explore the workings of our minds. To understand consciousness and neurodiversity. Indeed we're proud that according to the latest independent review of research quality, 93% of our research was found to deliver very considerable or outstanding impact. That means it makes a difference in the world. It is right now making the world a better place. Sussex has also ranked first in the world for development studies for the last seven years and this year we were placed joint 26th in the world and 13th in Europe for sustainability out of nearly 1,400 universities. And we were ranked within this 16th jointly for our work on equality and 19th in the world for environmental impact. Environmental sustainability is central to what we're doing at Sussex. It's our aim for Sussex to be recognised globally as a university that's making a transformative contribution to tackle the threats to humanity and to our natural environment, not just internationally, but also closer to home. Such as by encouraging staff and students to travel to campus by bike, returning more of our already very green campus to nature and recycling more and more of our waste. This mission and indeed all that we do, align with our institutional values of collaboration and courage. Inclusion and integrity and kindness. I know that many of you graduating today have already had extraordinary and sometimes difficult life journeys. Whether you came to Sussex because we were able to offer you an education that you couldn't get elsewhere or you returned to study after taking some time out and want to create opportunities for your future. Or if you just wanted to explore a subject for the sake of it. I hope you found Sussex warm and supportive and your studies challenging and rigorous. You'll now take many different paths as you join our community of over 200,000 alumni worldwide. They include Nobel Laureates and Grassroots. Campaigners and Activists. Heads of State and Vice Presidents. Leaders, Influencers and Creative Practitioners in the Arts and Entertainment. Chief executives of national and multinational organisations. And those with less publicly high-profile but no less significant lives and careers. People whose actions and relationships remake and renew our complex social fabric in small positive ways every day across the globe. In more than 160 countries and in all walks of life. Our alumni are sharing the benefits of their Sussex experience to make the world a better place. I know you will do that too.
  So graduands, celebrate who you are today. Celebrate the fact that the sacrifices you made were worth it. Celebrate the commitments you made to achieve your degree. Celebrate the belief in yourself that has made it possible and celebrate those who've helped you reach this point in your journey. In short, celebrate.
  I call upon the Head of the School of Engineering and Informatics. Professor Ian Wakeman.

  [The Head of the School of Engineering and Informaticsl, professor Ian Wakeman goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as he reaches the lectern. As he reads the names aloud, the graduands walk across the stage to applause and shake hands with Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar. The Chancellor will stand when the first graduand name is announced.]

  Professor Ian Wakeman:
  Chancellor, I present to you for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science;
  Oreoluwa BENSON.
  Arya DIZNABI.
  Igusti Agung Vadayogi RAHARJA.
  For Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence;
  Mohammed ALI.
  Omar ALSHAIBANI.
  Subsin SRIPRASERT.
  For Computing for Business and Management;
  Iulian COMAN.
  For Computing with Digital Media;
  Yad AL-JAF.
  For Engineering;
  Talab ATALLAH.
  For the degree of Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering with Robotics (with an industrial placement year);
  Magsud MALIKOV.
  For the degree of Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering;
  Harriet RANDALL.
  For the degree of Master of Science in 5G Mobile Communications and Intelligent Embedded Systems;
  Sally Sadeq Mohammed AL OKILI.
  Muhammed Emre DUMAN.
  Maral OWJI.
  Meenakshi RAMESH.
  Reshma ROY.
  Anshuman VERMA.
  Yifei WU.
  For Advanced Computer Science;
  Auns AHSAN.
  Edward AMITAYE.
  Han-Chi CHIU.
  Zain Ul HAQUE.
  Suraj Sanjay HOWALE.
  Arjun Yohann JOSHUA.
  Aditya Pradip KADAM.
  John KOLA-FABIYI.
  Szu-Yun LIANG.
  Temitope Paul OYEYINKA.
  Jerin SEBASTIAN.
  Priyanshi YADAV.
  Delong YANG.
  For Advanced Electronic and Electrical Engineering;
  Mostafa Ibrahim Mohamed ABOUELWAFA ABDELGHAFFAR.
  Fatih KIRLAK.
  AZHAR UR RAHMAN.
  Mohid WASEEM.
  For Advanced Mechanical Engineering;
  SAAD AHMED.
  Mohammed Adnan A ALSALMAN.
  Anuraag DUBBAKA.
  Arunkumar JAYARAJ.
  Merajul MOHSIN.
  Shawon Bhattacharjee SHANTO.
  Changtong XU.
  For Artificial Intelligence and Adaptive Systems;
  Ramtin ARDESHIRIFAR.
  David Hugh BATCHELDER.
  Priscilla BOTWEY-ADDAE.
  Febin Stephen JOHN.
  Serah Jessica MAHENDRAN.
  Chukwuemeka Chinedu OKAFOR.
  Jihyung PANG.
  Christopher Jack TOD.
  Harry WHITE.
  For Computing with Digital Media;
  Josephine DE HAAN--MONTES.
  Patricija GRUNDSTEINA.
  Lin NIE.
  Ian O'DWYER.
  S M Ashiqur Rahman PALASH.
  For Engineering Business Management.
  Oghenekevi ADANO.
  Mohammed AL-GAHDARI.
  Shubham Vijay DALVI.
  Aniruddha Pratap DATE.
  Chaitrali Ajit KADAM.
  Richa Vikrant KHABADE, I do apologize again. Richa Vikrant KHABADE.
  Arsha MADHU NAIR.
  Warit NGARMPORNCHAI.
  Bruno PIRES THOMAZELLI.
  S Emadul Hasan RIZVI.
  Sarthak SETHI.
  Hasabo Abdalla Elhag SULIMAN.
  Arseny TKACHENKO.
  Roshan Puthenchirayil VARGHESE.
  For Management of Information Technology;
  Ademuyiwa Moses ADEBOWALE.
  Philip Osazee AKANWAN.
  Anwar ALRIHAWI.
  Hayat Ali BAKALI.
  Samitha Lakshan Sedara Liyana GUNARATHNA.
  Priya JOHN MATHEW.
  Aleena JOSEPH.
  Taiwo JUNAID.
  Vetrivel MANI.
  Chukwuemeka Ikenna NNODUM.
  Sathish PALANISAMY.
  Catherine PULIDO ROZO.
  Badrunnessa PUTUL.
  Syed Anees Ali SHAH.
  Elnaz SHARIFSHOURIJEH.
  Sawarin TIPWIANG. Sorry again, I apologize. Sawarin TIPWIANG.
  Dhanya VARGHESE.
  Hongtian YU.
  Kalpesh Pravin ZALA.
  Tongyuan ZHANG.
  For Robotics and Autonomous Systems;
  Dogan ACAR.
  Hemanth Kumar ANJAPPA.
  KESHAVNATH SEKAR.
  Mohammed Ibrahim Abdul Aziz MUKADAM.
  Osarode OKUNDIGIE.
  Nikhil PATOORI.
  Priyanka RAJASHEKARA.
  Avaniesh SRIIJITH.
  Krishna Ashok UPADHYAY.
  Edward WILLISON.
  For Robotics and Autonomous Systems (with an industrial placement year);
  Bhavishya RAWAT.
  Chancellor, I will now present to you for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy; For the thesis;
  Semi-supervised methods for distributionally-robust learning;
  Myles BARTLETT.
  For the thesis;
  Towards the Identification of Semantically Similar Texts with Structure-aware Methods;
  Qiwei PENG.
  For the thesis; Automated fact-checking for supporting sub-editing.
  Nestor PRIETO CHAVANA.
  For the thesis; Sonification of autistic children's movements: Investigation through the lenses of Imitation and Social Motor Synchrony;
  Grazia RAGONE.
  For the thesis; Visions of matching: exploring the usage of statistical matching for vision tasks; Sara ROMITI.
  For the thesis; Fair representations in the Data Domain;
  Oliver THOMAS.
  For the thesis; Deep learning robustness to domain shifts for satellite/aerial scene segmentation and classification using remote sensing images;
  Georgios VOULGARIS.
  Chancellor, this concludes the list of graduands from the School of Engineering and Informatics.

  [The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Rossneil stands and says;]

  Professor Sasha Rossneil:
  I call upon the Head of Department of Management in the University of Sussex Business School, Professor Frank Bond.

  [The Head of Department goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as he reaches the lectern. As he reads the names aloud, the graduands walk across the stage to applause and shake hands with Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar. The Chancellor stand when the first graduand name is announced.]

  Professor Frank Bond:
  Chancellor, I present to you for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance;
  Irvin ALLYMOHAMED.
  Xiangning LIU.
  Tyreece SPINKS.
  Daniel WYNN.
  For Accounting and Finance (with the professional placement year);
  Vineet NATHWANI.
  For Business and Management Studies;
  Weiran HUANG.
  Dimitrios TSIOLIAS.
  Xiaohan WANG.
  Qianyi YANG.
  Ruihao ZHOU.
  For Business and Management Studies (with the professional placement year);
  Jonathan HAMBRIER.
  Samuel VICKERSTAFF.
  Diana IBN-IBRAHIM.
  Weiran REN.
  Siyuan ZOU.
  For Finance and Business;
  Maya MENDES DE OLIVEIRA.
  For the degree of Bachelor of Laws with Law with Business Management;
  Regan WILKINSON.
  For the degree of Master of Business Administration;
  The next graduand has been jointly awarded the prize for Best Student on the MBA Joshua ALLWOOD.
  Congratulations.
  Not to keep you waiting, the next graduand has also been jointly awarded the prize for Best Student on the MBA;
  Ema Timothy EFFIONG.
  Najmeh GHOREISHI.
  Happy Eghoghon IGNIS.
  Mohamed KANDIL.
  Vishal MALHOTRA.
  Abhishek Rajendra MISHRA.
  Christabel Nonyerem OKORONKWO.
  Abdirahman Ibrahim Nur OSMAN.
  Xiaohui WANG.
  Ankita YADAV.
  For the Master of Science in Accounting and Finance.
  Alireza AGHEL.
  Festus AGYEMANG-MINTAH.
  Irfanullah AMANI.
  Bikram BHADUR.
  Wenlyu CHEN.
  Long Wun CHEUNG.
  Nittu DAVID PATTERETHU.
  Wenzhuo DUAN.
  Samuel Aghogho EYAUFE.
  Bhavisha Pravinbhai GONDALIYA.
  Sheng HAN.
  Win Myat HTET.
  Khadiza Tut Tahira KHAN.
  Congratulations.
  Narendra KUMAR.
  Devashish Sachin LATKAR.
  Mengjie MAO.
  The next graduand has been awarded the prize for Best Student on the MSc Accounting and Finance;
  Nneoma Obiageli NWOHA.
  Congratulations.
  Achsha RAJAMANI.
  Veronica Vishwas SONAWANE.
  Tammunoemi WILCOX.
  Long WU.
  For Banking and Finance;
  Ziad Falah Hassan ALI.
  Silvia Marla Albuquerque BURITY.
  Manan CHAWLA. Abhijnan GHOSH.
  Mohit JOSHI.
  Chengcheng LI.
  Tony LOPEZ.
  Matthew James MARSH.
  Vignesh MOHAN.
  Joshua Joseph NEWBURY-TEELUCK.
  Thi Thanh Huong NGUYEN.
  Priya Vijaysinh PATIL.
  Urvi Ramesh RATHOD.
  Khai Ern SIM.
  Yonas Addise.
  For Fintech Risk and Investment Analysis;
  This next graduate has been jointly awarded the prize for Best Research Project in Accounting and Finance;
  Hynd AL MARSUMI.
  Congratulations.
  Awarded the prize for Best Student on MSc Accounting and Finance;
  Ulrik BRUNNER.
  Alper ERSOY.
  Oghenevwogaga Deborah FOGHI.
  Pedram GHASSEMI TOUDASHKI.
  Sayali Ajit GURAV.
  Oake Soe KHANT.
  The next graduate has been jointly awarded the prize for Best Student on the MSc Financial Risk and Investment Analysis;
  Giancarlo MARZOLA.
  Muhammad Maruf MIAH.
  Thu Giang NGUYEN.
  Carlos Hernan OSORIO SANCHEZ.
  Chukwudumebi PERE-ENAREGHA.
  Thank you.
  Tushar PETWAL.
  Nadieh REZAEI.
  This individual has been jointly awarded the prize for Best Student on the MSc Financial Risk and Investment Analysis.
  Tor SANDERSON.
  Congratulations.
  Tisaya SRIAROONRUANGCHAI.
  Andrew STODDART.
  Nuray SULTANBAYEVA.
  Lauryn Mipil THOMAS.
  Cyril VARGHESE.
  Andy VU.
  Wei Chen YAP.
  Yavuz Selim YAZGAN.
  Ahmed Mumtaz YOUSUF.
  Saeed Mumtaz YOUSUF.
  For Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management;
  Osama Essam Lutfi ABU DIAB.
  Aksungul ADENBAEVA.
  Olivia Kelechi AGWULOUN.
  Thank you.
  Afra Nur AKMAN.
  Also jointly awarded the prize for Best Research Project in the Department of Management;
  Syed Ashar ALAM.
  Congratulations.
  Awarded the prize for Best Student on MSc Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management; Khaled Mohammad Khaled BIBI.
  Congratulations.
  Mir Abdul Mukhtar BIGHASH.
  Shantanu Devram BORASTE.
  Siddharth CHATTERJEE.
  Kunal Bhika CHAUDHARI.
  Ka Man CHEUNG.
  Vimal CHINNASWAMY VISHWAN.
  Piyush Sunil GANGURDE.
  Cagri GUNDUZ.
  Aswathkumar GURUSAMYRAJA.
  Jean Yee HO.
  Matias JÄRVINEN.
  Archish KARE HARISH.
  Yi-Chun LIAO.
  Kartik Ambarlal MADAVI.
  Chaitanya Dilip MAHAJAN.
  Darpan Sudhir MHATRE.
  Congratulations.
  Mohamed Aatif MOHAMMED GANI.
  Riddhi MONDAL.
  Hariharan MURUGESAN.
  Siva Viswa Priya NAGARAJAN.
  Kar Fei NG.
  Madhan RAMESH.
  Arun Raaj RAJENDHIRAN.
  Fride SANNA.
  Aumit Dey SARKER.
  Talha SOHAIL.
  Congratulations.
  Thank you.
  Samira SOLEIMANIAN.
  Arun SURESH.
  Jibin THOMAS JOY.
  Shirin TULAGANOVA.
  Pradeep VIJAY.
  Arun VIJAYALAKSHMI SHRINIVASAN.
  Chandressh VIVEKANANDAMOORTHY.
  Congratulations.
  For Human Resource Management;
  Helia ARDESHIRIFAR.
  Maria-Ioanna CHAMNTANI.
  Faith Adebimpe FALANA.
  Blerta GOGUSHI.
  Luhan GONG.
  Rachana Rao HUNASENAHALLI SUDHINDRA RAO.
  Zhongkai JIAO.
  Yang LIU.
  Aaditya MANOJ.
  Samina MECANI.
  Also awarded the prize for Best Student on MSc Human Resource Management.
  Callum MUSK.
  Congratulations.
  Xiaoyue PENG.
  Yan REN.
  Siyu SHEN.
  Li SONG.
  Katie Lois TAYLOR.
  Cristina De Los Angeles VARGAS GOMEZ.
  Shiyao WU.
  Mengxi YAN.
  Yongqiang YAN.
  Jingwen YU.
  Lei ZHANG.
  For Management;
  Amarjit Kaur.
  Guanlin CHEN.
  For Management;
  Amarjit Kaur.
  Jiangyue CAI.
  Zilong CAI.
  Guanlin CHEN.
  Zhaowei CHEN.
  Pinalo CHIFWANAKENI.
  Lin CUI.
  Mohamed Hashim Yousif ELDIGAIR.
  Jintal Vishal GURJAR.
  Yao HAO.
  One recipient of the MSc Management Consultancy Project Award for Best Team and the prize for Best Student on MSc Management.
  Matthew Thomas HEALEY.
  Congratulations.
  Siqi HUANGFU.
  Maria IVANCHENKO.
  Muhammad Hunaid JAWAD.
  Ruohan JIA.
  Supakij KANJANAPOO.
  Kartik KAUL.
  Tianting LEI.
  Yuqi MA.
  MAHEK.
  Bhargavkumar NARODIYA.
  Moe NISHINO.
  Yuiko NISHIYAMA.
  Also one of the recipients of the MSC Management Consultancy Project Award for best Team; Baris OKUYUCU.
  Vidhi PANSARI.
  Congratulations.
  Helena Sozinho PEDRO.
  Poojaben Kishanbhai PRAJAPATI.
  Gautham RAJKUMAR.
  Urvi SHARMA.
  Tanmay SHARMA.
  Ao SHEN.
  Dhruv SINGHAL.
  TANIYA.
  One of the recipients of the MSC Management Consultancy Project Award for Best Team;
  Claire JiaJia TEE.
  Congratulations.
  Another of the recipients of the MSc Management Consultancy Project Award for Best Team Javiera VALENZUELA ETCHEPARE.
  Congratulations.
  Vishnuvardhan YISANAKA.
  Jin YUAN.
  Chentao ZE.
  Jialing ZHANG.
  Qian ZHANG.
  Bei ZHOU.
  For Management and Finance;
  Shrabani BHATTACHARJEE.
  Ali CELIKER.
  Zhaoting CHEN.
  Aryan DARUKA.
  Mitun Keshav DHANAPAL.
  Mariyam Shaha FAISAL.
  Marlene Chiedza GADZIRAYI.
  Shravan Kumar GAJENDRA.
  Yuan HU.
  Damini Prakash JAGDALE.
  Snehal Rangnath KANSE.
  Congratulations.
  Taimur KHAWAJA.
  Yinuo LI.
  Zhiqi LIU.
  Doan Mai Huong LO.
  Renett Zola Andre MASSAMBA.
  Attah ONAZI.
  Jude Ikechukwu ONWUDEBE.
  Ziyu PENG.
  Tian QIU.
  Congratulations.
  Moksh Mukesh SHAH.
  Oliver SIMPSON.
  Yagiz SUSUZLU.
  Congratulations.
  Also awarded the prize for Best Student on MSc Management and Finance;
  Michael James TASKER.
  Congratulations.
  Ruiqi WANG.
  Wei WEI.
  Junrao ZHANG.
  For Occupational and Organizational Psychology;
  Minahil AAMIR.
  Kubra ALEV.
  Melinda BATES.
  Lilia Isabella BIRD.
  Adrika DEKA.
  Hao Rong GOH.
  Sanya GUPTA.
  Maria IGUMNOVA.
  Matthew JONES.
  Also jointly awarded the prize for Best Student on MSc Occupational and Organizational Psychology;
  Danielle MARKHAM.
  Congratulations.
  Aleksandra MARMOL.
  Rheanna NOBBS.
  Anayee PAUL.
  Ajesh SELVARAJ.
  Ria SHARMA.
  Hannah Louise Ellen TIBBUTT.
  Tanisha Nitin VAKHARIA.
  Prerna Sunilkumar WADHWA.
  For Sustainabile Finance and Accounting;
  Sarah Tariq K ALHUMAIDI.
  Ancy BENNY.
  Rachita BOSE.
  Rhys EVANS. - Happy Birthday Mom!
  Oh, he succeeded.
  Jorge GARCIA ROCHA.
  Nayelli GUTIERREZ CEDILLO.
  Yusuke KOIKE.
  Jae Sun LEE.
  Also awarded the prize for Best Student on MSc Sustainable Finance and Accounting;
  Mary MORRISON.
  Congratulations.
  Daniel Martinus Robertus VAN DER ERVE.
  Chancellor, this concludes the list of graduands from the University of Sussex Business School.

  [The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Rossneil stands and says;]

  Professor Sasha Rossneil:
  I call upon the Director of the Roffey Park Institute, Dr Graham Curtis.

  [The Director of the Roffey Park Institute goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as he reaches the lectern. As he reads the names aloud, the graduands walk across the stage to applause and shake hands with Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar. The Chancellor stand when the first graduand name is announced.]

  Dr Graham Curtis:
  Chancellor, I present to you for the degree of Master of Science in People and Organizational Development;
  Leona BERRY.
  Lily CUBRILO.
  Louise DOBBIE.
  Rachel EVANS.
  Karen GUERIN.
  Rachel HABERGHAM.
  Claire JEFFEREY.
  Mark LEYSHON.
  Fiona McKerlie.
  Fiona, congratulations.
  Kiki MERAKLI - Well done Kiki.
  Rajiv NAITHANI. Congratulations.
  Chris TAYLOR.
  Mandy WARNOCK.
  Matt WINTER.
  Tony YORG.
  Brian YOUNG.
  Chancellor, this concludes the list of graduands from the Roffey Park Institute.

  [The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kate O’Riordan, goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as she passes in front of him.]

  Professor Kate O’Riordan:
  Chancellor, I'll now present to you those who were unable to be presented earlier.
  For the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Politic and International Relations in the School of Law, Politics and Sociology;
  Mickey FEW.
  For the degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering;
  Jie KANG.
  For the Master of Science in 5G Mobile Communications and Intelligent Embedded Systems (with an industrial placement year);
  Shubhaswi ANANTH.
  For Advanced Computer Science;
  Rupesh Anilkumar PANDEY.
  Bhavik Rajendra PANDYA.
  For the Master of Science in Accounting and Finance;
  Babatunde Oladipupo OJO.
  Congratulations.
  Ejiro Matilda ORAJEKWE.
  For Banking and Finance;
  Leonel ARMINDO.
  For Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management;
  Deep Anand SINGH.
  For Management;
  Mengjie GUI.
  For Management and Finance;
  Jinbei LIU.
  For Sustainable Finance and Accounting;
  Ashwinth BHAVANI SANKAR.
  Chancellor, you have now met all the graduands being presented to you at the ceremony. And the moment has come for the formal conferral of degrees of the University of Sussex. I, therefore, ask you to confer degrees on those presented to you and to the other graduands who have indicated their wish to graduate in absentia at this ceremony.

  Sanjeev Bhaskar:
  I formally confer degrees on all those mentioned by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor. Congratulations, graduates.

  [The Chancellor goes to the lectern. He will make his closing speech now.]

  Sanjeev Bhaskar:
  So that happened. Two things were shouted out, which I should explain to anyone else or someone who's going to edit it is just praise to Mother India, okay? Just in case you think it's something else. And also, someone else shouted out, I'm the king of the world. Um, not me. He's the king of the world. I was just next to the king of the world at the time. But, those are the two things I remember being shouted out. Um, press up... I mean, there's always one isn't there? Now, here's something that I didn't expect, okay? I didn't expect my foot to get caught in my gown, so the press-ups that I did were on one leg. I believe they're harder. I'm going straight to A&E after this, to make sure that my hip hasn't come out of joint. Thank you everybody for your kindness on stage as well. What a warm, lovely group of people you are. As your time here at Sussex draws to a close, we hope that you will remain connected to us and to each other as alumni. Whether your next step is employment, search for it, further academic study, or simply some time out. I of course wish you the very best in closing this ceremony. The chancellor is supposed to impart something inspiring or full of wisdom. I'm the least wise person in this room, as you can tell from my dancing. But there are a couple of things that I've been thinking about that I'll share with you and feel free to use it or to reject it, as you see fit. We really do appear to be living in very troubled times. Turn on the news, and it can be really quite overwhelming on a daily basis, whether it's wars, politics, poverty, inequality, the climate. Not to say there's still the kind of far, far-reaching impact of the pandemic. The world seems so complicated. Politics is complex. People are complex. History is complex. Conflicts are complex. Heroes are complex. Problems are complex that no doubt require complex solutions. So you know, I think a lot of other people look for simplicity. And where I have found simplicity is in gratitude, empathy, and compassion. It's not necessarily easy to do those things, because sometimes you have to go through being overwhelmed to get there. But it's a useful thing to aim for. The last year for me personally, brought a number of challenges. We had a number of family bereavements, culminating in my father passing away about six weeks ago. And I thought then any one of those things, you know, the state of the world or a personal difficulty can be overwhelming. And the problem with dealing with anything like that, whether it's loss, fear, anger, envy, beauty, love. Anything that emotionally overwhelms you, is that when we have to make decisions in that state, we may not make the healthiest decisions that we would otherwise for ourselves or for anyone else. And so the most useful thing is to find perspective. Because that's the thing that you lose a little bit of. And the quickest way to get perspective is to talk to someone. Talk to a few people. Get other opinions. They don't have to be the same as yours, but it requires you to think about their position. And that gives you perspective. Sense of humour, -very useful. Irony. If you can laugh at it as well, you find perspective on it. When my dad passed away, I found myself as I did during the pandemic actually, reaching for gratitude. I was grateful for the amazing experiences and people I've met. Grateful that I do something that I really love for a living. I'm so lucky. Grateful for an amazing family and friends and grateful that I get to share these days with you. I mean, that's extraordinary to me that I now play a tiny little part in your journey. That's mind-blowing to me. I'm super grateful that my dad got to know and see all of that for himself. And I believe that my gratitude gave me some perspective at that time. And the other thing I reach for is empathy and compassion. Sometimes it can be a real challenge to extend empathy towards someone who's done something truly horrific. But I know at some point, I would need to know why and how someone got to that stage. What was the journey to it? I need to understand. So if I can kind of start with some empathy and compassion at the beginning, eventually that will lead me to some perspective. My dad was always concerned with the future and having a plan for it. You know, what's your plan? Have you got a plan? Gotta have a plan. Now, planning is good. Planning is really important. It allows you to see and build small steps towards an ultimate goal. But planning is linear, right? It's straight lines. It's kind of rungs of a ladder. You've got 1, 2, 3, 4 until you get to the top. But life is anything but linear. Life is full of curve balls and the unexpected and weird coincidences and all the WTF, World Tennis Federation for the little children and the very old people. And I've got two lived experiences of this the non-linear route, okay? The one that you can't plan. So, you may be aware that many years ago, Sussex was my first choice when I was applying to universities. And I didn't get in. Apparently, my grades weren't "good enough". So I went elsewhere and I waited 25 years until all those people who'd prevented me from getting in, had either retired, been deported, had gone to prison, or just become plain dead. And I got back in as Chancellor! So, ha ha! My point is, where was linear planning in all of that? I Couldn't have planned that. I also wanted to write and act since the age of five. And I know this because when I was five years old, an uncle came to the house and said to me as a 5-year-old, well, what do you want to be when you grow up, young man? And I said; actor, and my dad said; it's pronounced doctor. And, so it actually happened. I'm grateful to my dad for that anecdote. So I didn't go to drama school. I didn't do GCSE drama. All those kinds of dreams of wanting to be creative or having work in a creative industry were all pushed back behind a kind of ocean of impossibilities. And at the age of 30, I worked in marketing for a number of years, and at the age of 30, I had to sue the company I was working for, for breach of contract. That took two years to go through the courts, during which time I couldn't get any kind of job. And no one could have foreseen that just two years after that, I would be on television in a successful program, starting a really extraordinary and fortunate career that's still going. And again, I say take that linear planning. Where's linear planning in all of that? So you just have to be ready to adapt your plans. Every element of them. I do believe that we are always what we do next. Our next decision is who we are. What has just happened to you, maybe, because of your decisions, or maybe you know, things out of your control. But your response to it is you. That's who you are every time. I believe that every negative experience in fact, will pay me back at some point and in some way that I cannot see. And those two examples, are illustrations of that. Applying to Sussex all those years ago and wanting to write an act. Both of them came together years later, but in ways that have ended up eventually being much more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. I'll leave you with a thought-provoking story. It's about two mice that fell into a bowl of cream. And one of the mice just kind of said, "we can't get out of this". And gave up and drowned. And the other mouse just splashed and thrashed and struggled and crashed and splashed until all the cream had been churned into butter and just stepped outta the bowl. The moral of the story is sometimes the struggle is the solution, okay? and finally, an ancient Sanskrit proverb, which obviously I'll translate, into English for you. Too many cooks still won't make enough food for an Asian wedding. It's true to this day. At the end of the day, I think what we all need is kindness, acknowledgement, the room to make mistakes and to evolve. So I hope that you all take your considerable talents, your intelligence, your achievements, your compassion, your empathy, your humour, your gratitude, and find a way of accessing and expressing that every single day, until it becomes a habit. Good luck. We're super proud of you. I'm grateful to you. I officially declare this graduation closed.

  [Music playing] (Senior academics and staff on stage tip their hats as two academics/staff walk across the stage to pick up the ceremonial torches from the small, raised table. They bow to one another before bowing to the rest of the academics/staff. Both lead lines single files of all the professors in separate directions down the staircases on the left and right. The academics and staff walk down the aisles betwixt the audience of seated graduates and guests and exit at the back of the auditorium.)

Download the Ceremony 5 video [MP4 5.2GB]

Ceremony 6 – 4.30pm

• Life Sciences
• Psychology
• Brighton and Sussex Medical School

• Video transcript

  [‘Trumpet Fanfare’ music playing] (A procession of University senior academics and staff in ceremonial robes enter the auditorium, walk down the aisles betwixt the audience of seated graduands and guests, ascend the stage via staircases on the left and right respectively, and take their seats. At the end of the procession are two academics/staff with ceremonial torches who on stage bow to each other, the rows of academics/staff, and then place the torches on a small, raised table with a cloth at the very front of the stage.)

  [The Chancellor, Sanjeev Bhaskar, stands and goes to the lectern to make his opening speech.]

  Chancellor, Sanjeev Bhaskar:
  I declare open this congregation of the University of Sussex. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm delighted as chancellor to welcome you formally to this graduation ceremony. A warm welcome to our honoured guests, our distinguished faculty members, and to those of the professional services here at Sussex, but the warmest of welcomes as ever are for you, our graduands and your family and friends who join you here today. And for those who couldn't be with you today and are following this, via a web link of some kind, you're most welcome to.
  Sussex is proud to be considered a world university since it's inception 63 years ago. This year, Sussex remains mindful of its relevance and contribution to a much-changing world whilst being indelibly connected to the local community that hosts it. One of the guiding principles of Sussex as one of the first universities created in the UK after the Second World War was that it should be a forum for ideas beyond more conventional lines, embracing concepts and experiences from different backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems, and combining those with the best of our own. Realising that invention and innovation has no colour, gender, or creed. Recognising that interconnectedness has an important part to play in a fast-evolving society, hence a focus on interdisciplinary teaching and a real-world application of theories and concepts. But it is you, our graduands, that make us a truly global university. And it is a profound honour for us that you all chose Sussex as your place of study. And I know that many of you have had to be strong to get to this day. Struggling to balance your studies with home life, in some cases whilst raising children or supporting loved ones. Experiencing loss and sickness. Trying to survive on overdraft loans or family help. battling not just self-doubt, but sometimes even the doubts of others. But you didn't give up. You didn't give in. You saw it through. And here you are today. Well done. Now, I know some of you may be continuing with your further academic studies, but today will mark the end for many of you of your entire academic journey. And what a journey it's been. A journey that started all those years ago with your first day at nursery or kindergarten, where the world was introduced to your remarkable artistic abilities. Three blobs of paint and some squiggly lines that you had to explain were obviously your parents. When your musical prowess consisted basically of hitting or blowing something so hard that cats and dogs leapt vertically into the air and grown humans went through a cat flap and the reaction was always the same, wasn't it. "Well done". "That was lovely". And you took that encouragement and every musical outrage that you brought home after that was treated like an aria. And every pastel abomination was treated like a Jackson Pollock painting. And over the years, as you continued to bring home your artistic gems, we were all treated consistently to a kick in the arias and a right load of Pollocks. And then all those years of higher schools and the high-pressure exams that would determine your future path. Parting too hard, drinking too much, not enough sleep, relationships, rejection, confusion. And then came Sussex. Tranquillity, long walks, invigorating swims in the sea, joining the chess club, learning how to knit, avoiding the pubs, clubs, and Brighton's party scene and basically having fun. Which brings us to today. Your glorious fun day. And thank you, families and friends. I know from experience how much you've supported and sacrificed for your graduand and to be here. We are humbled and so proud of all of you.
  So graduands, in a short while, a name will be read out. Hopefully approximating to yours, and you will take a mere 20 or so steps across this stage, terrified that you're going to lose your hat, your mortarboard, wondering whether the heels were such a good idea after all. Checking whether your flies are closed and praying that you don't trip over your gown and land in the lap of someone in the front row. If you do decide to do that, what an array of laps we've arranged for you this afternoon. Look at that. It's like Barbie meets Downton Abbey. Now I'm beholden to tell you or remind you if you've been up here before, of course, that, you haven't actually got your degrees yet and you getting your degree may just depend on how much love you show me when you come up here. No love for the Chancellor, no degree. I'm kidding, of course. Seriously, feel free to express yourselves when you come up here, in whatever way you want as long as it's within the bounds of decency and legality. But seriously, we've had handshakes, hugs, high-fives, fist bumps, dabs, dancing, and I've gone along with all of them. Please don't do press-ups. I did press-ups today and honestly, this is the third ceremony today, and I won't be able to get back up again. The people are gonna handshake me when I'm on the floor. It's not gonna look good for the pictures. And talking of pictures. No selfies on the stage. I'm afraid every time you take a picture of me, I lose a bit of my power. And family and friends, this is your day too. So when the time comes, please do have your cameras ready and feel free to make as much noise as you can when your superhero crosses the stage. And finally, if anyone is here without family or friends, then I can be your family or friend today. So no one's on their own. Okay?
  I call upon the Vice Chancellor to address the congregation.

  [Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil stands and goes to the lectern.]

  Professor Sasha Roseneil:
  Madam Mayor, distinguished guests, colleagues, parents, supporters, friends, and especially our graduands. Sussex's class of 2023. It's my great honour and pleasure to welcome you here today. And I'd like to start by thanking our Chancellor, Sanjeev Bhaskar, for a fabulous opening speech. Sanjeev is an impossible act to follow.
  As Sanjeev has just reminded us, today's all about you, our graduands. This is a day of celebration for you and of you and of all that you've achieved. It's also a moment to acknowledge that many of you have benefited in tangible and less tangible ways from the support of your family or guardians and carers. From the encouragement of your friends and of course from the teaching and guidance of staff at the university. You may also had support from our alumni community and donors, whose generosity has supported scholarships that have enabled some of you to study at Sussex. So I'm now going to ask for a little bit of audience participation from you, our graduands. I'm gonna ask you, please to all, stand if you can, and to turn and face your family, friends and supporters behind you and give them a huge big round of applause to say thank you.

  [Graduands stand up and applause.]

  Professor Sasha Roseneil continues:
  Thank you graduands. I would also like to thank you for helping to make Sussex the friendly, creative, and open university that we are alongside your academic work. Many of you have taken part in an impressive range of other activities as members and leaders of student groups and societies and as volunteers helping and supporting other people on and off campus. Many of you are receiving a Spirit of Sussex Award for your positive involvement with our community. From serving as campus ambassadors to fundraising for local causes and creating new ways for our campus to be more sustainable. I commend your commitment and I truly hope that you found your academic and extracurricular experiences at Sussex intellectually rewarding and personally enriching. In the 18 months since I became Vice-Chancellor, I've come to realise that Sussex students are the very embodiment of energy, hope, and possibility. I've had the privilege of meeting many of our alumni, not just from the UK but from across the globe. From Asia to Africa and the Americas. And what a great thing it is that our students come from so many places. I've already visited alumni in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand. South Africa, Mexico, and the United States. And I've been overwhelmed by how many of them told me how much they loved their student days at Sussex and how the experience had fundamentally shaped their lives and careers. They recalled encountering new ideas and new ways of thinking, as well as making lasting friendships and building networks that have accompanied them ever since. I sincerely hope that you, our graduands will feel the same in the years to come. Whether you already have a job, are taking time to explore the world or looking for your next opportunity. You can be confident that you're leaving a university with a global reputation. A university that has equipped you with knowledge and skills to think critically and creatively. To work across the boundaries of established knowledge and to understand the importance of a global perspective. You've been tutored and supervised by academics who are internationally recognised for quality of their research and scholarship. The breadth and depth of their research has directly informed your education across the disciplines and the spaces in between. Our research focuses on the urgent concerns of our time. From measuring the effects of climate change on farming to innovative ways of capturing the sounds of nature in rewilded landscapes. From pioneering research into diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer, to identifying how insect brains can help us design a fast-learning robot systems to explore the workings of our minds, to understand consciousness and neurodiversity. Indeed, we are really proud that according to the latest independent review of research quality, 93% of our research was found to deliver very considerable or outstanding impact. That means it makes a difference in the world. It is right now making the world a better place. And Sussex has been ranked first in the world for development studies, for the last seven years. And this year we were placed joint 26th in the world for sustainability, out of nearly 1,400 universities. And within that, we were ranked joint 16th in the world for our work on equality and 19th in the world for environmental impact. Environmental sustainability is central to our mission and purpose. It's our aim for Sussex to be recognised globally as a university that's making a transformative contribution to tackle the threats to humanity and to our natural environment. Not just internationally, but also closer to home. Such as by encouraging staff and students to travel to campus by bike, returning more of our already very green campus to nature and recycling more and more waste. This mission and all that we do align with our institutional values of collaboration, courage, inclusion, integrity, and kindness. I know that many of you graduating today have already had extraordinary and sometimes difficult life journeys. Whether you came to Sussex because we were able to offer you an education you couldn't get elsewhere, or you returned to study after taking time out and wanted to create opportunities for your future. Or if you just wanted to explore a subject for the sake of it. I hope you found Sussex warm and supportive and your studies challenging and rigorous. You'll now take many different paths as you join our community of more than 200,000 alumni worldwide. They include Nobel Laureates and Grassroots. Campaigners and Activists. Heads of State and Vice Presidents. Leaders, Influencers and Creative Practitioners in the Arts and Entertainment. Chief executives of national and multinational organisations. And those with less publicly high profile, but no less significant lives and careers. People whose actions and relationships remake and renew our complex social fabric in small positive ways every day across the globe. In more than 160 countries and in all walks of life. Our alumni are sharing the benefits of their Sussex experience to make the world a better place. I know that you'll do that too.
  So graduands, celebrate who you are today. Celebrate the fact that the sacrifices you made were worth it. Celebrate the commitment you made to achieve your degree. Celebrate the belief in yourself that has made it possible, and celebrate those who helped you reach this point in your journey. In short, celebrate.
  I call upon the head of the School of Life Sciences, Professor Michelle West.

  [The Head of the School of Life Sciences, Professor Michelle West goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as she reaches the lectern. As she reads the names aloud, the graduands walk across the stage to applause and shake hands with Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar. The Chancellor will stand when the first graduand name is announced.]

  Professor Michelle West:
  Chancellor, I present to you for the Diploma of Higher Education;
  Lakavi Manasa SUTHAN.
  For the degree of Bachelor of Science in Biology;
  Rowan COGAN.
  Chloe EWEN.
  For Biomedical Science;
  Michael ASKEW.
  For Chemistry;
  Ema DERVISH.
  For Medical Neuroscience;
  Laiqu GUL.
  Chenelle THOMAS.
  For Neuroscience;
  Thomas STARK.
  For the Master of Science in Biology;
  Nicholas LITTLE.
  For Ecology, Conservation and Environment;
  Robert CROSS.
  For Zoology;
  Idris ADAMS.
  Juliette GARDNER.
  Francesco MARZANO.
  For the Master of Science in Cancer Cell Biology;
  Berfu Yaren AYDIN.
  Juliette BARTLETT.
  Jayanti CHHILLAR.
  Lily COLEMAN-EVANS.
  Naomi Oghenefega DANJUMA-AUDU.
  Vaishnavi Sudhakar KALE.
  Alice RATHBONE.
  For Genetic Manipulation and Molecular Cell Biology;
  Anaswara AJITHAKUMARI NADUVILAPARAMBIL.
  Nathasha BALCHANDRAN.
  Izabella CHEEMA.
  Tiffany CLEMENTS.
  Akash Balkrishna DESHMUKH.
  Siddhant Rahul DHENDE.
  Zeliha Nur EROGLU GURER.
  Marianna IOSIF.
  Abel Manoj JACOB.
  Pratik KAD.
  Kai KELLY.
  Mohammed KHIAT.
  Krushikesh Vijay MISTARY.
  Omotolani OWOLABI.
  Afrah RASHID.
  Also awarded the prize for Best Performance on Genetic Manipulation and Molecular Cell Biology MSc;
  Yasmin SHAKIBI.
  Amy WATSON.
  Quan ZHANG.
  For Global Biodiversity and Conservation;
  Sophie BAKER.
  Jamie BAMBER.
  Zoe BENEFER.
  Cameron CROSS.
  Bronwyn EDGELL.
  Harry James EDGINTON.
  Benjamin MCCRINDLE.
  Stella SAUNDERS.
  Nathaniel SCOTT.
  Emma STONE.
  Also awarded the prize for the Best performance on Global Biodiversity Conservation MSc; Harriet TRUEMAN.
  For Neuroscience;
  Luke EATON.
  Angele HERRERA AMADOR.
  Olivia LONG.
  Tinotenda MACHIMBIDZA.
  Jessica NICHOLSON.
  Abigael NOYCE.
  Shivanika SHANKAR.
  For the degree of Master of Research in Animal Behaviour;
  Sema ABBAS.
  Hannah FERGUSON.
  Pritha SHARMA.
  Also awarded the prize for Best Performance on an Evolution, Behaviour and Environment MRes;
  Pantelina SYRIMI.
  Austin WANG.
  Jenna WILLIAMS.
  For Conservation Biology;
  Jemma GALTON.
  Emily Kate MILLERCHIP.
  Anya SIMON.
  For Neuroscience;
  Megan MCDONALD.
  Also one of the recipients of the prize for the Best performance on a Neuroscience Masters Course;
  Catriona Ailsa OSBORN MOAR.
  Also one of the recipients of the prize for the Best Performance on a Neuroscience Masters Course;
  Marios VLACHOS.
  Chancellor, I will now present to you for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy;
  For the thesis;
  Vascular and immune changes underlying the detrimental short-term effects of high-fat, high calorie diets;
  Devin CLARKE.
  For the thesis;
  Employment of semi-rigid N-donor ligands towards the synthesis of functional coordination polymers with low dimensionality;
  Edouardos LOUKOPOULOS.
  For the thesis;
  From time to time: An Investigation Temporal Consciousness and its Neurophysiological Mechanisms;
  Bel MARANHAO.
  For the thesis;
  Investigating interactions between an anti-cancer protein from Bacillus thuringiensis and human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell lines;
  Mojtaba NASIRI.
  For the thesis;
  Identifying and amending English agri-environment scheme options to better support wild bees on farmland;
  Rachel NICHOLS.
  For the thesis;
  Developing landscape-scale approaches to conserve the threatened barbastelle bat (Barbastella barbastellus);
  Kieran O'MALLEY For the thesis;
  Synthesis, Reactivity and Magnetic Properties of Sterically Bulky Rare-Earth and Actinide Metallocenes;
  Christopher PRICE.
  For the thesis;
  Evolutionary and epigenetic interaction between transposable elements and their plant hosts;
  Elias PRIMETIS.
  Also awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education and for the thesis;
  Apolipoprotein E isoform- specificmodulation of intrinsic and synaptic excitability in the murine hippocampus;
  Oliver STEELE.
  Chancellor, This concludes the list of graduands from the School of Life Sciences.

  [The Chancellor bows his head to the Head of School in acknowledgement and sits down. The Head of School and the Vice-Chancellor will sit down.]

  [The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Rossneil stands and says:]

  Professor Sasha Roseneil:
  I call upon the Head of the School of Psychology, Professor Alison Pike.

  [The Head of Department goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as he reaches the lectern. As he reads the names aloud, the graduands walk across the stage to applause and shake hands with Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar. The Chancellor stands when the first graduand name is announced.]

  Professor Alison Pike:
  Chancellor, I present to you for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Psychology;
  Molly COX.
  Athina DRAKOPOULOU.
  Charlotte LYNCH.
  Emma MCARTHUR.
  Lily MCDERMOTT.
  Bradley NEVILLE.
  Saampavy SIVAKUMARAN.
  For Psychology (with a professional placement year);
  Lucy BRADLEY.
  Gurur UYANIK.
  Sandra VINCENT.
  For Psychology with Clinical Approaches;
  Cressey OSBORNE.
  For Psychology with Criminology;
  Samantha GRITT.
  For the Postgraduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice;
  Gemma Zoe CHALLENGER.
  For Mental Health Wellbeing Practice;
  Rhianna MALENA.
  Bethany WOOD.
  Ellie-Mae WRIGHT.
  For Psychology of Kindness and Wellbeing at Work;
  Claire ADAMS.
  Sarah ALONGE.
  Rachel BOWRON.
  Amelia CULSHAW.
  Julie GARSIDE.
  Daniella JACKSON.
  Susana Estela JUAREZ VENDITTI.
  Joanne MAYNARD.
  Katy MORRIS.
  Clare MORSE-BROWN.
  Natasha Kate PARKIN.
  Victoria PEEL.
  Mary TENYUE.
  Sian THOMAS.
  For Supervision of Therapeutic Practice;
  Lucy BIMSON.
  Rose SCHOFIELD.
  Ellen VOICE.
  For the Postgraduate Diploma in Education Mental Health Practice;
  Thiyasha ABEYSEKERA.
  Joanne AFONSO.
  Rebekah ALLEN.
  Zoey BELL.
  Agnes Florence BLEACH.
  Sarah Louise CHURCH.
  Sarah DUNTON.
  Stephanie GUZMAN VAZQUEZ.
  Claire HARRINGTON.
  Dorrie Jessica HEGENBARTH.
  Lauren JEWELL.
  Max KEELEY.
  Tara Jade KENNEDY.
  Helen Fiona LUCAS.
  Pamela Marie LYONS.
  Betty MORPHEW-HEDGES.
  Rosie Eileen MORRIS.
  Bernadett NAGY.
  Rosie NEWPORT.
  Lisa PLEDGER.
  Emily POWELL.
  Elaine RIPLEY.
  Alison ROWLAND.
  Heather SALTER.
  Gemma SAYERS.
  Jasmine SCHNEIDER.
  Shaneka Louise SIMON.
  Grace SMITH.
  Hannah WALSH.
  Isabella WILLIAMS.
  For Psychological Therapy.
  Randeep BASRA.
  Katie BIRCH.
  Evangeline FOSTER.
  Claire Alexandra LENNOX.
  Marie-Louise LOWCOCK.
  Jodi TEALE.
  For the Degree of Master of Science in Cognitive Neuroscience;
  Levente BABCSÁN.
  Yan CHEN.
  Kam Yan CHONG.
  Hannah COOK.
  Daniel HILL.
  Vandana Surya KHOKALAY.
  Aleksandra KORBACZ.
  Hannah LAWTON.
  Vaska LESHOSKA.
  Nupur MAHADEOKAR.
  Zoe MAY.
  Nikita Kaushal MEHTA.
  Myranda Andrea ROCHA MARTINEZ.
  Emeline ROSE.
  Meghna SRIVASTAVA.
  Fionn Aaron WRIGHT.
  For Experimental Psychology (Conversion).
  Sarah ABDELBASET.
  Leah ATALIOTIS.
  Poppy BARRETT.
  Altyngul BORANTAY.
  Ria Christina CARPENTER.
  Chelly CHAN.
  Patrick Adrian CHAN.
  Jonathan Nicholas EVANS.
  Anna-Maria FRASTALI.
  Also awarded the Alan Parkin Prize for Best Performance on the MSC in Experimental Psychology;
  John Angus GOOD.
  Natasha GRIFFITHS.
  Adela JOHNSTON.
  Sian PANTON.
  Stephen TAYLOR.
  Adwait VAISHNAVI.
  For Foundations of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health;
  Mallika AGARWAL.
  Wissam BENRADJA.
  Helen BLACK.
  Marianna BOLEC.
  Chloe BOWEN.
  Mia BRADY.
  Emma Jane Marie BUCHAN.
  Aslihan CAGIN.
  Also one of the recipients of the Prize for Best Performance on the MSc Foundations of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health; Beril CAN.
  Kirsty DURKAN.
  Obek Tutku EROGLU.
  Kirsty Sabrina Grace FARRE.
  Nour GHATAS. Hannah Marie GODFREE.
  Lakshita GUPTA.
  Emily HIRD.
  Eleanor HOBDEN.
  Raluca-Maria IUONAS.
  Anisha JAIN.
  Kalsoom JAVED.
  Eva JONES.
  Devasena JOSHI THADATHIL.
  Ruby KADI.
  Hamna Ali KHAN.
  Lisa Olivia KREUZBAUER.
  Doritha KYERAAH.
  Lok Hang Gato LEE.
  George LEECH.
  Also one of the recipients of the Best Performance on the MSc.
  Foundations of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health;
  Ailish MACINNES.
  McKenna MINARCIN.
  Ishita MOUDGILL.
  Samantha NEAL.
  Fleur PENNELS.
  Victoria PISKUN.
  Also one of the recipients of the Best Performance on the MSc, Foundations of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health;
  Veronika POUPA.
  Dara W. Y. RAFEEDIE.
  Sharissa REFAAY.
  Jade Georgina RENNISON.
  Megan RICHARDSON.
  Emily ROOS.
  Hannah ROWE.
  Spyridon SARIVASILEIOU.
  Charley SAUNDERS.
  Daniya Amin SHAH.
  Fareeda Mohamed Helmy SHOROSH.
  Tejal Aman SINGH.
  Bethany SMITH.
  Emily STEVENS.
  Saranya VINAYACHANDRAN.
  Hin Ching Wesley WONG.
  Chancellor, I will now present to you for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy;
  For the thesis;
  Beyond the Social Motor Synchrony model: Neurodivergent children and familiar partners can synchronise movements through tailored tasks and contexts;
  Devyn GLASS.
  For the thesis;
  Empathy across the species barrier: Are dogs really ‘man’s’ best friend, or are cats just as empathetic?
  Karen HIESTAND we'll all come and find Karen to find out the answer to that question.
  For the thesis;
  The legitimising role of subjective power in right-wing motivated collective action;
  Carina HOERST. Well done.
  For the thesis;
  Crossmodal correspondences in domestic (Canis familiaris);
  Anna KORZENIOWSKA.
  For the thesis;
  Spheres of influence: Exploring children's social and emotional development within family, peer, and school contexts;
  Alison LACEY.
  For the thesis;
  How can we bring memories of events to mind? The cognitive processes and neural mechanisms of pre-retrieval selection in episodic memory;
  Arianna MOCCIA.
  For the thesis;
  Detecting Deception in job interviewing; Investigation and testing of a novel interviewing method. Diane Mary SWEENEY.
  Chancellor, this concludes the list of graduands from the School of Psychology.

  [The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Rossneil stands and says:]

  Vice-Chancellor:
  I call upon Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Claire Smith, to present Dr Chris van Tulleken.

  [Professor Smith goes to Dr Chris van Tulleken’s seat, bowing to the Chancellor as she passes in front of him. She then bows to Dr Chris van Tulleken who will stand. She shakes his hand and both move to the centre of the platform and bow to the Chancellor. Professor Smith moves to the lectern on the Chancellor’s right side and Dr Chris van Tulleken stands facing the audience on the Chancellor’s right.]

  Professor Claire Smith:
  Vice-Chancellor, honoured guests, esteemed faculty, and of course our exceptional graduands, their families and friends. Today we celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students and members of the Sussex community. I'm delighted to present to you an individual whose journey through education, medical, humanitarian, and public engagement has been nothing short of remarkable. Dr Christopher van Tulleken. Chris, your list of qualifications and accomplishments is extensive and it is truly an honour to stand before you and acknowledge your extraordinary contributions. From your early days in Hammersmith and Wimbledon to earning a Bachelor of Physiological Science Degree and a Medical Degree from Oxford. You laid the foundations for a career dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and service to humanity. Your academic journey continued with a diploma in Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, setting the stage for your distinguished career in Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine. You then achieved a PhD from University College London, where you conducted groundbreaking research on the HIV. Attest amount to your commitment to advancing medical science. However, your journey is not confined to the laboratory, the clinical wards or the lecture hall. You have taken your knowledge to the front lines, serving as a medical coordinator in regions affected by natural disasters and conflicts. Your involvement with organisations such as Medicines Demand, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF. Your dedication to humanitarian causes underscores your commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of others. Beyond academia and humanitarian work, you have displayed an extraordinary talent for communication. As a writer, researcher, and presenter. You have brought complexities of science and medicine to diverse audiences. Earning new accolades include a BAF Nominations and wins for the TV series Operation Out. I must mention here your identical twin, Xand, whom I asked for a quote. Xand's first comment was, "was he not available?" His second comment was how he admires your work because you keep him honest. You operate as an independent voice, taking a stance in a field that is dictated by funding. Your integrity and honesty are at your core. And finally, Xand said you do have to share this honorary degree with him. Your passion to understand and communicate science, has led you to challenge your own assumptions. And I don't recommend any of this, but undertaking experiments on yourselves and your family, particularly for notable TV programs such as "The Doctor Who Gave up drugs", "Trust me, I'm a Doctor", and "What are we feeding our children?" Most recently, Chris, your work on ultra-processed food has challenged the use, the harmful effects on the human body, the wider global societal and environmental impacts of what we are consuming with shocking consequences. Your book, "Ultra Process People, Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn't food? And Why Can't we stop?" Is an international New York Times Sunday Times bestseller. The list of accolades of talks, interviews, and podcasts, again is extensive. Your journey, Chris, is a test amount to the transformative power of education and the impact that one individual can have on the world today. Today we not only celebrate your academic achievements, but also your unwavering dedication to advancing knowledge, promoting health, and making a positive difference to the lives of others. Congratulations on your exceptional achievements, and we eagerly anticipate continued collaboration.
  Chancellor, I present to you for the Degree of Doctor of the University, Honoris Causa, Dr Christopher van Tulleken.

  [The Chancellor stands. Dr Chris van Tulleken moves to stand beside him. The Chancellor shakes his right hand and says;]

  Sanjee Bhaskar:
  By the authority of the Senate of the University, it gives me great pleasure to confer upon you, the Degree of Doctor of the University, honoris causa. Congratulations, Chris. Thank you so much.

  [Dr Chris van Tulleken moves to the lectern on the Chancellor's right side and delivers his address.]

  Dr Chris van Tulleken:
  Well, Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, members of the university, graduands and of course, Professor Smith, thank you for this. This is an honour, that I can scarcely find the words to express, especially that introduction. Claire, um, Claire, this is the second time Claire has introduced me today. She introduced me for a lecture earlier, and all I can say is I'm very pleased that on this occasion she did not put up a picture of a pig rectum, which is what she did earlier. But it is on Claire's dissections of pigs' bottoms and lots of other organs that really, so much of my career is built. So my relationship over the last more than a decade with, Sussex, University of Sussex and BMSF Medical School really has provided this incredible platform for a huge amount of what I do. So, whenever I come here, I feel like it's a home from home. There is this incredible energy and I was saying all this on the radio this morning on, I think it was Radio Sussex and the DJ Danny said, well, if you liked it so much, why didn't you come to medical school here? Which I thought was a bit confrontational, but I had a brilliant answer because the medical school here did not exist when I went to medical school in the mid-nineties. I would have loved to have come here and there is no university I would rather be getting an honorary degree from today. So thank you all for having me. Now, advice is the standard form on occasions like this, isn't it? That's, why I'm standing here. But advice is an uneasy commodity. Some of you I know, expect it from me. Perhaps a few of you are hoping that I will give you some advice. Well, I can say that the couple of people here who I know well, Chi and Claire who've known me for well over a decade as friends and colleagues, I promise you that they would as soon come to me for advice as they would pet a rabid dog. You will get no advice from me today, partly because I'm unqualified to give it, and partly because advice, in general, doesn't work. And I know this because I have given a lot of advice. Doctors trade in advice. So I've been for two decades as a Doctor giving advice to my patients in clinics, in hospitals and I've dispensed advice to the nation about how to eat, how to exercise, how to sleep across hundreds of hours of broadcasting Blue Chip Broadcasting to millions and millions of people. And after I'd been doing this for about 15 years, I started to realise that everything was getting worse and not better. Weird, isn't it? So why doesn't advice work? Well, I think advice doesn't work for three reasons. First of all, when you give advice to someone, especially if they haven't asked for it. But I think even if they have, you steal from that person, the very best bit of a problem, which is the satisfaction. The joy you get from solving it. Almost everything you will ever do, everything you have done that makes you feel good and what better day than today to discuss this, makes you feel good, and I mean really good, will have involved solving a problem. Now, almost all problems. In fact, I'm sure all problems, you will need help for information, skills, partnership. But advice is very different from help. Now, you may not be able to see the shape of the problems you are facing and I and the other people here and the people around you, your families. They'll be able to stand next to you while you hold your problems and they will help you look at them. It's painful to look at our own problems and we sometimes need someone else next to us. But you will keep hold of it. You can turn it over in your hands. You can inspect your problems from different angles and you'll see in your problems, how are the other aspects of your lives reflected and refracted and absorbed by your problems. And you can try and break your problems. You can, you can bend them, you may be able to discard them altogether. But the second I take your problem off you with advice, you can no longer see the reflections of the other bits of your life in it. Now I can look at your problem, but I'll look at it quickly and casually. I might bend it, I might break it, I might hand it back to you and it will look different now. And you'll understand it a little bit less and it will have my mucky fingerprints all over it. So I will not touch your problems or steal them by giving you advice. You are the ones that are holding them, and that is the way it's gonna say. The second reason that I think that advice is nearly always bad is because I don't know you. I don't know your hopes, your fears, your desires, your budgets. So my advice will always be bad. It will be limited, but it won't be bad for me. When I give you advice, I'm not involved in the downside of the problem and I'm not involved in the downsides of the solutions that I may propose. Take some exercise, eat healthily. It sounds simple, but these activities will take your time. They will take your money. They will affect the people around you. They will change your relationships. None of that will affect me, and I don't understand how it will work. Work hard is pretty standard advice for these sorts of occasions, whether at the beginning of your academic life, in the middle of it or the end looking forward. Being told to work hard when you are already doing it, is maddening. Many of you will have had that experience and being told to work hard when you are unmotivated, confused, lost, like frankly, I was, at your age is horrible. So advice steals the satisfaction of solving problems. It steals the empowerment that comes from wrestling with your problems. And it's non-specific because the advice-giver doesn't know you. But there's a final reason that I think advice doesn't work. The best advice is incredibly easy to understand, isn't it? Don't smoke, eat real food, don't steal things, don't drink to excess, don't get killed by a motor vehicle. Easy advice to give, but it's often very difficult to follow because of the violence of the world that surrounds us. The harmful products and activities that are marketed as being healthy to us. The widespread in justice, that means that objects and substances and activities that bring joy and health are unaffordable to many of us. Poor diet has just overtaken tobacco as the leading cause of early death globally, and it is causing synergistic pandemics of malnutrition, obesity, and climate change. Now, this syndemic, we might call it this endemic, of human suffering is not due to a deficiency of advice. It's due to an enormous asymmetry of power between the people affected by poor diet and cigarettes and the corporations who benefit from selling these products and all the other things that affect human health. The greatest influence on human health right now globally is what we call the commercial determinants of health. Corporate incentives, the flow of money. So my advice has shifted. I no longer advise the affected people. I don't give any of my patients advice in the clinic. Instead, I try and give them information and empathy and some understanding, some tiny measure of understanding. And when I'm not in the clinic, I spend my time trying to regulate the corporations that we don't elect, but which have so much power over all of us. But the focus of my critique is not actually the corporations, nor the people who own them, the corporations themselves and their owners, the shareholders, the big asset management funds. They are constrained by a system of financial incentives, by law, by duty, by legal obligations to generate money. If you're interested in changing a system, you need to locate the people who have a choice. So my project is not a political one, it is not to throw rocks at capitalism. You might as well throw rocks at gravity. In my world, the people who have a choice are people like me. In the world of trying to limit the harm posed by the food industry or by all the other industries that affect human health, oil, tobacco, gambling, alcohol, motor vehicles, telecoms, technology. Almost every industrial sector we can think of. The people who have a choice of people like me; doctors, scientists, we are the ones who allow industry to launder their reputation. So if you want to change the world, and I suspect that is the project of everyone here, whether we are sitting on the stage or sitting in the audience. If you want to change the world, you need the freedom to do it. And you cannot solve a problem that you profit from creating. That is the single message I want you to take away from me today. And it's not advice, it's a statement of logical fact. So I leave you then, not with a piece of advice, but with two questions. Because questions are a way of helping people. They're a way of forcing you to hold your problems and inspect them and look at the reflections of the world in them. And my questions are; what do you want the world to look like for yourself and for all of us that you share it with? And if on reflection, the world doesn't look that way, doesn't look the way that you think it should, it's not as fair or as just as it might be. Then my next question is; how will you change it? Thank you all very much for listening.

  [The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Rossneil stands and says;]

  Professor Sasha Rossneil:
  I call upon the Head of the Department of Medical Education in the Brighton Sussex Medical School, Professor Gordon Ferns.

  [The Head of the Department of Medical Education in the Brighton Sussex Medical School, Professor Gordon Ferns goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as he reaches the lectern. As he reads the names aloud, the graduands walk across the stage to applause and shake hands with Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar. The Chancellor will stand when the first graduand name is announced.]

  Professor Gordon Ferns:
  Chancellor, I present to you for the postgraduate certificate in Cardiology; Bino JOB. For Dementia Studies; Prince NWAUBANI For Healthcare Leadership and Commissioning; Rachel THOMSON. For Medical Education; James DALE. Helen HUTCHINGS. George TYLER. For Simulation in Clinical Practice; Melanie HAWKINS. Merelina PATEL. Hayley STOCKFORD. For the Postgraduate Diploma in Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine; Muhammad RAHMAN. For Dementia Studies; Natasha DAVIES. For Paediatrics and Child Health; Huda ZOGHAYYER. For the degree of Master of Science in Cardiology; Celine COFFEY. Patricia LITTLE. For Clinical Education. Wajeeha AZIZ. Andrew FENELEY. Carl FERNANDES. Arnoldas KINCIUS. For Clinical Radiology; Zoya ARAIN. For Dementia Studies; GARY BURNHAM-JONES. For Global Health; Elizabeth MAGILL. Miranda NONIS. Sam PARKER. Also awarded the prize for the Best Overall Performance; Amy SCHEIJDE. For Healthcare Leadership and Commissioning; Mikias ADMASU. Adele AL SHAAR. Edward ODOI. For Paediatrics and Child Health; Justine FARRUGIA PRECA. Jessica LUMSDEN. Sadie SULLIVAN. For Physician Associate Studies; Alisha BLACKMAN-ASANTE. Jacob DEWSBURY. Em DOBRINE, who is watching remotely, so please applause for her. Lucy EARDLEY. Chantal EWINS. Jordan GERARDY. Alice HEAD. Samantha Elizabeth HEPWORTH. Honour JAMES. Sukhdeep Kaur KANG. Oliver LOTEN. Isabella RICHARDSON. Evie ROSSITER. Asmita SHARMA. Julia SIRGIOUS. Richard SKUDDER. Bruno SMITH. Olivia SOUTHERN. For Psychiatry; Bruce TAMILSON. For Public Health; Reemanne BAGHDADI. Miriam FITTIPALDI. Jeremiah FOLAJU. Titilayo IZUAGIE. Fedha KASSONGO. Jack NEWNHAM. Lovelyn OKWARA. Chancellor, I will now present to you for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine; For the thesis; Understanding academic difficulties among undergraduate medical students. David KIRTCHUCK. Chancellor, I will now present to you for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy; For the thesis; Uncertainty and Medical Education. Jonathan SADLER.
  Chancellor, this concludes the list of graduands from Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

  [The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robin Banerjee, goes to the lectern at the top of the stairs on the right-hand side of the platform (facing the audience), bowing to the Chancellor as he passes in front of him.]

  Professor Robin Banerjee:
  Chancellor, you have now met all the graduands being presented to you at this ceremony and the moment has come for the formal conferral of degrees of the University of Sussex. I, therefore, ask you to confer their degrees on those presented to you and to the other graduands who have indicated their wish to graduate in absentia at this ceremony.

  Sanjeev Bhaskar:
  I formally confer degrees on all those just mentioned by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor.

  [The Chancellor goes to the lectern. He will make his closing speech now.]

  Sanjeev Bhaskar:
  Congratulations, graduates. Well, congratulations, again everybody. And congratulations, Chris as well, Honoris Causa.
  I did think for a moment, Chris, that you were going to start doing press-ups. You're the only person who mentioned it, I thought, is he gonna see this through? But also it struck me as particularly as an identical twin. How do we know we've got the right one here? We're gonna have to take a word for it, I think. But also, "Operation Ouch!" Was a program that I watched with my son when he was little. And so, it's... I'm blown away by your credentials in terms of what you've achieved and what you've done, because I watched the two of you on that show and thought you were a couple of kids presenters, let alone have this kind of like phenomenal, contribution to kind of like, public discourse and public health. So many congratulations to you.
  And also because I'm always interested in firsts. I've been doing this for a long time, and there are still things that happened for the first time in these ceremonies never happened before. And there were two immediately I can think of today. One is I don't think anyone's ever brought a stethoscope on and checked my well-being, mid-ceremony. And I mean, they, I assume we were looking for a heartbeat. I just hope you found one. Because nothing was conclusive. And the other thing was, I think now that anyone who has a doctorate has to be able to hold their right leg up in the air is one of the most extraordinary things I've ever seen. And it begs the question, what are you doing later? There is so much to talk about. And also it was the right leg so any little kids on this side of the auditorium. You may have questions for your parents later. But, very impressive. So graduates, as your time at Sussex draws to a close, we hope that you will remain connected to us and to each other as alumni. And whether your next step is gainful employment, maybe even further academic study or simply a break. I wish you, of course, the very, very best. In closing the ceremony, the Chancellor is supposed to say something inspiring or impart some wisdom. And I have Chris's words about advice echoing in my head. I absolutely kind of, you know, back up what Chris was saying. Because one of the things I kind of taught myself not to do, is use the word "should". I generally don't use it when I'm in conversation. I say "could". And I think it's about that thing about agency. It's kind of once you say "should", you are absolutely defining something for the other person. But they don't have the agency to define. So even with my son who's still at school, I will say "could" to him because I want him to be able to have that agency. Having said that, because I've gotta say something, I'm going to just share with you some thoughts and observations I've had, and you are absolutely free to accept or ignore them as you see fit. You can't have failed to see that we appear to be living in very troubled times. You turn on the news and many days it's quite overwhelming. Whether it's wars, politics, poverty, inequality, climate, not to say the, you know, the still far-reaching, impact of the pandemic. You know, all of that can be quite overwhelming. And it's, I think the world seems, it just seems such a complex place. But, you know, politics is complex. People are complex. History is complex. Our heroes are complex. Problems are complex that no doubt require complex solutions. And so that search for something simple within all of that, I think becomes really important in terms of being grounded. And what I found for myself that really helped, was being able to focus and access to gratitude, empathy, and compassion. And those are not necessarily easy sometimes, because sometimes you have to go through the overwhelmed bit to get there. But I think it's a destination for me that has proved incredibly helpful. The last year for me personally, there were a lot of, challenges for my family. A lot of family bereavement, culminating in my father passing away about six weeks ago. And I just thought then that any one of those things, you know, personal difficulties of that kind or the state of the world, can send you to a place where you are overwhelmed. And the problem with dealing with anything, when you're overwhelmed, be it loss, fear, anger, envy, beauty, love, anything, is that we lose perspective in that moment, for a period of time. And if we then have to make decisions in that place where we're overwhelmed and we don't have perspective, they may not be the healthiest decisions we could make for ourselves and the people around us. So getting perspective back quickly, I think, becomes quite important. And one of the quickest ways to get perspective is to talk to someone. Get another viewpoint. And because the viewpoint may not be exactly the same as yours, but it may differ slightly, and having to think about what they're saying gives you that little bit of distance, or it gives me distance at least to get perspective. Humour, irony is really, really useful for perspective, because if you can look at this thing that is scary and you can look it from over here, and it's ridiculous. It's not not scary anymore but it is not JUST scary anymore. And that gives you a little bit of distance from it. When my dad passed away, I found myself as I did during the pandemic. And this is something I've learned from my mom, really, which is to reach for gratitude. And I was grateful for amazing experiences and people that I've met. Grateful that I do something for a living that I absolutely love. Grateful for my amazing friends and family, and grateful that I get to share these moments with you. This is extraordinary for me, that I get to be a little part in your sort of extraordinary stories. And on top of all of that, I was really, really grateful that my dad got to know and see all of that. And I believe therefore my gratitude, in those moments and since, has given me some perspective. The other thing I do reach for is, is empathy and compassion. And sometimes it can be a real challenge to extend those things to someone who's done something truly horrific. But I know for me, I need to know why or how a person gets to that stage. I need to understand. And so, therefore, for me, empathy is my road in. So ultimately that spark of empathy, as soon as I can do it, will lead me to understanding, which will lead me to perspective. And my dad was always concerned with the future and planning for it. What's your plan? Have you got a plan? Why haven't you got a plan? Write down your plan. And planning is great, obviously, and because it gives you, you know, the steps that you need to take to achieve a goal. But planning is linear, right? It has to be, it's like rungs on a ladder. Take 1, 2, 3, 4 steps until you get to the top. Life is anything but linear. Life is full of curve balls. And, you know, the unexpected and weird coincidences and all the WTFs, World Tennis Federation for the children and the very old people. As John Lennon said, life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. And I've got two lived experiences of plans going out the window. And the first is this. You may be aware that Sussex University was my first choice, when I applied many years ago, didn't wanna go anywhere else, and I didn't get in. Apparently my grades weren't "good enough". So I took my business elsewhere and I waited for 25 years till all those who'd prevented me from getting in, had either retired, had been deported, were in prison, or had just become playing dead. And I got back in as Chancellor. So, hey. My point is, where was linear planning in any of that? So take that linear planning. And the second one, which is a biggie for me, I've had a few, but the big, the second big one, was I wanted to write an act since I was five years old. And I know this because when I was five, an uncle came to the house and said; well, young man, what do you want to be when you grow up? And I said, actor. And my dad said; it's pronounced doctor. And I'm grateful to my dad for that anecdote as well. It really happened. And so I didn't go to drama school and I didn't do GCSE-Drama or anything like that. And yet, that dream was sitting behind this kind of wall of impossibilities and doubts. And at the age of 30, I worked in marketing for a number of years. At the age of 30, I had to sue the company I was working for, for breach of contract. And I couldn't get a job for two years because of the legal processing going through the courts and everything. Now, at that point, when I was in debt and living at home and involved in this litigation, right, no one, me or anyone else could have foreseen that within two years of that, I'd be on television in a successful show, embarking on a career that's now lasted 25 years, which I absolutely love. And once again, I have to say, take that linear planning. Where were you in all of that? So that, my point being that, you know, of course, make your plans and, you know, be ready to adapt all the time constantly. If a plan doesn't work, it's not a failure. You just have to kind of adjust and change a plan, but keep moving. I believe that who we are is always what we do next, our next decision is always who we are. What, just happened to us, may have been due to something we've done, but also circumstances out of our control. Our response to it is us. So please don't ever get disheartened by something that's gone wrong as it is because who you are is what you do next. And also, don't be defined by a bad moment or a bad day or a bad week or a bad month, or even a bad year. I had a bad decade once and I came out of it. Um, and I believe that every negative experience will pay me back in some way. Not just a negative experience. Every experience will pay me back in some way and at some point in a manner that I cannot yet see. Just like applying to Sussex all those years ago and saying I wanted to act at the age of five. I took very circuitous roots to both those things, but they happened, you know.
  I’ll leave you with, should I leave you with one or two thought-provoking stories? Oh, what the heck? It's the last one today. We'll do two.
  The first one is about two mice that fell into a bowl of cream and couldn't get out. And one mouse decided that they'll never get out and just gave up and drowned. And the other mouse kind of splashed around and thrashed and crashed and splashed until all the cream had been churned into butter and then just stepped out of the bowl. Sometimes the struggle is the solution. The second one is about a Native American, who's chatting to his grandson about a kind of battle or conflict that goes on inside all people. The grandfather says; the battle between two wolves is inside all of us. One wolf is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego. The other wolf is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The grandson thought for a minute and then asked; well, which wolf wins? And the grandfather replied; the one you feed. So please feed the good wolf. And finally, an ancient Sanskrit proverb that I of course have translated into English for you. Too many cooks still won't make enough food for an Asian wedding. It's true.
  At the end of the day, I think what we all really need is kindness, acknowledgement, the space to make mistakes and to evolve. And I hope that you take your considerable intelligence, your talents, your achievements, your compassion, your empathy, your humour and gratitude, and find a way of accessing it and expressing it in small or big ways every single day. Until it just becomes a habit for you. And then you can express it to the world, to each other, and especially yourselves and in your plans, in the plans that we all make. Please factor into that equation, some happiness. It's kind of really important. I hope you do that. Good luck. We're super proud of you. I'm grateful to you. I officially declare this graduation closed.

  [Music playing] (Senior academics and staff on stage tip their hats as two academics/staff walk across the stage to pick up the ceremonial torches from the small, raised table. They bow to one another before bowing to the rest of the academics/staff. Both lead lines single files of all the professors in separate directions down the staircases on the left and right. The academics and staff walk down the aisles betwixt the audience of seated graduates and guests and exit at the back of the auditorium.)

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