The 9th Graduation Ceremony of our University was Held with Pride and Excitement

Our university's 2024-2025 Academic Year Graduation Ceremony was held with great excitement and enthusiasm on June 27, 2025. The ceremony was attended by CoHE Deputy Chairman Prof. Dr. Haldun Göktaş, TGU Consortium President Prof. Dr. Sabine Kunst, DAAD Secretary General Dr. Kai Sicks, our Rector Prof. Dr. Cemal Yıldız, our General Coordinator Prof. Dr. Ferit Küçükay, Beykoz District Governor Dr. Fatih Ürkmezer, Beykoz Deputy Mayor Özlem Vural Gürzel, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Aysel Uzuntaş, Prof. Dr. Hamide Özden Özkaya Ferendeci, Prof. Dr. Ali Gökhan Yavuz, faculty deans, college directors and academic staff, graduate students and their relatives.

Our Rector, General Coordinator, Vice Rectors, academicians and students greeted the guests with a procession walk, then the ceremony began with a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem, and our Rector addressed the guests with his speech.

Our Rector said in his speech, “You are here today as a result of the determination, patience and diligence you have shown throughout your education. I wholeheartedly congratulate your families who brought you to this point, our valuable professors who work day and night, and all our stakeholders who contribute to the development of our university. May your path be clear and your future bright. A life woven with science, sports, art and morality awaits you. We are always with you, always behind you. I wholeheartedly congratulate you on your graduation and offer my love and respect to all of you.”

Following our rector’s speech, CoHE Deputy Chairman Prof. Dr. Haldun Göktaş addressed the students and said, “Dear graduates, today you are not just graduating from a university; you are also representatives of a vision, a collaboration, a cultural sharing. I sincerely believe that you will use this knowledge in the best way possible in your future lives and that you will represent our country in the best way possible both in science and in social life. On this special day, I would like to thank our teachers who educated you, your families who are with you with devotion, and everyone who contributed to your success. May your path be clear and your future bright. I greet you all with respect and love.”

Addressing the graduates, TGU Consortium President Prof. Dr. Sabine Kunst said, “You will strengthen our multifaceted ties in the fields of politics, economy, science and civil society; you will be able to build bridges and mediate even in times when communication becomes difficult.” She concluded her words by saying, “I wholeheartedly congratulate you on your graduation, your efforts and this meaningful day, and I wish you courage, foresight, success and always enjoy building bridges in your life journey.”

Addressing the graduating students, our General Coordinator said, “First of all, I would like to recognize the tremendous achievements of our graduates. You have spent countless hours in libraries, laboratories and in front of computer screens. You have learned a difficult foreign language such as German, overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, struggled with countless difficulties, successfully passed difficult exams and taken part in many projects. Standing here today, you prove that your hard work, dedication and self-belief never go to waste. I sincerely congratulate you all on this great achievement!”

Invited to the podium to give a speech on behalf of the academic and administrative staff of our university, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Elif Posos Devrani, Faculty Member of the Faculty of Culture and Social Sciences, said, “Dear young people, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, entrusted all his hope to the youth. When I look at you from here today, I sincerely believe that you will not disappoint that hope. Let sincerity and curiosity be the compass that will illuminate your path; let productivity be your strength, and solidarity be your shelter. And please always remember: Conscience is as valuable companions as knowledge, patience is as valuable companions as success, and modesty is as valuable companions as self-confidence. I wish each of you a life in which your mind is free, your conscience is at ease, and your soul is strong. May your path be clear.”

This year, our student from the Department of Culture and Communication Sciences, Aziz Ata Şen, and our student from the Department of Computer Engineering, Metin Kerem Öztürk, shared the university's first place. Aziz Ata Şen, who graduated from the Faculty of Culture and Social Sciences as the university's first place student, said in his speech, "Today, I would like to thank my professors who have broadened my horizons, my family who has been with me under all circumstances, and all my friends who has never lacked solidarity in this difficult but meaningful journey." Metin Kerem Öztürk, who graduated from the Faculty of Engineering as the university's first place student, said in his speech, "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all our faculty members who contributed to me throughout this process; to all our professors who guided me with their knowledge and experience, who are here today and who are not with us. I would also like to thank my family who has always been with me, who trusted and supported me, and to all my friends with whom we learned and developed."

Following their speeches, the Vice President of CoHE, the President of TGU Consortium, our Rector and our General Coordinator presented congratulation/achievement certificates and gifts to the first, second and third place students of our university. In addition, during the ceremony, our Rector and protocol members presented gifts and wished success to our students who won in sports competitions this year.

The 9th Graduation Ceremony of the Turkish-German University ended with the students from the Science, Law, Culture and Social Sciences, Economics and Administrative Sciences and Engineering Faculties throwing their caps and taking a group photo, followed by a concert by the Palavra group from our Music Club.