ISTE SENDS 2023-2024 GRADUATES WITH AN ENTHUSIASTIC CEREMONY
Iskenderun Technical University (ISTE) sent off the graduates of the 2023-2024 academic year with a graduation ceremony.
Iskenderun Technical University (ISTE) bid farewell to its 2023-2024 graduates with a vibrant graduation ceremony. The event, marked by joy, pride, and a touch of sadness, was a memorable occasion for both students and their families. Held on Saturday, June 1st, at 5:30 PM in the ISTE Central Library Foyer, the ceremony was hosted by ISTE Rector Prof. Dr. Tolga Depci and his wife Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aytemis Depci. Distinguished guests included Iskenderun District Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek, Arsuz District Governor Hacı Hasan Gökpınar, Belen District Governor Mahmut Sami Yılmaz, Iskenderun Mayor Mehmet Dönmez, Iskenderun Chief Public Prosecutor Muhammet Emin Ünalan, Iskenderun District Gendarmerie Commander Major Yusuf Yıldırım, philanthropist business person Recep Atakaş, Belen District Director of National Education Erdal Ayvazoğlu, Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary-General Rüstem Bahadırlı, Iskenderun Halk Bank Manager Atilla Turhan, Iskenderun Journalists Association President Diyap Atar, ISTE Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Meltem Eken, Prof. Dr. Suha Orçun Mert, Prof. Dr. Murat Örnek, ISTE Secretary-General Yahya Kılıç, ISTE academic and administrative staff, graduates, and their families.
The ceremony began with a moment of silence and the national anthem. ISTE Rector Prof. Dr. Tolga Depci delivered the opening speech, expressing his delight and pride in sharing this significant day with everyone present. He said:
“Dear graduates, time is the only measurement unit. You cannot define the word ‘time’ without using terms related to it. As engineers, we determine every unit of measurement through comparison, but we only measure time with clocks and make no comparisons. Our undergraduate programs span four years, or 1,460 days, or 35,040 hours, while for our associate degree students, this period is half as long. We have all been through this phase. Now, it’s time for you to reflect on how you spent this time. Did you use it to earn a diploma, to gain a title, or to become exemplary individuals who chase their dreams and hold strong national values? It’s time to ask yourselves this question. Your student life is over now. The luxury of making mistakes has decreased. Many of you are here as my colleagues now.
After the earthquakes on February 6, we opened our doors within the first half-hour and have been working with all institutions to rebuild our city since then. These earthquakes showed that especially engineers cannot afford to make mistakes. This is why, 35 days after the earthquake, I wrote my first official letter stating that we would reopen the university in September, and thank God, we did. As we said, buildings can be rebuilt, but if education ends, hopes end, and if hopes are shattered, everything falls apart. Therefore, we have worked tirelessly to keep our hopes alive and have come this far. We still have a long way to go and do not plan to stop. When I first took office, I prioritized laboratories, and we opened many labs, including the country’s largest and most modern welding excellence centre. In the new term, we will strive to complete the remaining social facilities.
Iskenderun Technical University (ISTE) bid farewell to its 2023-2024 graduates with a vibrant graduation ceremony. The event, marked by joy, pride, and a touch of sadness, was a memorable occasion for both students and their families. Held on Saturday, June 1st, at 5:30 PM in the ISTE Central Library Foyer, the ceremony was hosted by ISTE Rector Prof. Dr. Tolga Depci and his wife Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aytemis Depci. Distinguished guests included Iskenderun District Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek, Arsuz District Governor Hacı Hasan Gökpınar, Belen District Governor Mahmut Sami Yılmaz, Iskenderun Mayor Mehmet Dönmez, Iskenderun Chief Public Prosecutor Muhammet Emin Ünalan, Iskenderun District Gendarmerie Commander Major Yusuf Yıldırım, philanthropist business person Recep Atakaş, Belen District Director of National Education Erdal Ayvazoğlu, Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary-General Rüstem Bahadırlı, Iskenderun Halk Bank Manager Atilla Turhan, Iskenderun Journalists Association President Diyap Atar, ISTE Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Meltem Eken, Prof. Dr. Suha Orçun Mert, Prof. Dr. Murat Örnek, ISTE Secretary-General Yahya Kılıç, ISTE academic and administrative staff, graduates, and their families.
The ceremony began with a moment of silence and the national anthem. ISTE Rector Prof. Dr. Tolga Depci delivered the opening speech, expressing his delight and pride in sharing this significant day with everyone present. He said:
“Dear graduates, time is the only measurement unit. You cannot define the word ‘time’ without using terms related to it. As engineers, we determine every unit of measurement through comparison, but we only measure time with clocks and make no comparisons. Our undergraduate programs span four years, or 1,460 days, or 35,040 hours, while for our associate degree students, this period is half as long. We have all been through this phase. Now, it’s time for you to reflect on how you spent this time. Did you use it to earn a diploma, to gain a title, or to become exemplary individuals who chase their dreams and hold strong national values? It’s time to ask yourselves this question. Your student life is over now. The luxury of making mistakes has decreased. Many of you are here as my colleagues now.
After the earthquakes on February 6, we opened our doors within the first half-hour and have been working with all institutions to rebuild our city since then. These earthquakes showed that especially engineers cannot afford to make mistakes. This is why, 35 days after the earthquake, I wrote my first official letter stating that we would reopen the university in September, and thank God, we did. As we said, buildings can be rebuilt, but if education ends, hopes end, and if hopes are shattered, everything falls apart. Therefore, we have worked tirelessly to keep our hopes alive and have come this far. We still have a long way to go and do not plan to stop. When I first took office, I prioritized laboratories, and we opened many labs, including the country’s largest and most modern welding excellence centre. In the new term, we will strive to complete the remaining social facilities.
Dear graduates, as I mentioned earlier, reflect on your university years and plan your future well. Leave your egos aside. Do not condition yourself to be important; you already are. As someone’s child, you are important now, as evidenced by your respected families here with you. You will be important as someone’s spouse, parent, and so on. Work to beautify life, to uphold human dignity. Remember, once you close your eyes to this world, if the last person who remembers your name also leaves, it will be as if you never existed. Therefore, be good and compete for goodness.
Chase your dreams, even if they seem unconventional or make people laugh at you. Dreams are the starting point and source of the greatest inventions. Do not seek approval. As Albert Einstein said, ‘If you are imitated, not just appreciated, you have succeeded.’ Never give up. Those who fear giving up have already lost from the start. No matter how tough things get, keep fighting for what you believe in. We said we would rebuild our university after the earthquake, and we did not give up and advanced further.
Use your brains and voices. Stand up for every truth you believe in and use what you’ve learned to make a difference in the world, even create new teachings. Be honorable, kind, and compassionate individuals. Our world needs more humanity, kindness, love, and compassion. Be a force for good. With respect for all beliefs, as a Muslim, I share with you a saying of our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): ‘The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.’ We act with this principle and recommend you do the same.
Do not be silent for your values, but remember that to avoid being silenced, you must be strong in the light of science. Today, there is a massacre in Palestine, and many Palestinian university students, who should be graduating like you, are being denied their right to education, with many martyred. They could not graduate today, but we, as a university, recognize them as our graduates in their honour. As our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, ‘To oppose the oppression of the people of Gaza, it is enough to be human.’
Also, consider our brothers in East Turkestan who lack educational rights. Think, work, and be so advanced technologically that as descendants of a great nation that has stood by the oppressed and opposed tyranny for centuries, you gain the strength to stand against oppression worldwide. Do not say, ‘What can I do?’ Remember, as our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said, ‘The strength you need is already present in your noble blood.’
In the enthusiastic and joyful graduation ceremony, students from faculties, colleges, conservatories, institutes, and vocational schools threw their caps in the air, celebrating the successful completion of their university journey. Under the leadership of Rector Prof. Dr. Tolga Depci, the ISTE Senate decided to hold a symbolic graduation ceremony for the martyred Palestinian students who could not graduate due to the ongoing Israeli oppression. On behalf of all Palestinian students, symbolic diplomas were received by ISTE’s Palestinian students Sara Sırıya and Youssef Alhafi. Representing the graduates, Semih Yılmaz, the top student of the Maritime Management Department, expressed his pride in graduating from ISTE and thanked his teachers and beloved family, dedicating his name to the graduation plaque and receiving his diploma from Prof. Dr. Tolga Depci.
Rector Depci thanked philanthropist business person Recep Atakaş, the sponsor of this year’s graduation ceremony, on behalf of himself and the entire ISTE family, presenting him with a commemorative gift.
The graduation program concluded with protocol members presenting diplomas to the top students and a group cap toss. At the end of the program, graduates took photos with their families and enjoyed a concert, celebrating to their hearts’ content.
