KAIST will hold its graduation ceremony on Friday, with Mohammed Haruna Hamza becoming the first international student to speak at the event as a student representative.

The ceremony will take place at the university's campus in Yuseong District, Daejeon.

A total of 716 students will graduate with bachelor’s degrees, 1,643 with master’s, and 785 with a Ph.D.

Two students will give speeches at the ceremony: Kim Min-jae, graduating from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Mohammed Haruna Hamza, a Nigerian student from the Department of Aerospace Engineering.

Hamza is the first international student at KAIST to be selected as a student representative to speak at the graduation ceremony.

Having lost his home to bombings in Nigeria, Hamza pursued his dream of becoming an aerospace engineer and came to study in Korea through the Global Korea Scholarship.

“I’m thankful to the people who helped me through my struggles and the experiences I had,” said Hamza. “Our future is the result of the decisions we make today.”

Syed Sheraz Ali, another international student from Pakistan, is also among the graduates.

Ali, a single father with a one-year-old son, enrolled in a Ph.D. program at KAIST’s Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2019. His research focused on MXene-based soft actuators.

He also served as president of KAIST’s Muslim Student Association, helping to introduce a Halal menu at the cafeteria.

Lee Chan-kyu, graduating from the School of Computing, will receive an award from the Minister of Science and ICT. Lance Khizner Dabu Gragasin will receive an award from KAIST’s Development Foundation. The Presidential Award will go to Yang Seo-yeong, graduating from the Department of Biological Sciences.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]