On Friday Pforzheim University was celebrating its first official online graduation with almost 750 graduates from the Business School and School of Engineering. Among these alumni were 22 international MBA graduates that followed the official part of the “Laudatio” celebrations on their screens from near and far together with friends and family.
Instead of rolling out the red carpet for the graduates, the university management and professors bid farewell to their students in a digital ceremony. Even if everyone involved would have preferred to celebrate in presence, the speakers at the digital ceremony, which was streamed live from the Audimax at Pforzheim University, also emphasised the special skills that the graduates were able to acquire through the recent difficult conditions. "Crises force us to leave well-trodden paths, to go beyond our own limits and to actively tackle improvements. You have proven through your degree that you have the necessary expertise and stamina to master the future challenges in your profession and society," stated the Rector.
After the official part of the celebrations the MBA graduates met with faculty and MBA team members in the program director´s digital office for an informal get-together. Since many of the MBA students had left Pforzheim to do internships or to write their theses with various companies after the last MBA classes were completed, this meeting was very much enjoyed by everyone. The alumni shared their experiences in the last couple of months with e.g., their job search or the application processes. The list of companies at which our graduates work now is very impressive and comprises among others Amazon, Douglas, diconium, Enercon, EY, Francotyp Postalia, Headstart Academy, KPMG, MST, NKT, Tipico, PwC, Qontigo, SAP, TeamViewer or 1&1 IONOS.
Good luck for the next steps in your careers and looking forward to keeping in touch and to being able to celebrate in person with you all on campus on June 25!

Text and screenshots: MBA