Espar’s talk focused on the description of four key “elements” that he urged the graduates to apply in their personal and professional lives, namely, setting objectives, achieving growth, working as part of a team and knowing the real value of money.

He went on to highlight the importance of objectives as a key tool in achieving success, and encouraged the graduates to set challenging goals for themselves. “Never let temporary circumstances force you to accept trivial objectives”, he advised.  

With regard to growth, Espar remarked that the important thing about objectives is not what they bring you, but whether they make you grow. “You shouldn’t ask for things to be easier; you should demand more of yourselves”, he said. The former handball coach then went on to talk about teamwork. He listed the characteristics required to be a good team player and emphasized the fact that joining forces through teamwork produces the best results.

Espar ended his talk by looking at the subject of earning money and pointed out that the key is not to seek income from external sources, but to know how to market yourself. He reminded the graduates that “money isn’t earned by working more, but by working better”.

In her talk, Dr Bagur, the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Director of the Department of Physiotherapy, said, “Respect, understanding, knowing how to listen and how to conduct a dialogue are the therapeutic tools that you as professionals must never relinquish when dealing with and treating patients. This perspective has always been part of your training at the UIC”.

After some words from the student representative, Dr Albert Balaguer, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, once again offered his congratulations to the new graduates and brought proceedings to a close with the final speech. He emphasized the fact that the Faculty has always worked to ensure its students not only acquire scientific knowledge, but also “become people who are capable of putting their own interests aside in favour of the common good, i.e. the interests of those most in need at that time”. He also pointed out that the university strives to “instil in students a love of truth and human dignity, the basis of the ideology of this university, which was built on a foundation of Christian humanism”.

The ceremony ended with the traditional rendition of the song Gaudeamus Igitur.