The graduation ceremony was held in the UIC main lecture hall and brought together the friends and families of about 70 students of Law, Criminology and Political Science and Public Administration. During his talk, Dr. Silva tried to contextualize the reality that awaits the students upon graduation by focusing on the real reasons behind the current economic crisis.

“Your generation is called on to be a select minority that will transmit the elements of a culture of life, love, hard work and solidarity,” he encouraged the students. “But don’t forget that the struggle isn’t out there; each one of us, in our hearts, must face the fundamental dilemma of choosing between blending in or standing out from the crowd”.

Finally, he spoke more directly to the future lawyers, the profession that Silva also practices, and reminded them that they should remain politically independent and try to ignore the criticism they will often receive.

Following the keynote speaker’s address, the student representatives from the two degree programmes and the Bachelor’s degree programme gave speeches that revisited their years spent in the UIC.

Finally, Javier Junceda, the Dean of the UIC Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences, thanked Dr. Jesús Maria Silva for agreeing to be the keynote speaker at the ceremony and congratulated the new graduates, while reminding them that their success was a collective task. “Employers never hire brains; they hire people”, he said. He explained that this idea is central to the education provided by the UIC. The dean also called for optimism, the most efficient weapon for combating the crisis.

The ceremony ended with the traditional singing of Gaudeamus Igitur.