University of Greenwich Graduations

I LOVE GRADUATIONS!!!

It is such a privilege to attend the graduation ceremonies and celebrate with students and their families.  It is particularly special when I know that some have had their share of struggles and have maybe, on occasion, considered giving up.

Kaim & Tahmid have been a BIG part of the Islamic Society
over the past three years.  It's good to see them graduate
but I'm going to miss them, because they make me laugh so much 😀

Always good to see PhDs graduate, they have all worked so tirelessly to attain that doctoral degree.

I think Ahmed is asking, "Do I look silly in this hat?"  My response may have been, "You look like an orange muffin."

Jeff, so good to celebrate this day with
you; and I'm glad Niduka made it
back from Sri Lanka 😀

Tanisha, congratulations, you made it!!

It was lovely to meet your sister and your mum 😀

Rhandi and Troy were long time supporters of TABLEtalk

and other Chaplaincy activities

It was a pleasure to meet the University of Greenwich
Chancellor again, Lord Boateng.

Tendai, well done!!

There were two honorary degrees given. Firstly to the humanitarian Terry Waite OBE.  For those who don't know, he was a special envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury during the 1980s and helped secure the release of missionaries detained in Iran after the Islamic revolution. He also extracted British hostages from Libya and even succeeded in releasing American hostages from Lebanon in 1986.  However, on January 20, 1987 and was held captive for more than four years during which time he was frequently beaten and subject to mock executions. He was held captive for 1,763 days and his account of this time can be found in his book 'Taken on Trust' - a truly inspiring read.

The second honorary awards was presented to Gary Pugh OBE, who has worked tirelessly in the realm of Forensic Science for over 40 years. In 2021 he was appointed as the government's Forensic Science Regulator, ensuring the high standards of forensic science throughout the criminal justice system.

Dominika and Amel, congratulations!!!

Dominika, really lovely to meet your parents and

to be able to host you for a few days 😀