Graduates from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) were urged to become masters of their own destiny in an inspiring speech by Honorary Doctor of Business Administration Bijna K. Dasani.
As a DMU graduate herself, she has done just that with an incredible career at the intersection of Financial Services and Technology, which has taken her to more than 30 countries across five continents, bringing her ethos of social impact, inclusion and diversity to the fields of business.
Bijna joined DMU as a part-time student in Business Administration in 2002. Today, she is the Head of Architecture and Innovation at Lloyd’s Banking Group and has been honoured by her industry globally, academic institutions nationally, and the media as catalyst for change and her thought leadership.
She told graduands from the Faculty of Business and Law that she still sees DMU as her home. She said: “It is where the heart feels content, where the mind feels intellectually curious and stimulated, and where there are limitless possibilities. Possibilities to connect with each other, to dream of the future, to create something better, to fail and rise higher, to learn by being, to win by achieving, and to grow by evolving. For me, DMU is really where the magic happens. ”
She spoke of her strong connection to DMU’s alumni family, "The family that is a global network across 177 countries; it is the invisible thread of connectivity that binds us together to the incredible DMU family – past, present and future" and offered this advice to graduates: “Education ultimately makes you the master of your own destiny and the change-maker of the future for humanity – Know and respect that you have the power to influence and shape the planet".
“As you graduates move into the world to make your mark - as one shining star on this planet of seven billion people - you too will appreciate the wonderful staff who helped you to become you – without you even realising. I cannot quantify with simple words what this institution has done for me, but I can share a heartfelt sentiment; the people that make this the centre of excellence it rightly is, are simply amazing!”
Inside The Venue@DMU it was a party atmosphere as graduates collected their degrees, snapped selfies and proud parents clapped and cheered during our final two ceremonies from the Faculty of Business and Law.
Saturday's two ceremonies wrapped up an incredible week which has seen more than 4,000 graduates collect their degrees in front of 13,000 guests at 21 ceremonies all held at TheVenue@DMU.
Graduands from Leicester Castle Business School from around the world were celebrating with friends and family and looking back on incredible years at DMU.
Ella Wright, Human Resources Management graduate, said: “It has been brilliant. I have loved my time at DMU. I’ve got a young son, and the lecturers have been really accommodating, it’s such a supportive environment.”
International Marketing and Business graduate Brennan Cross, who secured a graduate scheme role with a global company after impressing on placement, said: “It’s the culmination of four years’ work to reach this point. I’m enjoying every minute of today.”
Michele Bolognese from Rome, who studied Business and Management, said: “I came to DMU because I knew Leicester was a very multi-cultural city with people from lots of different countries. I have really enjoyed DMU, the studies were interesting and I got involved in sports societies like volleyball and futsal.”
Marketing graduates Siddarth Prajapad, Tanisha Agrawal and Ayush Verma are progression students from Daly College Business School in India, which means they completed their final year at DMU. During their year they have been in the Indian Society, Bhangra Society and joined #DMUglobal trips.
Siddarth’s best memory of DMU was his #DMUglobal visit to New York in January – a trip which has now inspired him to apply for Master’s studies in the USA. Tanisha is also planning on postgraduate studies while Ayush will be heading back to India to work at news channel Digi News.
Tanisha said: “It has been amazing! The lecturers are very helpful and the life at DMU is incredible. It is such a good place to come, everyone is so friendly and welcoming.”
Overseas experiences were also top of the list for Business and Management students Chloe Fallon and Dee Givens who spent two weeks in China at a summer school. “It was offered as part of our modules and we went for it. It was the best experience,” said Chloe. Dee has landed a job as deputy managing director of an IT solutions company: “I’m really happy,” she said.
Posted on Saturday 21 July 2018