Ana Raquel Fuentes and Oumaima el Ghoulbzouri were responsible for putting into words what the past two years had meant not only for them, but for the 24 students of the fifth cohort. The Edition 5 Globed Graduation Ceremony took place on the 9th of September 2022, in Barcelona, and below there is a small, but representative, part of it:
“My colleagues, classmates, my Globedian family: Even after we took our own paths, either because of Glasgow, Bremen, internships, fieldworks and just life, we still managed to get together – either digitally or in person – and support each other. And for that sense of resilience and loving community, I thank each one of you. I thank each one of you for these two years, I cannot express enough how delightful it has been to learn from you, to listen to your stories, to perrear with you, to eat with you, to debate with you, to cry and be vulnerable with you. I also want to add how much I admire each one of you and how lucky we have been to cross paths. I hope we do it again.
Now after this, it will be our time to be part of the Winter School as alumni – maybe we will finally get to visit Cyprus –, but it is also our time to celebrate this accomplishment and all of our hard work. I know it has not been easy, but we did it!
Continue hoping for a better world, continue fighting for human rights, including LGBTQ+ and gender equality and against all forms of discrimination and oppression. Keep looking and advocating for a more equal world, continue fighting for a free and recognised Kosovo, fighting for the education of everyone, including Afghan girls, because it is a human right. Keep looking for that PhD/job you want – even if that means the World Bank –, continue looking for the peace you want. Continue hoping, continue dreaming and working for what you want. I know you will do it. I know we will.”
“While I was looking all those months for an answer to what the solution would be, I didn’t realize that I had been surrounded by the solution since the beginning of this journey, September 2020. You all are the solution. I know it sounds very cheesy, but it is true. My dear classmates who, despite the awareness of the problems, the harshness, the injustice, so passionately, so motivated and with such a sincere heart, want to fight this. And not only are they speaking up, people watching and friends and family, these are 24 superheroes who have traveled from literally all over the world, left their comfort zone at home to immerse themselves in it for two years, worked hard now that their diplomas and with this extra knowledge, will contribute in their own way to a more peaceful world through education. Because that’s what we do, right friends?
Like these two years, the battle ahead will not be easy but:
For me, these two years symbolize that solution: people who are intrinsically motivated, have a big heart, experience fun and less fun things together, dare to be vulnerable, come together and contribute within their own strength and support each other in this. YES. that’s what this world needs.”
