Translation: Speech by Amjad Dafis

Distinguished members of the Leuphana School of Management & Technology,
distinguished faculty members, dear families and friends, and above all: dear fellow graduates,

It is a great honor for me to stand here today. This moment is not just another item on the agenda of a ceremony. It is a symbol of what we have achieved together: years of learning, doubting, growing, and persevering.

My name is Amjad, a graduate of Business Information Systems, and I am very pleased to share a few thoughts with you all today.

When you study Business Information Systems, you quickly learn that not everything proceeds in a straight line. You encounter databases, process models, programming errors, long evenings in front of your laptop, and group projects that suddenly become very dynamic right before the deadline.

Perhaps that was one of the most important lessons of our studies: taking responsibility, finding solutions, and moving forward even when the next step isn’t entirely clear.

Today, therefore, we are not just celebrating a degree, a diploma, or an academic title. We are celebrating a journey. A journey that looked different for each and every one of us, but which has brought us here together today.

When we started at Leuphana, many of us probably didn’t know exactly what lay ahead. We had expectations, hopes, and perhaps a bit of uncertainty. Some already knew exactly where they wanted to go. Others first figured out what they definitely didn’t want to do. That, too, is an important realization.

And then this degree program began. With orientation sessions, first seminars, new faces, and many moments when you thought, “That sounds exciting.” And with at least just as many moments when you thought: “Maybe I should have read the module description more carefully beforehand?”

For us in Business Information Systems, the program often meant standing between worlds: between business and technology, between people and systems, between the question “What does an organization need?” and the question “Why isn’t this code working, even though I didn’t change anything?” 

We learned to analyze processes, understand systems, interpret data, and design digital solutions. But studying isn’t just about acquiring knowledge. It’s also about organizing yourself, setting priorities, dealing with doubts, working in a team, accepting criticism, and sometimes just pushing forward even when the to-do list is longer than the day.

What was particularly special about Leuphana for many of us was that we weren’t just trained in our field. We were repeatedly encouraged to think outside the box. Not just to ask, “Can we do this?” but also, “Should we do this?” Not just, “Is this solution efficient?” but also, “Who does it benefit? And what responsibility do we bear in this?”

Especially in a time when digitalization, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and social change are being discussed everywhere, this perspective is particularly valuable. We are not leaving this university with just specialized knowledge. We are hopefully also leaving with the ability to ask questions, recognize connections, and take on responsibility.

But of course, our studies weren’t just about big ideas and academic insights. They also consisted of very concrete everyday experiences.

From visits to the cafeteria, where you sometimes learned more about project management than in a seminar: Who stands in line where? Who secures the table? Who still has five minutes until the next class?

From group projects, where you learned that “I’ll finish my part tonight” can be a very flexible concept.
From exam periods when suddenly every other task became more appealing, even cleaning up.
And yet: all these moments are part of it. Maybe later on we won’t remember every formula, every model, or every slide. But we’ll remember the people with whom we studied, laughed, doubted, and celebrated.

Today we stand here because we made it. Not always right away, not always perfectly, but successful in the end.

And now a new chapter begins for all of us. Some of you may already know exactly what comes next: a master’s degree, a job, an internship, a trip, or your own project. Others are still unsure. And perhaps that is perfectly fine.

Because if our studies have taught us one thing, it is this: You don’t always have to know the entire path. Sometimes the next step is enough. And sometimes clarity only comes from taking that first step.

As graduates, we take with us from Leuphana not only knowledge, but also experiences, relationships, and an attitude: that learning is never finished, good solutions rarely emerge on their own, and the future is shaped by people.

I hope that this is exactly what we take with us: the courage to shape things. The willingness to take on responsibility. And the composure not to feel we must have a perfect answer to everything right away.

Dear fellow graduates,
we have survived deadlines, passed exams, turned in papers, given presentations, and probably created more PDF files with names like “final_final_really_final.pdf” than we care to admit.

Today, for once, we don’t have to think about the next deadline. Today, we can be proud. Of what we’ve accomplished. Of the path we’ve taken. And of what lies ahead.

I hope that we all remain curious. That we find people we enjoy working with, and tasks that challenge and fulfill us. And that we remember that success isn’t just about reaching the destination, but also about staying human along the way.

That’s why today is also a day of gratitude.
Thank you to the school who have guided, challenged, and supported us. Who didn’t just give us answers, but sometimes, above all, better questions.
Thank you to the university staff who, working behind the scenes, made so much possible – things we often only notice when they aren’t working.
Thank you to our families and friends. You weathered exam periods with us, put up with our mood swings before deadlines, motivated us when we weren’t quite convinced ourselves, and probably listened to our complaints about how stressful everything was more often than you’d have liked.

And dear fellow graduates: Thank you to you as well. Because a degree program isn’t just about classes and exams. It’s about encounters, mutual support, brief conversations after seminars, and messages like: “Did you understand what we have to turn in?”—often followed by the honest reply: “No, but we’ll figure it out.”

And with that, I’d like to conclude with a thought that might be particularly fitting today:
Education is more than what we’ve learned. It is what empowers us to forge our own path and open up new paths for others.

Dear fellow graduates, congratulations to all of us.