Impressions of the graduation ceremony, June 2023
The graduation ceremony in Summer Semester 2023 took place on 30 June at Universität Hamburg at Universität Hamburg in lecture hall A in the Main Building at Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1. With their families and friends in attendance, the business administration bachelor’s and master’s graduates were honored on a beautiful summer day.
Prof. Dr. Nicole V.S. Ratzinger-Sakel emceed the evening, sharing humorous “best-of” anecdotes—proving that not only students but also their professors have a lot of noteworthy experiences. The faculty’s dean, Prof. Dr. Henrik Sattler, congratulated the honorees on their degrees from one of Germany’s best universities and underscored the importance of change and how the graduates’ studies fostered talents that will help them find their own way in life. The diplomas were handed over by Prof. Dr. Malte Fliedner and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Brüggemann.
Echoing the dean’s sentiments, Teja Töpfer, alumnus and successful entrepreneur, talked about the path to success—which is not just about hard work but also about having the courage to pursue what makes you happy and excites you. Success means something different to everyone. This was also one of the main points in the graduation speech by master’s graduate Ziyi Wei, who spoke about gratefulness and solidarity.
Ethics, responsibility, and sustainability were additional key topics at the summer-semester graduation ceremony, with prizes awarded by the Faculty of Business Administration (sponsored by Mazars) for the best final theses on ethics, responsibility, and sustainability. We congratulate Lisa Ballat and Malte Willms for their outstanding master’s theses. The dean concluded the festive tribute with a wish for the graduates to maintain contact to their faculty, to contribute to Hamburg’s history as an international commercial hub, and to connect Hamburg’s reputation for honorable business practices with modern management approaches.
Students Antonia Alves-Schlünzen and Katharina Jensen performed music throughout the evening, offering a perfect mix of decades and styles. The special atmosphere was also palpable afterwards at the reception in the lobby of the Main Building.
We thank everyone who took part and wish all of our graduates a future full of change, courage, success, gratefulness, responsibility, and—above all—luck.