"Your success is our strength; the strength of the Labour Relations degree today is all thanks to you"
Last June 6, we honoured the graduates of the first and second editions of the Labour Relations degree at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), attended by the people who graduated in 1996 and 1997, 30 years after they were at the faculty.
17/07/2024
The ceremony began with the institutional opening by Dr Olga Paz, Vice-Dean and coordinator of Labour Relations and of External Work Placements and Degree Final Projects for the same degree, who introduced the event and welcomed all the guests.
Dr Mª Jesús Espuny, Ombudsman of the UAB, and Dr Xavier Solà i Monells, Professor of Labour and Social Security Law and Coordinator of the Labour Relations Alumni network, also participated in the opening proceedings. Dr Xavier Solà emphasised the importance of maintaining ties with graduate students and the relevance of labour relations in the current social and economic context.
Dr Mª Jesús Espuny spoke about her relationship with the two first editions, saying, "Labour Relations changed my life and my line of research. I will never be able to thank the UAB enough for its commitment to the first and second editions … Your success is our strength; the strength of the Labour Relations degree today is all thanks to you.”
There were also speeches by alumni from the first and second editions.
Olga Garcés, on behalf of the first year, said she remembers what intense times they were because it is such an interdisciplinary degree. "A lot of us are still in touch, even after 30 years" she said.
Manuela Cortes, representing the second year, thanked Dr Mª Jesús Espuny and the teaching staff for their dedication to all of the students on the programme, saying "I was lucky to have Mª Jesús; she helped us visualise who we would be outside the institution … We should be grateful for how close we were to the teachers, we could draw on everyone's encouragement and support, and what's more, they adapted the training to our needs.”
Manuela concluded her speech by saying, "It's not 30 years of a career, but 30 years of experience. UAB Alumni means we continue to have a connection with the university and with our old classmates, many of whom I’ve been lucky enough to bump into along the way."
After the speeches, diplomas were handed out, followed by the screening of a compilation video with photographs from the two first years. Then the UAB Chamber Choir offered a musical performance with the closing movement of Gaudeamus Igitur, the university anthem par excellence.
The event concluded with a networking session where attendees could share experiences and memories, and reaffirm the bonds that are still intact even after three decades.