Milos Delikladic (Serbia) and Muhammad Azka (Indonesia) | Class of 2019
Every year in June the most awaited day comes around: Graduation! This 7th of June, around 400 students from 72 nations graduated. This year, Muhammad Azka from Indonesia and Milos Delikladic from Serbia were selected to deliver the Undergraduate Student Address in the Commencement Ceremony. Both of them studied Industrial Engineering and Management at Jacobs University, and got to know each other because they were put together as roommates in their first year in 2016. They have been close friends ever since, and say that they are grateful for all that Jacobs has enabled them to do – including finding lasting and unforgettable friendships.
Azka decided to come to Jacobs because his grandfather wanted him to attend a German university, and he was excited to learn that he could pursue his Industrial Engineering and Management degree in English at Jacobs University. Milos, on the other hand, already spoke German before he came to Jacobs, but enjoyed working on his English further as he believed it would open more doors and opportunities for him. He also was interested in logistics and industrial engineering, and made his way to Jacobs in 2016. After graduation, Azka plans to keep working on his startup project, the Meetmeet Company, and Milos is taking some time for himself to travel and figure out what internships and graduate programs appeal to him.
Their speech was a witty and heartfelt recollection of the memories they have gathered from their arrival during Orientation Week until now. It was a celebration of diversity in our international campus, and how it manifests itself in the multiple facets of life at Jacobs: in the classroom, in the meals that we share, in the international holidays that we celebrate together, in the languages that we speak, the religions that we follow, in the ways of life that we adhere to, and in the friendships that we build on a bedrock of tolerance, curiosity and respect. Milos and Azka encouraged their fellow graduates to persist in the face of failure and the challenging times that lie ahead as they search for jobs or continue to graduate schools. They closed with warm congratulations, and the certainty that they will come together again, maybe 10 years from now, and share their experiences and their gossip just like they do now, appreciating the strong bonds to each other and to their Alma Mater.
To learn more about Milos and Azka, look at our Humans of Jacobs Facebook page!
