GRADUATION
TBS Graduation held at
the British Counsulate General, Istanbul!
With the powerful vision of "raising globally-minded individuals" Tarabya British Schools has received offers from world-class universities to all its graduates from the day it was founded. This year Tarabya British Schools held their traditional graduation ceremony at the UK Consulate on June 8th.
British Consul General Mrs Judith Slater, British Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mr Chris Gaunt, University of Cambridge senior officials, reputable Turkish businessmen and important figures from politics and society, all met on this glorious evening at the British Consulate General, Istanbul.
Tarabya British Schools, which consists of valuable and notable families, watched their children's graduation ceremony with pride. Mrs Janet Williams-Ipek, Director of Tarabya British Schools, delivered the opening speech after the arrival of the graduates accompanied by traditional Scottish Bagpipers. Mrs Janet Williams-Ipek, thanked the graduates, the teachers and the parents for yet another successful academic year and continued by adding: "Tonight this ceremony is another great demonstration of our attainment of our goals. Our graduates continue to give us immense pride and great opportunity to receive acceptances from world-class universities year on year."
Next to the podium was Mr Mehmet Gültekin, the Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of Horizon Group, of which Tarabya British Schools is a part. Mr Gültekin, gave many important messages in his speech but especially stressed the following issues: "First of all, I would like to thank Mrs Judith Slater, British Consul General, who has hosted us on this important evening. Tarabya British Schools maybe a boutique school, but it actually houses a huge world with students and teachers from 27 countries. It is a new and fresh breath in the Turkish education system. To this end, Tarabya British Schools do not only offer an international standard education to their students, but also enables them to recognise and understand different cultures and the opportunity to make friends with people from different nations. To me, the success of a school has two criteria; to train highly confident individuals with high self-esteem, and to place them in the world's best universities. When we look at our graduates, I am proud to say that universities in the top 100 in the World University rankings have accepted them. And for this reason, I am proud of all the students and teachers who have been part of the success."
Mr Chris Gaunt, the Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce, who has attended the last three graduation ceremonies of Tarabya British Schools, presented both the diplomas to the students and gave them important messages from his experiences. He explained that for more than 100 years the British Chamber of Commerce and Trade has worked with Turkey in the business field, but now, by working especially with visionaries such as Mr Mehmet Gültekin, they operate in the field of education. This brings another level of cooperation between the countries. He continued by stating that it is also a great source of pride that the great majority of graduates receive admission to British universities. He stressed that well-trained individuals are essential to generate more power to move Turkey forward on the international scene. Mr Gaunt provided examples of top executives from Turkey already working in some of the world's largest companies. He concluded by telling the graduates to "be proud of your country and have no doubts about it."
Mrs Judith Slater, who was appointed Consul General of the UK in 2016, spoke next. "The consulate was built over 170 years ago and now, here we are, in the garden celebrating together; tonight proves once again the important relationship between Turkey and the UK. I congratulate all the graduates for their achievements. I am very happy to welcome you here."
For three years Tarabya British School has been supporting the Guide Dogs Association. This year the students of Tarabya British Schools collected another 15,000 TL to support rising the number of guide dogs for the visually impaired in Turkey. A cheque was presented to Attorney Nurdeniz Tuncer, the President of the charity.
Every year a previous Tarabya British Schools graduate is invited back to speak. This year South Korean Sungkwon On, currently studying engineering at Oxford University, spoke to the graduates. Sungkwon On started his speech by pointing out that: "When I started TBS my English was weak and yet today I am studying in Oxford University. I am grateful to TBS for giving me this important direction in life. Alumni friends, do not be afraid of your mistakes, mistakes will take us forward and will open our dreams to realise. Tonight is a start, now you should make extra effort to reach your goals, I wish you success in your university life."
Graduate and school top student, Sarp User, stated "I leave TBS with good friendships that can not be compared to my previous school life. The experiences I have had here are invaluable. During the years I spent here, I took part in all the activities of the school. Thanks to these experiences, I am ready for the next stage. I offer my thanks to all the teachers."
During the diploma ceremony Peter Monteath, the European Director of the International Examinations of Cambridge University, gave a short speech saying, "It is a great pride to be here today, and I congratulate all the teachers for helping these successful students. I would also like to thank the families for their great role in this success." The graduates received their diplomas and awards from British Consul General Judith Slater, British Chamber of Commerce President Chris Gaunt and Cambridge University Senior Manager Peter Monteath.
The evening concluded with the very talented performer Su Soley and special guest international renowned DJ Mahmut Orhan.
