Looking back at another fantastic Graduation Day

Dutch graduate Paulien van Eerdenburg looks back at an unforgettable day:
“It was truly special to wear the special gown, to be looked at while at the same time constantly worry that your hat stays in the right place.” she smiles. To me, the whole day was a great happening, but the dinner, the band and the party were the best part. Sharing great food and wine with my classmates was fantastic, and especially to end the day dancing away to good music. I found it a wonderful and worthy closure to a very special time of my life.” says Paulien.

The final number of graduates totaled 413 – nearly 100 more than last year’s edition when ‘only’ 325 students graduated. An impressive 389 students graduated with their MBA certificate, while another 24 obtained their Doctor of Business Administration – the highest attainable degree at BSN. Of the total number of graduates, the ceremony was attended by 196 international students originating from China, The Netherlands, Bangladesh, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Suriname, Curacao, Czech Republic, Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania: a truly colourful mix of students from some of the countries where BSN operates.

Not always a certainty, this year’s weather was remarkably festive too: it was a clear and sunny day in Scheveningen. When the official ceremony started, faces were still a bit tensed, with cautious smiles here and there of students dressed in traditional gowns and hats. When the director of BSN – Netherlands, Frank Campman, announced that ‘famous Dutch bitter balls’ were to be served later, the first loud laughs where audible.

Juanita Bouwer, Director of BSN – International, looks back on a remarkable day: “Graduation Day was once again a fantastic experience with international graduates hailing from so many different countries. It’s so very exciting to see the multi-cultural make-up of the alumni of BSN and knowing how many problems they have resolved in their organisations and own countries. Truly a networking experience for all with much joy!”

The highest highlight
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The highest highlight
There was one subset that took the concept of the MBA being a ‘highlight’ for them very literal: they meant to fly, along with coach Arthur van Gemert, in a Cessna plane from Lelystad to the Kurhaus. Unfortunately, some cloudy conditions threw a spanner in the works, so they could not quite reach the Kurhaus. Arthur mentioned:
“At first I was sure they were going to have me get out somewhere half-way, but I was very excited about the idea of being able to put a closure to what has been an intense period of time for such a great group of students.”

“They’ve shown that doing an MBA can truly be festive – given that, of course, it’s hard and challenging to keep up your job and family life at the same time. What a fantastic achievement to literally fly as high as they did!” narrates Arthur.

All 196 international graduates were wholeheartedly congratulated by BSN’s international faculty:
Slava Kubatova (Director BSN – Czech Republic); Lere Baale (CEO – BSN Nigeria); Juanita Bouwer (Director – BSN International); Bing Han (Director – BSN Asia); Frank Campman (Director – BSN Netherlands); Glenn Rijssel (Director – BSN Suriname) and Marcel van der Ham (Dean – BSN).

What a fantastic day, congratulations to all, we already look forward to next year!

To view more photos of this memorable day, please visit our online photo album on Facebook.