Some seeds are planted in calm seasons. Others are entrusted to the soil during storms, where they learn, quietly and courageously, how to grow.

Antonine University (UA) celebrated its 2026 Commencement Ceremony at the Hadat–Baabda Campus, honoring a new graduating class under the theme “Seeds of Success, Growing Beyond Limits.”

In a ceremony shaped by prayer, music, family, gratitude, and hope, the University brought together graduates, their families, faculty members, administrative staff, and distinguished guests to mark the end of one journey and the beginning of another.

The ceremony was held in the presence of H.E. Mr. Elias Bou Saab, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament; MPsAlain Aoun and Fadi Alameh; Rev. Abbot Joseph Bou Raad, UA Chancellor and Superior General of the Antonine Maronite Order (OAM); Rev. Fr. Michel Saghbiny, UA Rector; members of the Board of Trustees; vice rectors; deans; members of the UA community; and Guest of Honor Ms. Mireille Hayek, Founder of Em Sherif, the globally renowned Lebanese fine-dining and lifestyle brand.

From the moment they arrived, the graduates turned the Campus into a place of reunion, remembrance, and celebration. Surrounded by their families and carried by the joyful atmosphere set by the Music Club, they moved across campus through a series of pre-ceremony activities that transformed waiting time into memory: writing messages on golden leaves for the Tree of Messages, decorating fans, personalizing their caps with stickers, leaving filmed messages at the branded microphone stand, playing foosball, posing at photo booths, and interacting with the Artists & More performers and stilt walkers.

Even the smallest details carried the spirit of the theme. At the “Ring for a Snack” wall and the drink stations, graduates encountered messages woven into the experience itself: branded water bottles invited them to “Water Your Dreams and Grow Beyond Limits,” while snack boxes reminded them that “Success Tastes Better When Shared.”

The Alumni Time Capsule invited the Class of 2026 to leave behind an object, a letter, or a personal token for their future selves, marking their passage from student life into the wider UA alumni community.

A Ceremony Rooted in Prayer and Symbol

The evening opened with the voice of the Antonine University Choir, conducted by Maestro Toufic Maatouk, OAM, whose hymns accompanied the graduates’ entrance and gave the ceremony its first moment of solemn beauty.

As they made their way into the ceremony, the graduates carried wheat seeds and placed them in pots, previously filled with soil by their families, turning the theme into a living gesture. The symbolic act carried the story of the Class of 2026: young women and men formed by effort, nurtured by sacrifice, and prepared to grow beyond the familiar horizons of their university years.

The ceremony officially began with a prayer led by Rev. Abbot Bou Raad, who blessed the wheat seeds and entrusted the graduates to Our Lady of the Seeds, Patroness of Antonine University. In his prayer, he asked God to let the seeds of success celebrated that evening “grow beyond every limit: the limits of fear, hesitation, withdrawal, and destructive identities, so that they may bear goodness, peace, and hope in the field of Lebanon and the soil of the world.”

This opening moment placed the celebration within UA’s spiritual identity and gave the ceremony’s theme its deepest meaning: growth rooted in faith, resilience, and purpose.

Lebanon, Family, and the Soil That Forms Us

The first part of the ceremony carried a strong tribute to Lebanon and to the people who helped shape the graduates’ path. Graduates Delsin, Jad, Joy, and Hiba performed a patriotic musical tribute, bringing together “مهما يتجرّح بلدنا” by Zaki Nassif and “هيدا لبنان” by Wadih Al Safi and Rouwaida Attieh in a moment that celebrated the endurance of a country and the hope carried by its youth.

For the first time, the ceremony also gave parents a dedicated voice. The parents of Miguel Merhej, a graduate from the Faculty of Sport Sciences, delivered a heartfelt speech on behalf of all families, recalling the years of support, sacrifice, fear, pride, and silent strength that stand behind every graduate. Speaking of “the small seed we watered with love, sleepless nights, and giving,” they reminded the Class of 2026 that graduation is not an end, but a beginning. Their final message returned the graduates to the soil that formed them: “Lebanon is us, your mother and father; Lebanon is your grandparents; Lebanon is your University; and Lebanon is you.”

As the speech unfolded, students held heart-shaped signs carrying messages of gratitude to their families. A special video then gathered parents’ messages, adding a deeply personal layer to the ceremony and reminding the graduates that every success is watered by those who believed in it before it could be seen.

The Voice of the Graduates

Representing the Class of 2026, Helena Karam from the Faculty of Information and Communication (FIC) delivered the graduates’ speech, reflecting on dreams, pressure, resilience, friendship, gratitude, and the unseen battles that accompanied the graduates’ journey.

Addressing her classmates as “the living seeds of success,” she reminded them that graduation was not only about reaching a finish line, but about everything that helped them grow along the way. “Because yes, we are graduating after months of war. Would you believe that? So, where’s the limit now?” she said, turning the hardships of the year into a message of strength, belonging, and pride. She thanked families, instructors, offices, friends, and the wider UA community, before inviting her fellow graduates to keep growing beyond limits.

As the graduates raised their flags and echoed her final words: “We are Antonine” the speech became a collective declaration of belonging.

The student voice continued with an original poem by Anthony Zoghbi from the FIC. His words drew from Lebanon’s darkness, war, classrooms, and the image of Antonine University standing as a place where knowledge continues to rise. As he invoked Our Lady of the Seeds, a laser projection of her image appeared on the Building B façade, transforming the poem into one of the ceremony’s most powerful visual and spiritual moments. Through poetry, light, and symbol, the Class of 2026’s experience became a tribute to learning, homeland, and endurance.

A Message From the Rector

In his address, UA Rector Fr. Michel Saghbiny reflected on the meaning of the ceremony’s theme, presenting the graduates as seeds that were planted, nurtured, and prepared to bear fruit within Lebanon and beyond it.

He reminded the graduates that “the seeds that have weathered the fiercest storms, from crises and wars to displacement and loss, now stand at the threshold of a new chapter,” where the world is no longer only a geography divided by seas and borders, but a vast space for ideas, initiatives, and creativity. Fr. Saghbinyinvited the Class of 2026 to move beyond fear, hesitation, and the familiar, while keeping the values of their University as a compass wherever they go.

He also paid tribute to Ms. Mireille Hayek, describing her journey as a living expression of the ceremony’s theme: a Lebanese story rooted in identity, built with passion, and carried across borders through excellence, perseverance, and faith in one’s roots.

Guest of Honor: Mireille Hayek

Ms. Mireille Hayek addressed the graduates with a message marked by honesty, simplicity, and lived experience. Speaking not only as the founder of Em Sherif, but also as someone who transformed determination and perseverance into a global Lebanese success story, she shared four lessons with the graduates: no ego, no negativity, no perfect time, and no perfect country.

Her message spoke directly to the moment facing many young people in Lebanon. She encouraged the graduates to remain humble, keep learning, reject discouragement, stop waiting for perfect conditions, and understand that success depends less on the place where one begins than on the care, discipline, and vision invested in the journey. “There is no land that is not fertile,” she told them, reminding the Class of 2026 that they alone decide how far their seeds of success can grow.

Following her address, UA presented Ms. Hayek with the UA Golden Feather in recognition of her fruitful career and the international impact of her Lebanese-rooted story.

Honoring Excellence, Service, and Belonging

The ceremony also included several moments of recognition that reflected UA’s commitment to excellence, service, and student belonging.

The Maronite Patriarchate Award, launched during the Christmas Novena held at UA in 2025, was presented to Colin Sleiman from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET). The award consists of a full scholarship to pursue a master’s degree and honors a student whose academic journey embodied responsibility, humanity, and service.

As he received the award, banners bearing UA’s core values — Truth, Excellence, Diversity, Integrity, Responsibility, and Beauty — were unveiled, turning the moment into a visible reminder that achievement at UA is measured not only by academic success, but also by the values students carry into the world.

The Valedictorian Award was presented to Ely Chedid from the Antonine School of Business, who earned the highest academic average. The award grants the recipient a scholarship to pursue a Master of Business Administration.

The ceremony also unveiled the student behind Sunbula, UA’s mascot inspired by the wheat stalk that stands resilient against storms. Celine Al Jawhari was honored for wearing and bringing the character to life throughout the year, in a moment that linked student spirit, identity, and legacy.

A Promise Beyond the Diploma

As graduates crossed the stage to receive their diplomas, the ceremony moved from celebration to responsibility. Each name carried years of effort, family sacrifice, academic dedication, and the quiet persistence that brought the Class of 2026 to this moment.

For graduates of the Department of Nursing Sciences and the Department of Physical Therapy, this responsibility was voiced through a solemn professional oath. Before beginning their professional journeys, they pledged to practice with integrity, respect, confidentiality, and a deep commitment to human dignity. In that moment, the diploma became more than an academic achievement; it became a promise of service.

The evening also extended the theme of growth through artistic performances by Artists & More, where the planted seeds came to life on stage through movement, symbolism, and visual storytelling.

From Students to Alumni

Before the final moments of the evening, Antoine Tawil from the FET addressed the graduates in the closing segment and invited them to move their tassels from right to left.

His words brought the ceremony back to its central image: the seed, the soil, the roots, and the future. He thanked families for being the roots, instructors for offering light, and UA for planting knowledge and purpose in its graduates.

The celebration ended with a countdown, a Mexican wave, fireworks, confetti, and a final burst of joy that turned the graduates’ achievement into a shared memory.

As the Class of 2026 stepped into its new chapter, the ceremony left behind more than a celebration. It offered a reminder that education is a living seed: it begins in one place, grows through many hands, and carries its fruit into the world.

At UA, that growth continues through graduates prepared to serve, create, and lead, while remaining rooted in the values that first gave their journey meaning.

Congratulations, Seeds of Success, Class of 2026. You are now ready to Grow Beyond Limits.

Watch the full ceremony on YouTube.