On November 29th, the NOVA University Lisbon Rectory Auditorium was filled with emotion and pride for NOVA Medical School's 2024 Graduation Ceremony. The event was a moment to celebrate the journey and achievements of its 2024 graduates.
Diplomas were awarded to students from the Integrated Master's Degree in Medicine, the Bachelor's Degree in Nutritional Sciences and the various Master's Degrees at NOVA Medical School. This special day was also an opportunity to recognize academic merit, with the Best Student Awards going to André Gonçalo Lopes do Vale (Integrated Master's Degree in Medicine, 2018-2024) and Pedro Santiago Hipólito Godinho Marques (Degree in Nutritional Sciences, 2020-2024). These awards, supported by the U.me Exponential Medicine Unit, CUF and the Amélia de Mello Foundation, highlight the talent and dedication that define our students.
The ceremony was marked by inspiring speeches. Professor Helena Canhão, Director of NOVA Medical School, opened the event with words of motivation and celebration. She was joined by Afonso Dias, President of the Students' Association, and Professor Hugo Pinto Marques, who, as Regent of General Surgery and Director of the Surgery and Transplantation Service at the São José Local Health Unit, shared an inspirational speech for the graduates.
The students also had their voices represented, with moving speeches from Estela Lage, representing the finalists of the Integrated Master's Degree in Medicine, and Beatriz Nogueira, representing the finalists of the Degree in Nutritional Sciences.
Music brought a special touch to the ceremony, with performances by the Lisbon Medical Orchestra String Quartet and the Lisbon Medical Tuna, which filled the auditorium with art and celebration.
The highlight came when each student was called up to the stage to receive their diploma, culminating in the traditional and moving projection of the ribbons into the air, a symbol of the end of a stage and the beginning of a new journey.
NOVA Medical School wishes all the graduates a future full of achievement and impact. We are confident that they will continue to honor our mission of excellence and transform lives as extraordinary professionals and human beings.