Acto Académico de Graduación de los Grados Conjuntos de la Alianza 4 Universidades

Good afternoon. Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the graduation ceremony for the joint degrees of the Four Universities Alliance. I would like to extend a welcome on behalf of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Madrid, the Carlos III University of Madrid, and the Pompeu Fabra University. To the graduates, their families and friends, academic authorities, faculty, and everyone joining us today to celebrate such a very special moment. Today we put the final touch on a period of effort, learning, and growth. These have been years of classes, assignments , exams, projects, friendships, and shared experiences that will undoubtedly stay with you long after university. But above all, we celebrate something more important than obtaining a degree. We celebrate the journey traveled and everything you have achieved during these years. Today, graduates in Science, Technology and Humanities, Science and Philosophy, and Politics and Economics will receive their diplomas. For all of them, we ask for a round of applause now. And as is tradition in academic graduation ceremonies, we will begin with the commencement address. On this occasion, it will be delivered by Meritxell Batet , a law graduate from Pompeu Fabra University, a professor of constitutional law at this university, who served as Minister of Territorial Policy and Public Function between 2018 and 2019, and President of the Congress of Deputies between 2019 and 2023. Her speech is titled "University Graduates After University." Let’s welcome her with a round of applause. Meritxell. Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon. A very warm welcome to Pompeu Fabra University: honorable rectors, deans, professors, families, and above all, you, the graduates. Thank you for inviting me to join you on a day that is primarily yours. Graduation days are happy days, and therefore, it is best not to spoil them by giving speeches that are too long. What I want today, what I would like, is to offer you, as the godmother of your graduating class, a more open, confident, and relaxed perspective toward your future. A perspective with less urgency, less rigidity, and less harshness. A perspective in which there is room to maintain and deepen many realities that you are already familiar with. Having passed through the university, a future in which you can always make room for enthusiasm, curiosity, freedom, empathy, and commitment; and not just because they will make you happier, but because they will truly lead you to become better professionals as well. In my professional life, whether at the university, in public administration, in a political party, in parliament, or in so many other places, I have not only felt fortunate to be able to maintain many realities that we normally attribute to university life, but I have seen the consequences of losing them and throwing oneself into the arms of competitiveness and the unconditional pursuit of supposed professional success. They are always negative consequences. For society as a whole and, very often, almost always for those who assume them as well. To that end, allow me to point out a few realities of student life that I hope you know how to value and maintain, especially in your future. I will start with a concept: friendship. Perhaps there is nothing as collegiate as having friends. Make them, enjoy them, take advantage of them. Make use of them, help one another. In professional life, there is much less talk of friends and, instead, more talk of competitors. And there is no room for friendship until the workday is over. I do not believe it should be that way. I do not believe it has to be that way. Throughout my life, my friends have been there, and they have undoubtedly been the most essential pillar in my personal life, but also in my professional life. But even more so in my professional life; I have made new friends among my colleagues and also new friends among my competitors. Friendship, be clear, continues to emerge, it continues to be there if we allow ourselves to cultivate it. I never had to regret it, and often, from this friendship, satisfactions and professional successes have been born. The second concept is curiosity. Many will tell you that they miss their student days when they could dedicate themselves to what they wanted, different activities, when they could read everything, choose their pursuits, in short, be masters of their own time. Do not just miss it, maintain it, because you can maintain it. It is healthy for your mind and fundamental for your professionalism. Perhaps it has never been more true that the specialist knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing. Because today we not only specialize professionally, we also isolate ourselves as human beings in our environment, in our social networks, in our friendships, in our media, in our comfort zone. And that does not allow us to understand the other or to value that there are alternatives, because there are always alternatives. So, to be a good expert, you must be capable of navigating everything, and therefore, that which we are not experts in. Also, the degree that you celebrate today—that we all celebrate because we wanted to accompany you—is not a life sentence. Many who earned their law degrees in the second graduating class of this very Pompeu Fabra University, many of my classmates, do not work in law today . Instead, they are splendid professionals in other fields: theater, film, journalism, novels, and business. What do I mean by that? I mean that vocations do not necessarily awaken at 16, 20, or 25 years old. They awaken when we find their purpose. So, do not stop being open to the world. Do not stop being curious, because your true vocation might be around a corner you might not turn. Thirdly, the third concept is that of help. As university students, you don't hold back; you don't hesitate to ask for help. From a peer for their notes, from a professor to understand or try to boost a grade, help from manuals, from study texts. I imagine now even more so from ChatGPT as well. Help from your parents or even , in some cases, from the State to get by while we study. Help from a friend, sometimes even to cheat on an exam. And yet, asking for help in professional practice is tinged with a certain wariness, if not condemnation. We think that asking for help belongs to those who lack the knowledge, the means, or the necessary confidence, and that is not so. Asking for help belongs to those who know that with it, they will do their job better and are sure they are capable of using it. Let yourselves be helped. Ask for help and help others as well in your professional practice. Fourthly, I wanted to talk about trust. At university, we normally feel secure. Trust derived from the fact that we don't think anyone wants to deliberately harm us or is seeking our failure. Trust from sharing a classroom and years of study. Trust that nothing is irreversible because we have our whole lives ahead of us. Trust in an environment serving us, rather than a job or function we must serve. That trust is not always maintained after leaving university, usually replaced by competition, conflict, and above all, above all, fear. Fear of failure, fear of not measuring up, but also fear that they will use our mistakes, that they will use our weaknesses. And so we lock ourselves within ourselves and systematically distrust the other, in whom we only see the dangers generated, deep down, by our own fear. Paolo Rumiz , a writer from Trieste whose latest book, The Infinite Thread, has just been published in translation by Anagrama, states in his splendid prologue to the Spanish edition that fear-mongering messages create a syndrome of harassment and stifle our capacity for indignation. Their firepower is overwhelming and the funding that fuels them is unlimited. I truly cannot promise you that you will live without threats or dangers, but in my experience at least—and this is what I wanted to share with you—there are many more reasons for trust than for fear. Maintain, then, an attitude of trust in others and, above all, maintain and reinforce your self-confidence every day, and give yourselves reasons to do so. The fifth concept I wanted to address is that of hope. Uncertainty is part of life, but we must learn to live precisely with that: with uncertainties, with risks, and with aspects of our lives that we cannot control. I would love to be able to control absolutely everything, and I know what I'm talking about, but that is not possible. Therefore, we must know how to adapt and how to live with those uncertainties. For this, beyond the trust I just spoke to you about, there is another engine inherent in every person, one that is stronger and more fertile the more you cultivate it. And that is hope. Do not be carried away by those who predict that your future will be worse than your parents ', that everything is terrible, and that nothing can be done except to lock yourselves away and defend a past that, deep down, I tell you, never existed. Keep hope for a better future for yourselves and for your generation, because that very hope is the seed of its realization and the guarantee of your personal satisfaction. I will give you just one fact. The youth unemployment rate when I graduated in 1995 was 40%. The youth unemployment rate today in 2026 is 24%. And despite that, my generation has seen many fruits, fruits of a hope that some dismissed as illusory. New rights, new medical possibilities, new fields of knowledge, or the end of scourges we once thought were eternal. Yours, your generation, has so much room to advance and will see new realities that are unthinkable today. And all of that, that entire path, will be the result precisely of your hope, your conviction , your hard work, and your involvement in achieving it. I recommend that you do not be spectators of this, but rather active participants in those transformations. In a world increasingly centered on the individual and self-interest, few university characteristics are as disruptive as empathy. And this is the final concept I wanted to refer to. To know the other , to put yourself in the other's place. To share their concerns and their longings in a sincere way. Assuming an attitude of compassion, in its most classic and philosophical sense, has traditionally been an attitude typical of young people, of your sense of solidarity, and especially of you young people living in a less hostile world where society, with greater or lesser intensity, offers a more open, more prolonged, and more knowledge-centered education. Precisely this, university education. Maintaining the empathy typical of youth after entering the working or professional world is true —I am not deceiving you about that— it requires a considerable dose of willpower and, above all, a combative attitude. But I tell you now, too, that doing so has a deeply intense ethical and intimate reward. In my experience, it also has a professional significance . Whoever knows how to place themselves in the other's position and is sensitive to their needs and desires, calibrates reality better and, therefore, is capable of negotiating and reaching agreements that avoid or resolve conflicts. And finally, finally , something not to be overlooked, having empathy also has meaning for the advancement of our societies. Graduates , this concludes my account of student virtues that I urge you to maintain. The second part of my speech is dedicated to the reverse of what was said. Being a university student also has consequences and demands. And the extraordinary expansion of access to university that Spain has experienced in the last half-century should not precisely mean renouncing those demands , but on the contrary, extending them also to all university students today. That is, to all of you. The word university originally designated the community. There is no university if there is no social and political community. And the university student is, consequently, a conscious member of that community, of that society. The university is not a mere sum of individuals who have decided to join together to learn, to study together. Perhaps that happened in the schools of ancient Greece, but the university is an institution that goes beyond the sum of its professors and its students, since it incorporates tradition, incorporates public debate, priorities, and social and political legitimacy. The goal of the university is not to train you to be good professionals, but to train you to defend and advance the society of which you are a part. It is up to the university student, to you, to be a member of the community and to act as such. And what does that mean? It means wanting to be a citizen. Are you experts? Yes, but you are citizens as well. Today we tend to identify the status of citizen with the guarantee of freedoms and rights. I have personal freedoms and rights, but belonging to a country’s intellectual elite also burdens you with a backpack full of duties. To contribute reflection and wisdom, knowledge and critical spirit to the community. And that necessarily entails a committed attitude that cannot be limited to providing specific knowledge. It goes further, because that critical capacity is expected to be used to enrich the social model itself and its functioning, assessing the operation of the community and its institutions, pointing out the necessary needs for guarantees and improvement, and, above all, driving a transformation to adapt to the needs of coexistence and the social and political integration of each and every one of the citizens. And citizens who belong to that community, who belong to your society. As university students, we expect your participation in society to rise above your particular interests and take on a sense of guardianship of shared values and a drive for their updating. We hope that you participate in public life, in political debate, and in the actions of public institutions. And that you do so not as mere recipients, nor even as citizens who defend their particular interests and choices. We hope that your social and political participation is also defined by the collective interest of society, by the public interest which, by definition, must consider and weigh the capabilities, needs, and desires of all people. That is the knowledge that distinguishes the public university from other forms and educational institutions, and that must consequently distinguish the university student, you. We run the risk of forgetting that university education is not exhausted by the study of rules to perform a profession in the best possible way. What every university study aims for is also to understand, to deeply understand the functioning of those rules and, above all, their meaning. It is not only about knowing what to do, but why to do it and what to do it for. The university, in conclusion, is the heir to an essentially Western European tradition. A tradition that offers us common values, resistant to this day to analysis and rational questioning. A tradition that generates the foundations from which to understand our societies. That heritage is embodied in the values of freedom, equality, justice, and solidarity. They themselves are also questionable, but the truth is that, to date, every analysis and every questioning has only served to reinforce them and highlight their validity and their full meaning. Politics is not, despite what has always been claimed and what some of you may even think, the task of politicians, nor is it a profession of ill repute and personal gain. Politics is the exercise of citizenship based on trust in people, in our fellow citizens , and it is the best instrument we have to make effective that critical and transformative commitment that is part of the essence of university life and a fundamental requirement of the European social and political tradition. That is why, although I have tried throughout my words not to cite the word politics, I cannot help but end with it, with its vindication, and with the desire that you intervene in it and make it your own. I made the decision to dedicate myself to the public sphere, to life, and life gave me the opportunity precisely to develop this vocation through the exercise of political representation. Which I conceive, as I said before, as the only tool that the citizenry truly has to transform its society. Each one of you will take your own path, of course, and most of them, surely, will not coincide with mine. But I do believe it is necessary to claim the usefulness of dedicating one's professional life to serving society as a whole, whether through public service, through political representation, as I was saying, but also from any position in the private sector. Representing the citizenry, of course, is an honor and a responsibility. Working to contribute to improving people's lives through the implementation of policies and the passing of laws is a way to give meaning to your life and, above all, to transcend your daily reality. And I want to convey to you that despite the disappointments—which have been many, I confess to you, since we are among friends—it is still a path that is worth it. With the desire to boost your social and political commitment, I want to see you off from the university with the hope that you will return to it. The institutions of the four-university alliance—the two autonomous universities of Madrid and Barcelona, the Carlos III, and the Pompeu Fabra— will always be there for you, confirming their character as public and committed institutions. And I am sure that the years they have been your home leave their mark on you and represent a deeply positive experience for each one of you. But perhaps what is most relevant is that, whether you return to the university or not, you carry the university with you wherever you go. Continue to be university-minded, because the people I have valued most and to whom I owe the most in my professional life have always been university-minded in spirit , regardless of their background or studies. Empathetic people, curious people who enjoyed learning, who reached a deep understanding and turned that comprehension and their knowledge into tools to influence and improve society. I am finishing now, and I want to conclude by giving you something— not advice, but three assignments. The first one, the first assignment is that we must learn to live with disagreement without destroying our common space. Ortega y Gasset defined it beautifully. A political community is a suggestive project of a life in common, because a "we" is not something you certify; it is something that is built, and it is built every day. Democracy does not consist of the disappearance of conflict; it consists of ensuring that conflict does not destroy the possibility of continuing to live together. Because we all, every one of us, are united precisely by what separates us, because that—and not uniformity, and not the silence of those who dissent—is the way. The only lasting way to stay together is precisely to be aware of the existence of that conflict and not to let that conflict win. That is why you must defend public discourse. Never accept that thinking with nuance is a form of weakness. In democracy, nuance is not cowardice; it is respect for the complexity of the world, because it is complex, it truly is. And also respect for the dignity of those who think differently. The second assignment. Do not forget that technology without the humanities can be power without conscience. The decisive question will not be, and is no longer today, what can we do with science and technology? The decisive question, or the decisive questions, are: what should we do? Who decides? With what limits? And above all, in the name of what idea of a human being? And finally, the third assignment: the three degrees—the degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics; the degree in Science; and the degree in Science, Technology, and Humanities—all share the same responsibility. To help a democratic society better understand the world. For what purpose? To decide better. And to decide better, for what purpose? To care for a democracy that needs intelligence, justice, and respect. So, congratulations to the families, to the friends, and congratulations, above all , to the graduates. The world needs you to be clear-sighted, generous, and brave, and above all, happy—very happy. Thank you very much. Thank you, thank you very much. Meritxell Batet, for sharing. Thank you very much, Meritxell Batet, for sharing these reflections with us. And now comes one of the most awaited moments of the afternoon, the presentation of the commemorative diplomas to the graduates of the class of 2026. As we announce your name, you will come up on stage to collect your diploma, and waiting for you at the end is our photographer, Frederic, who is there, down there. Look, Frederic is waving at you. to immortalize this moment. Don't forget to pose for him. Well, to the families and friends, I will only ask one thing of you: to applaud with all your might for every name. Now, we ask the following to come up on stage to present the diplomas: Laia de Nadal, Rector of Pompeu Fabra University. Javier Lafuente, Rector of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Amaia Mendikoetxea, Rector of the Autonomous University of Madrid, and Celeste Campo, Vice-Rector for Undergraduate Studies and Quality at Carlos III University of Madrid. Very good. And we begin with the Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, and Humanities. And the new graduates are María Abadal Martínez. Laura Alaiz Clérigo. Marina Blasco Grima. Darío Casía Toledo. Gigi Chen. Nuria Gómez Bermejo. Daniel Marqués Tabeira. Alberto Olivencia Garrido. Beatriz Penín Fernández. Bruno Pinedo Páez. Marta Paul Martínez Cediel. Carlota Prieto Pérez. Miriam Rivera Bonilla. Lucía Roda Sevilla. Marina Tomás Casayuana. María Trens Gonzálevez. Yenway. Let's have a big round of applause for the new graduates of the Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, and Humanities. Well, we continue now with the Bachelor's degree in Sciences. On this occasion, only one of its graduates could join us. A big round of applause, though, for David Mir Franquesa, who is here. Well, and an applause also for the rest of the class from the Science degree who are not here. So, an applause for all of them as well, even if they aren't here. And we finish, we finish the diploma presentation with the Bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. The new graduates are Oriol Abulí Bernardo. Ana, excuse me, Ona Alvirol Pallés. Blanca Alonso Casanova. Laura Arana Revenga. Laia Areñ Baró. Elena Arizó John. Noé Benabén Bernal. Rodrigo Bravo Gómez. Carlota Cobarrocas López. Clara Carvajo Beiras . Eloy Carreras Rocha. Candela Castelar Bendrey. Alejandra Castellanos Otero. Mark Delamo Romero. Álvaro Escudero Iváñez. Dácil Fernández Rojas. Jack Francis Farreró. Pablo Galindo Doblas. Antón García Díaz. Lucía García Muñoz. Aitana García Zomeño. Elene Ibarrondo Echeverría. Mau Iázquez Don. Victoria Lenoti Fernández. Elena León Buisán. Luke Martí Jiménez. Iván Martínez Audina . Olegué Martínez Torras. Caterina Mazalotti. Victoria Mallorga Fontana. Daniela Mederos Rodríguez. Elisenda Monjas Alverdi. Martín Montanier Roca. Gabriel Ovón Echabarren. Fernando Organo Váez. Mark Pon Ramón. Clara Carlota Puchi de Benichi Estebe. Sonia Riera Sala. Claudia Rodríguez Espinosa. Juan Andrés Rodríguez Nicolau. Mateo Rus Millot. Oriol Sala Palos. Celia Cedano Rojo. Jordi Sendra Escoda. Álvaro Sogas Pérez. Jaime Tapia Zaragoza. and Marco Tejel Garridó. Well, let's have a big round of applause for the new graduates of the Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree. A round of applause. And with them, we conclude the presentation of the commemorative diplomas for the Class of 2026. Another big round of applause for all the graduates in general. We appreciate the presence on stage of Aya de Nadal, rector of Pompeu Fabra University. Also Javier La Fuente , rector of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Amaya Mendicoa, rector of the Autonomous University of Madrid, and also Celeste Campo, vice-rector for Undergraduate Studies and Quality at Carlos III University of Madrid. A round of applause for them as well. Well, it is now time for the graduate speeches. Who better to explain everything these years have meant than some of the protagonists themselves? Therefore, we will now give the floor to the representatives of the graduates . Representing the degree in Science, Technology, and Humanities. Coming up to the stage are Alberto Olivencia Garrido and Lucía Roda Sevilla. A round of applause. Hello. We had to take a leap into the pool. We chose a new degree. Pardon me. We chose a new degree that at that time had only one year of history. The degree in Science, Technology, and Humanities is the first Spanish proposal for a university degree in Science Studies. A degree, a proposal so innovative that no one understood it. The triple degree in Science, Technology, and...well, what is that? Some would ask us, or what about others, and it gets complicated, how it was one at each university, in one city, wait, at three different universities, whatever it was, that was the challenge. We all jumped, realizing right away that we hadn't submerged into a pool, but into an infinite sea of knowledge whose limits we couldn't even see. And even so, amidst all this uncertainty, we all knew it was something worthwhile. Then came the life changes, moving, changing courses, inside and outside the classroom. We met spectacular professionals who allowed us to stand on their shoulders to look beyond what we knew. The teachers, our peers, and our new perspectives on science, nature, life, and society were the impulses that kept us afloat. All the subjects were unique and each one had a special essence. During these years living between the Faculty of Science and the present, all the bits of knowledge contributed different views of the world. Some didn't quite understand what we were doing, but they trusted that finishing it was important. But the important thing is that most have left an indelible mark on our thoughts, and I think we can say, without being wrong, that we also left a mark. Our classes were a unique experience; the curriculum wasn't just explained, it was lived, transforming into a journey from the Swiss Alps with Mary Shelley to the moons of Jupiter with Galileo. And among it all, sorry, passing through art and science museums and historical and technoscientific memories. And amidst all this, science, technology, and their relationship with society would never be the same again. The debates, reflections, and meals in tents put the seal on this critical, collective thinking with a gender perspective that so characterizes our degree. I'm sorry, truly, pardon me. Thank you. Sorry. We can say that now we are all actors in that network of transdisciplinary thought that the professionals who accompanied us were already part of. So, where has this journey taken us? The answer to this question contains the most important lesson the degree has given us. In the end, we found ourselves, and above all, we found each other, and our classmates' contributions for this speech have followed this line. This degree has made the unbearable bearable , calming our existence through intellectual stimuli and an affective network that, for many, became a dressing gently applied to a wound. In the end, we understood it: CTS was about all of you, about all of us, about all the strong voices that inspired ways of living in this complex world. If there is one thing we agree on, it is the gratitude we feel for one another and that each of us has made this degree our own. And at the same time, we have all made it together. That is why we must thank the universities that welcomed us, our coordinators, our professors, and all the classmates who made this journey possible. CTH, science, technology, and humanities, will never end, for we will always carry it with us and it will always be part of our lives. Thank you very much. Well, thank you very much, Alberto and Lucía, for your words. Now it is the turn of the representative of the science degree, David Mir Franquesa . Well, first, thanks to everyone for coming today. To the professors, families, friends, and classmates watching online. Today it's my turn to be the representative of the degree. I've been in many cities, but today I am alone. I was asked to give this speech; the first thing I thought was: "And now, what will I be able to say?" Because, as we all know well, our experience hasn't been very normal. Doing an inter-university degree meant changing campuses, changing cities, even changing ourselves, constantly adapting. If I had to define these years, one single word wouldn't be easy or very predictable; it would be more like: chaotic and full of novelties. We often had to deal with our own problems , understanding papers and procedures that weren't always clear or were sometimes contradictory, and a sense of being alone. But it's normal, we are just the third graduating class of this degree, a project that just started and beginnings are never easy. Maybe we haven't had a thousand battles in the cafeteria or spent as much time together as we would have liked; it's been more than two years since we shared classes, but that also helped us create a special bond as classmates. Who would have known back then, who at the beginning would have thought that the years we spent together we could create such a special bond and create a group like this. Today, looking back, I see that this chaos is really what has made us grow the most. In the classrooms we learned a lot of theory, a lot of science in different fields, each one taking their own path, but the most valuable title I take from these years isn't on any paper, but learning to be resourceful and being able to keep going when everything is complicated. It wouldn't be fair to only see the difficulties we encountered to get here; the important thing is how we have grown personally to reach where each of us is today. And now I look at the future; it doesn't seem too easy or orderly either. We are just entering a world full of challenges, not only in the scientific or social field, but also personal ones , and if we are ready to move forward with this career. I think we are sure, sorry, I assure you that we are sure to move forward with everything that is put in front of us now. I won't go on any longer. I would just like to end by thanking all the great people I have met during this stage and who will always be part of who I am today. Especially, I want to thank my degree classmates who, even though today we haven't been able to be together or share much physical time, we have made the same journey and today we have reached the end; we made it. Congratulations to everyone, see you soon. Well, thank you very, very much David for your reflections. And now to finish, we call to the stage the representatives of the degree in philosophy, politics and economics, coming to the podium, Ona Lluch and Maron Ramón. Dearest graduates, families, friends, professors, rectors, and academic authorities. It is an enormous honor to be here in this symbolic space that, I must say, has been a shared refuge. Today, it seems as if no time has passed. I see in this auditorium the same people who were at the cafeteria just a few meters away in September of '22. But time has passed: we have been separated by a train, by family issues, we have left, returned, and hopefully, matured. And, like months ago, we have occupied ourselves with debate. Our first questions arose in room 4050: Who would we save in the trolley dilemma? Is power what coffee is called in Colombia? Or, for many, how do you solve an integral? Meanwhile , outside, a reality unfolded that, due to the nature of our degree, we must not ignore today. The invasion of Ukraine, the genocide of the Palestinian people, the rise of the far-right, the return of Trump, the consolidation of artificial intelligence, and the undeniable climate emergency—all of them events that impact the same axes of inequality and, therefore, erode democratic principles. However, if there has been one reality that has defined these four years, it has been the back-and-forth between Barcelona and Madrid. A journey that has confronted us with the housing crisis and a question that is increasingly difficult to avoid. Not just what we want to be, but also where we will be able to become it. I believe I speak for everyone when I say we did not enter here for its career prospects . In fact, I believe none of us here today even know what they are yet. We have learned to distrust easy explanations, to question everything that seems obvious, and to understand that behind every piece of data there are people, behind every decision there are values, and behind every system there is the possibility of transforming it. You will surely remember Dr. Mor. He spoke of John Rawls’s veil of ignorance. He asked us to imagine that we do not know what place we will occupy. In society, in which country, in which family, what luck, and from that ignorance he asked us: "What is justice?" Well, back then, it was nothing more than a mental experiment. But here we have it before us, real life. In a way, it is the same ; we do not fully know where we will go , but I like to think that wherever it is, we will be accompanied by this way of looking at the world that we have built together, with curiosity, with critical spirit, and with the conviction that understanding...is the first step. It couldn't be any other way than Barcelona and Madrid; but today we are also: Galicia, the Basque Country, the Valencian Community, Aragon, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Extremadura, a bit of Brazil, and also Italy. In fact, one of us is from Australia; I could make an endless list. Of the places where I have seen you, and the places where I still imagine you, it must be the consequence of having gotten used to change, to uncertainty: new universities, new apartments, the grass , the nice weather, the exams, the sandwiches at Pompeu, the omelet pincho at Canto Blanco. Then came the electives, the shared subjects with strangers, the internships, the final thesis, and that moment when each of us began to imagine a different future, but in some way, we have always accompanied each other until today. We know that Barcelona and Madrid will always keep a piece of us, that as long as we cannot return, it will be enough to find a bench that invites reflection at sunset, a beer at a plaza, or a conversation that lasts longer than expected to remember that there are places that continue to exist because we inhabited them together. Maybe in a few years, we will continue to meet there, picking up a conversation that, in reality, will never have ended. We have repeated many times that studying this degree has been a privilege. Thank you families, friends, partners, roommates, and those who have always been on the other side for supporting us these four years with a trust and affection that often arrived before our own certainties. To those who accompany us today in another way, because their love continues to find a way to be present. Thanks to our professors for teaching us to think with rigor and curiosity, and to the four universities for having bet on a project as unique as this one. Thanks also to all the people who make them work every day and who too often go unnoticed. The cleaning staff, cafeteria staff, library staff, administration, IT, reprographics, and maintenance. And finally, thank you to you, our classmates. I hope we never lose the curiosity to keep asking ourselves questions, nor the luck to keep finding each other to try to answer them together. To Ona and to everyone. Well, thank you very much, Ona and Mar, for your speech. The floor now goes to the rector of Pompeu Fabra University, Laia de Nadal. A round of applause also for Good afternoon to everyone. Welcome and thank you. Good afternoon. Rectors, rector, vice-rector Marichell. Fantastic, thank you, in fact that which I truly believe has been very inspiring for all of us. It is an honor for Pompeu Fabra University to receive the graduates of the joint degrees we have in the A4U alliance, namely Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and Technology and Humanities. First of all, let me congratulate you on behalf of the four universities of the Alliance. We were just talking among the four of us and thought that having one person represent us all would be enough, so I will speak on behalf of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Madrid, and the Carlos III. First, I must congratulate all the graduates, and above all, I think now is the time. We must applaud all the families who have supported you. It is always a pleasure to receive and congratulate the students who graduate from our universities, but doing so with and for you is truly special; I would say for three reasons. First, because the three A4U alliance degrees stand out for their high level of interdisciplinarity and transversality, which I believe are essential in today's world. A world that demands adaptability, as has already been said, a critical spirit, teamwork, flexibility, and rigor. These are not just professional competencies, but in fact, they are the tools we have to advance as a society in a deeply interconnected world that requires both specialization and a global vision. Specific knowledge provides you with the tools to analyze in depth, while an open mind allows you to understand the complexity of the world and act within it with judgment. And above all, above all, I believe that the reason you have been here and are graduating now is that you have learned how to learn, and this is probably the most valuable thing you take with you from your studies. The second reason is that these degrees are, as I pointed out at the beginning, a good example of the importance of collaboration and strategic alliances between universities. Also on the Barcelona-Madrid, Madrid-Barcelona axis . We are four public institutions that share the same commitment to quality teaching, excellent research, and an international vocation. Working as a team, thinking from different perspectives, and collectively putting knowledge at the service of people and society always yields good results, and these are results we hope you have been able to reap because, thanks to this alliance, not only has your training been transversal, but so has your experience. This has been said in the speeches given by those who are now graduates. As students, you have had the opportunity to experience different universities, and that always means different ways of teaching, different ways of thinking, different ways of living, and even different ways of speaking. And the third and final reason is because you are proof that this collaboration yields extraordinary results. We are pleased to continue graduating students who leave the university with broad knowledge and solid skills to keep growing. In short, students, now alumni of the A4U alliance, prepared for new challenges, committed to science and knowledge, and of whom we are very proud—proud to have shared a part of your journey at a time marked by great global challenges, a crisis of confidence in our institutions, and a certain dehumanization. Your role, as has also been said, is more necessary than ever. We need critical thinking, free and reasoned debate, and perspectives capable of understanding and transforming reality toward a fairer, more sustainable, more open, and more empathetic society. These are your perspectives, and these are the perspectives you must maintain for the rest of your professional life. Thank you, everyone. Thank you, all. Congratulations on my behalf and on behalf of all the universities represented here today, and especially from UPF, where I tell you that this will always be your home. Good luck in your new stage. Thank you. Thank you very much, Rector, for your words, and with them, we reach the end of this academic graduation ceremony. Today you close an important chapter of your life, but you also open another full of new challenges, opportunities, and projects. From now on, you will take with you not only the knowledge acquired, but also the experience of having been part of a unique university project, the result of collaboration between four universities that share the same commitment to excellence, interdisciplinarity, and innovation. We hope you keep the bond with your universities and with all the people who have shared this path with you alive. We want to congratulate once again all the graduates of the class of 2026 of the joint A4U degrees and also thank the support of those who have accompanied you to this point, which are your families, friends, faculty, and all the people who have contributed to us being here today. And to celebrate this special moment, we invite you to share a glass of cava in the courtyard of the Jaume Primer building, but not before listening to the university anthem, Gaudeamus Igitur , performed by the Pompeu Fabra University choir. Therefore, I ask you all to stand. Yes, everyone stand. Very well, there. Perfect. And now, yes, now yes. Thank you very much for your attendance. Until another occasion, and Gaudeamus Igitur. Good afternoon. iuvenes dum sumus gaudemus iuvenes iuventute molestam senectutem nos habebit nos habebit quantos et fuelas inferos gratis ad superos vivat Vivat Academia vivant professores. Long live Academia long live professors. Long live members Long live members always bloom bloom Am Yeah.