Graduation Day at Royal Holloway.

Main Photo – L-R; Dr Kaat Smets (Head of Department of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, The High Sheriff of Surrey 2026-27 – Mrs Joosje Hamilton DL, Professor Julie Sanders (Vice-Chancellor and Principal), Dr Chris Prosser (Orator for Professor Pippa Norris), Professor Pippa Norris (Honorary awardee), Sue Heath (Mace bearer).

Graduating from university is a significant moment and Graduation Day is the formal recognition and celebration of years of hard work.

On 27^th July, I felt honoured to be invited to attend the Graduation Ceremony for graduates from the Department of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London.  

An honorary degree of Doctor of Science was awarded to Professor Pippa Norris, a British American political scientist at Harvard University specialising in comparative politics, democracy and elections. Professor Norris wished the graduates well for their futures, even if it is not always clear what those futures will hold. Like Odysseus’s ten-year journey back from Troy to Ithaca, the future may be a long, uncertain path, testing patience, cunning, and self-control along the way.  Ultimately, however, this path will take you to where you truly belong.

It was a pleasure to celebrate the students’ successes and see the incredibly proud faces of their families and friends. Many congratulations!