Hundreds of UOC students celebrate their graduation in Madrid

This Thursday, 13 November, Madrid's Gran Teatro Príncipe Pío was filled with dreams come true, tossed academic caps, smiles, excitement and the odd tear of joy. Over 500 graduates from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) – 400 attending in person at the theatre and 100 joining online – celebrated their graduation, accompanied by their families and loved ones, after successfully completing their studies at the world's first online university. They are among the more than 12,000 students who completed a bachelor's or master's degree at the UOC in the last academic year.

During the ceremony, as the new alumni collected their commemorative certificates, the audience heard a number of personal stories. Graduates shared what had led them to enrol at the UOC, what their studies had given them, and how their families had supported them throughout the process. Many of them spoke of a shared commitment to lifelong learning as a path to professional and personal growth.

For Maleja Padilla Hernández (39, Bogotá, Colombia), a graduate of the University Master's Degree in Human Rights, Democracy and Globalization, the key was dovetailing her professional and academic interests: "When you work in human rights, you're always asking yourself what needs to be done to prevent violations from happening again. That inspired me to study, to seek knowledge and tools, to understand national, international and regional protection systems. And I found all of that at the UOC. I also found a place where I could study from anywhere while working in the field."

It was a similar story for Carlos Marin (32, Granada), who completed the Bachelor's Degree in Communication: "My main motivation for pursuing this degree was professional, but I never imagined the process would be so thrilling or that I'd become so deeply invested in the UOC methodology, which I absolutely love."

The same is true for Ana María Soto (25, Soria), a graduate of the University Master's Degree in Learning Difficulties and Language Disorders: "I decided to study at the UOC because of the wide range of possibilities it offers, being able to study from home and balance it with my job. And also because it gave me the chance to further my training in special education and then apply this knowledge in the classroom."

In turn, Ángel Alcantarilla Peñas (32, Madrid), who completed the Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and Market Research, said that his family played a decisive role in his decision: "The ones who really motivated me to study were my family, my partner and my friends – the three fundamental pillars in my life. They set the example I want to follow. I'm very demanding of myself, and I knew that if I wanted to keep growing personally and professionally, this was the right path."

Alicia Angorrilla Pérez (36, Seville), a graduate of the University Master's Degree in Medical Social Work, also recognized the need for lifelong learning throughout her career: "I enrolled on the master's because of my commitment to lifelong learning. It took me more than four years of effort and perseverance to complete the University Master's Degree in Medical Social Work, a journey marked by resilience and dedication."

Aurora López Garragal (46, Madrid), a graduate of the Joint University Master's Degree in Cultural Management (UOC, UdG), highlighted the importance of finding the right moment to study: "I'd been thinking for some time about broadening my professional experience beyond theatre into other areas of culture. I'd volunteered on final projects in cultural space management and genuinely enjoyed it, but life circumstances meant putting it off until now."

Another of the graduates is Elena Gómez González (49, Bilbao), who completed the Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering, and who said she was drawn to the STEM field from an early age: "My story with computing began many years ago, when I was a young upper secondary school student. However, it was only much later, once I had a family, that the UOC gave me the opportunity I had long hoped for."

Words of congratulations from the UOC's rector

For Rector Àngels Fitó, graduation ceremonies represent the pinnacle of students' work at the UOC. "My sincerest congratulations to 2025's crop of more than 12,000 graduates," she said as she opened her address.

In the words of Fitó, "the UOC fulfils its founding mission only when it engages with, contributes to and has an impact on society. This calling is reflected in our academic ambition. It's reflected in our research ambition, promoting inquiry at the frontier between technology and knowledge. And, above all, it takes shape in our community – the UOC community – and especially in you, our graduates."

She also emphasized the responsibility the new alumni have in terms of themselves and their surroundings. "Education reaches its true value when it's joined with civic responsibility. Both dimensions – intellectual and ethical – are grounded in critical thinking, analytical ability, adaptability to a changing world and an active, questioning commitment. Because by educating ourselves, we transform our lives, but we also transform the world around us."

She went on to speak about the responsibility the UOC has as an online university: "Our mission as a university and as a community is to work towards fairer, more ethical and more inclusive technology – technology that serves the public interest, that serves people, all people."

For Fitó, the new alumni are "the very essence of the UOC: a network of connected individuals, a constant flow of exchange and collaboration".

New AI-generated choral voice performs the university hymn

Graduates and guests alike were treated to a new version of the traditional university hymn Gaudeamus igitur, arranged by Carles Prat and performed by the UOC's aVeus choir. This version features a newly created choral voice generated with artificial intelligence, a synthetic voice that sounds like a human choir and reflects the university's diversity. This artistic and technological endeavour, conceived to mark the UOC's 30th anniversary, was developed by the Culture department under the academic leadership of Irma Vilà Òdena, a member of the Faculty of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunications. In the rector's words, "more than a musical adaptation, it's a living example of what we can achieve when we combine talent, generosity and a shared purpose".

The UOC's new TikTok account

The Madrid graduation ceremonies also served as the launch of the UOC's new TikTok account.