On June 20, the graduation certificate award ceremony of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Lyceum (KML) was held with great solemnity at the Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University. A total of 139 graduating students received their high school diplomas at the event.
The attendees were welcomed by Dóra Kóré, Director of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Lyceum network.
“Our lyceum network is not backed by decades of tradition. Behind us stand faith, courage, and unity. The Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University created this network in 2023 so that Hungarian-language education could have a future, and so that students could have faith, perseverance, and a home in the world we live in today,”
she emphasized.
Following this, recognition was given for outstanding academic achievements and competition results. Director Dóra Kóré and Deputy Director Erika Koncz presented the certificates to the students, and their preparatory teachers were also honored with certificates.
In his speech, György Balogh, Consul of the Consulate of Hungary in Berehove, recalled his own graduation memories, encouraging the students and urging them to persevere.
“Dear students, today do not think about university entrance exams, but about the fact that you have completed an important stage of your life. Take with you everything you have received in recent years: the knowledge, the friendships, the romances, the experiences, and the community to which you can always return,”
said István Csernicskó, Rector of the University of Rakoczi. At the same time, he congratulated the students who successfully completed the National Multi-subject Test (NMT); they are welcome at the University of Rakoczi or the Ede Egán Vocational Training Center. For those who did not pass the NMT, a zero preparatory year will be launched, where they can study the subjects required for the NMT.
Subsequently, 10th-grade students took the stage. Emese Béres, a student from the Mali Heivtsi educational site, bid farewell to the graduates, and Eszter Nagy, a student from the Petrove educational site, recited the poem Útravaló by Anna T. Szabó.
Thereafter, on behalf of the graduates, Olívia Vántus, Zsófia Ráti, Rebeka Mandzák, Bernadett Ponc, and Denisz Mándi expressed their gratitude for the past years.
Following this, the ceremonial presentation of the high school diplomas and farewell bags took place. A total of 16 students from Velyka Dobron, 20 from Mali Heivtsi, 51 from Berehove, 21 from Vynohradiv, and 31 from Petrove received their well-earned diplomas.
“Today we are not only closing a path, but opening a gate to the future. I have always heard that our homeland is not merely a geographical location; Transcarpathia is our birthright, our cross, and our mission. You, dear young people, stand here at a historical moment when preserving the Hungarian language and protecting Christian values is a greater task than ever before. The high school diploma you hold in your hands today is not only proof of the knowledge you have acquired; this paper is a seal, indeed, a commitment to your homeland, your culture, and your community,”
said Ildikó Orosz, President of the University of Rakoczi.
Following her address, the graduating students performed the song Ezt a földet választottam by the band Republic.
To conclude the event, representatives of the historic churches asked for God’s blessing on the lives of all present.
Anita Kurmay
