upGrad Hosts a One-of-a-Kind Virtual Valedictorian Ceremony with MICA, Ahmedabad

India’s largest online higher education company upGrad in partnership with MICA hosted an online Valedictorian Ceremony, held over the weekend for approximately 1291 learners. Gracing the event with their presence were Chief Guest Tushar Vyas, President of GroupM and Dr. Anita Basalingappa, Chairperson of Online Programmes at MICA, along with the upGrad Co-founder and MD, Mayank Kumar.

MICA and upGrad celebrated the successful completion of PG Certification in Digital Marketing and Communications of around 1,300 learners. These learners included seasoned working professionals with an average work experience of 3-25 years, with organisations including Fortune 500 Companies. MICA and upGrad also recognised over 20 learners. These included learners who scored the highest CGPA and those who went beyond the academic curriculum including those who went out of their way to help their peers, some set inspirational benchmarks for others, pushing them to do better, while many achieved stellar career transitions.

Addressing the learners, Dr. Anita Basalingappa, Chairperson of Online Programmes at MICA said, “We welcome you to the MICAn Community and it’s strange yet wonderful to see that you’re receiving your certificate in a completely digital environment. The scope of Digital Marketing, powered by Data Science is endless as even governments are interested in creating digital solutions.” She also mentioned the importance of security and privacy in this arena and advised learners to keep an eye on that space of the Digital Marketing industry as well.

President,  GroupM, South Asia, Tushar Vyas was the guest speaker at the Valedictorian Ceremony and spoke at length about his experience of being one of those at the cusp of the digital revolution. Talking about starting the first digital unit in his company he said, “I started my journey with "Why digital”  – you are fortunate that you are not going to face the “Why” question anymore and that will allow you to focus more on the “What” and “How” of Digital marketing.” He is himself a MICA Alumni who passed out about 22 years ago.

He acknowledged the pace of the changing digital world and said, “Digital education like this can help you navigate, but what will help you thrive is an adaptive approach to different terrains of the new normal world and childlike curiosity. Be prepared to keep transforming! One must see these challenges and seek fresh opportunities and for this, We need to observe, explore, ask questions, and again venture into the unknown.”

Mayank Kumar, Co-Founder, and MD, upGrad concluded the Valedictorian Ceremony with a Vote of Thanks that encompassed the MICA and upGrad community and the learners who made this day possible. He said, “This event is yet another milestone achieved. We are delighted to be a part of the MICA journey and enable our learners to attain meaningful outcomes. Such academic titles not only help individuals complete the learning experience but also prepare them for a rapidly growing industry, without them having to worry about the external barriers and other travel constraints.”

The graduation ceremony was made extra special for the students with a live performance by When Chai Met Toast, a four-member neo-folk Indie band from Cochin who has recently released three new singles. The PG Certificate in Digital Marketing and Communications has been offered by MICA online for the past seven years along with a partnership with upGrad since 2017.

You can also click on this link to watch the full recorded ceremony video: https://youtu.be/Km88UiGpv_k

About upGrad:

upGrad is India’s largest online higher education company. Founded in early 2015, upGrad has on-boarded over 34.5K paid learners and impacted around 8 lakh individuals globally, within a short span of 5 years.

upGrad provides online programs in the areas of Data Science, Technology, Management and Law to college students, working professionals and enterprises. These programs are designed and delivered in collaboration with top-notch universities like IIT Madras, IIIT Bangalore, MICA, NMIMS Global Access, Jindal Global Law School, Duke CE, Deakin University, Liverpool John Moores University and others.

With an 80% program completion rate, robust tech platform, outcome-based learning approach, industry-relevant curriculum, finest university credentials, strong mentorship, and steadfast placement support, upGrad has established its position as the leader in the Indian education system.

upGrad Elevate, a virtual hiring drive for upGrad users/alumni offers the opportunity to interview with 300+ hiring partners ensuring successful career outcomes they deserve.

IIIT Bangalore and upGrad's PG Diploma in Data Science is India’s first-ever PG Diploma to be recommended and validated by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM). The program is India's largest Data Science program with over 10,000 alumni & learner-base, which now provides learners with certification from NASSCOM FutureSkills, thereby making the program aligned to Government approved National Occupational Standards (NOS) to facilitate the upskilling of India’s IT workforce and make them abreast of the new-age skills. Through this first-of-its-kind collaboration, upGrad joins NASSCOM’s mission to make India a hub for innovation and a global hotspot for a skilled talent pool.

In the most recent news, LinkedIn ranked the edtech major upGrad as no. 1 in the #LinkedInTopStartups 2020. This is the third time in a row that upGrad has been featured in the top list. upGrad has been awarded the title of ‘Best Tech for Education’ by IAMAI in 2019. Also, received the ‘Best Education Brands’ award by Economic Times in 2018, and Most Innovative Companies in India' by Fast Company in 2017.