The Lone Graduate www.gla.ac.uk/publications/avenue/29/alumninews8.html

There are a number of countries where, according to our records, we have only one graduate. This issue we feature Ahmed Shafeeq Ibrahim Moosa, (BEng 1995), our lone graduate in the Maldives.

"Maldives has no higher education institutes and since our education system is that of the UK, many of us go to the UK for higher education. I went home after graduating from the University with my BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering in 1995 and MPhil (Eng) in Metallurgy & Materials from Birmingham University in 1997. I returned to Maldives in January 1998 and have been working here since.

"Maldives is a small group of islands, scattered in the middle of the Indian Ocean. There are 1,190 islands, of which 210 are inhabited. I was born and live in the capital island Male'. The main industries here are tourism, fishing and trade. Maldives is now one of the top holiday destinations in the world, particularly with UK holidaymakers. The population is nearly 300,000 and the climate is warm tropical throughout the year, between 24‚34†C. As you can guess, Glasgow is very different from Maldives. Male' is only 2 km square and there are about 80,000 people living here. In Male' housing is quite expensive, similar to London, but in the islands it is very cheap.

"Like Glaswegians, Maldivians are good-natured and friendly. I think they are very intelligent and we have a good track record in universities in the UK and around the world. We always come back after our studies to work on home soil as Maldives is developing at a steady rate and people like us have a lot to do here. Our population is young, dynamic and energetic and heavily into work. The main pastimes in the Maldives are fishing, football and music.

"The government sponsored my first degree and as a result I have to work for the government for seven and a half years by bond. I am Senior Engineer for Maldives Transport and Contracting Company Plc, which is my government appointment. I have also set up a private firm to do consultancy work with a friend of mine who studied at University College London. We do consultancy work in engineering, law, e-commerce, graphic design & printing. Some of our clients are the largest companies in Maldives, which has meant that the company has grown from strength to strength over the past 15 months.

"I chose Glasgow from a choice of five universities and I visited them all. It is amongst the best in the world and well known for engineering, so it was an easy decision. I read a lot about the University and I enjoyed my very first week. My first impressions were of the grandness of the Gilbert Scott Building :it was amazing :plus the University facilities and the teachers were all so friendly.

"I remember one of my first lectures, I could not understand a word the lecturer was saying, so I told him that and he said: "Oh, don't worry, you will be okay in a few days," and he was right.

I made great friends in Glasgow :they all come to Maldives for their honeymoons, it is a tradition now. We still keep in touch, especially Mairi MacIntyre, Hillary Bart-Smith, John Van Der Stughlen, Elliot Moulds and my good friends and flatmates, Isma Akhtar and the famous twin doctors Aislinne and Shauna MacIvor. Most of them are working in Glasgow and I see them often. I also particularly remember my Advisor Dr Balance, Professor MacAllum, Professor Galbraith, Dr Watson, Dr Hashim and Professor Hancock.

"University life was second to none and I have fond memories of the GUU, the Hub, the reading room, the Hive (we used to call it the Dive), and my favourite club The Tunnel on Mitchell Lane. I still feel at home in Glasgow and I will always feel that way.

"Looking back, all I can say is that I am proud to be a Glasgow man and I loved it so much that I married a girl from Glasgow, one of the best things from my Glasgow days. Miranda now lives with me in Maldives and we have three boys, they are the first ever Maldivian-Scots: Adam is five, Michael is three and Daniel is three months old now. My wife Miranda is from Glasgow, and I have been there many times since graduation. I also want to visit the University for the 550th anniversary in 2001.

"I am quite happy with the way things have turned out and I hope to make an even bigger impression on Maldives with my work, my business. I love Maldives and I want to play an active role in the development of this country. I have plans to move my family back when the kids are old enough to go to secondary school so I am going to buy a house. And, when my business grows, I want to do something in Glasgow. If at any point I decide to move to another country to live before that, it has to be Scotland and it has to be Glasgow."

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