Today, June 26th, marks the day at BNTU when some graduates receive their diplomas and begin a new chapter in their lives, while others, long-established professionals, return to remember where it all began. While farewells are being offered to current graduates, those who left the university 30 years ago, in 1996, as certified engineers from the Automobile and Tractor Faculty, have gathered at the university's threshold.
The graduates themselves found the time and opportunity to meet at their alma mater. They admitted that they try to meet regularly, as their friendship hasn't faded over three decades, and their shared memories of their student years, professors, and early internships remain just as warm. This time, as before, they exchanged news, talked about their lives, work, and children, but most importantly, they shared the emotions of returning to the place where their futures were once built.
A special touching surprise from one of their classmates added to the meeting:
Alexander Vizavitin prepared commemorative pins for everyone present, bearing the insignia of their graduation. This gesture was not just a sweet addition, but a true symbol of unity and devotion to the university family, which remains connected even after decades.
Incidentally, Alexander Vizavitin didn't follow the typical path of an engineer working in a factory. Today, he is a successful entrepreneur who founded the "Serviceman" auto service school—the first specialized training center in Belarus for service station employees and managers. Alexander is also the author of teaching aids for industry professionals and the former head of the Euroautoservice chain. In his free time, he enjoys riding enduro motorcycles and renting them out.
"Now I help auto repair shops open: I prepare documents, handle legalization, train staff, and conduct audits. If we talk about what I learned from my university program, it's primarily document management, attentiveness, and spatial thinking. But the main skill BNTU gave me was the ability to communicate with people. And discipline, of course, played a role," the graduate said.
However, student life for Alexander is not only lectures and drawings. He fondly remembers life in the dorms, friendships with students from other departments, and homemade discos:
"My closest friends in life were made here, at BNTU." And not just from my group – we became friends with guys from the Robotics and Engineering Systems Department, with whom we later worked together, developed businesses, got married, and raised children. And we remain close to this day. We also hosted discos in the dorm: we'd find equipment somewhere, set up huge speakers – it was unforgettable!
Stepping through the doors of BNTU after decades, you catch yourself thinking that time has no power over this place. Especially if you've remained true to your chosen profession here and risen to the top management of a major enterprise. Pavel Shabanov, Chief Automotive Designer and Head of the Chief Designer Department at MAZ, became such a person. And every visit to his alma mater feels like a homecoming.
“When I step back into BNTU, it feels like only three years have passed, not thirty. Everything feels so familiar. As for the knowledge I gained at the ATF, almost everything has come in handy.” Each discipline left a mark that would surface in my memory at the right moment, and then develop into specific nuances. The foundation laid here provided answers to all professional questions throughout my career," shared Pavel Shabanov.
The chief designer knows the value of his words: at MAZ, future specialists begin to engage in real-world challenges while still studying.
"I would advise current graduates to believe in themselves and find their calling as early as possible, without hoping for an easy path. Everything comes through hard work. And don't put off learning about the profession. At MAZ, for example, we start taking students on part-time positions as early as their third year, so they can immerse themselves in the factory atmosphere, understand whether this is their calling, and make an informed choice," concluded the ATF graduate.
Meetings like these prove that BNTU is not just a university, but a place you want to return to again and again, no matter how many years have passed since graduation.
