As I walked up on the stage, and tipped my hat at the Chancellor, I was consumed by an immense feeling of dizziness... I had all the words, all the protocol stacked up in my head and double-checked a few times... and yet, as I made my way to the podium, I made a last minute jog around everything I had memorized so far... and all I could remember were Tasneem's words to me "Just say it from your heart". And so I did:
"Wow...! Now let me get this right! We have graduated. I mean... WE have graduated! Makes me wonder as to how that happened. It has been quite a ride if you ask me.
Let me tell you a few things here - whenever we had assignments to submit, our computers would come crashing down! Whenever we had presentations to make, our floppies would refuse to work. Whenever we had to make it to an early morning class in time, the traffic would always get the better of us! Or... was it sleep that got the better of us? We never knew!
But it's not like we never learned! In fact, through all those late hand-ins and getting locked out of classrooms, through this penance of procrastination, slowly but surely, we learned one of the most important lessons of our lives at The University of Wollongong in Dubai : "To be in the right place, and at the right time." And there was a footnote to this lesson: Speed, does not matter! Determination does. And if we want to get there first, and we know we can't be fast, then all we need to do is start early!
As I began addressing our Ruler, the chancellor and distinguished guests, the knees stopped knocking. I stopped thinking about what could go wrong. My words moved from being careful recollections to free-flowing conviction.
At UOWD, learning was fun. And fun was learning! Through the mix of cultures that you see before your eyes today, the international experience of our professors as well as this learning on demand, we have been transformed into able, willing and independent individuals ready to take on the future. And at this point, success can have a lot of interpretations. For us students, it has meant rising through levels of education. For our parents, it means raising children who can face the world on their own. For our professors, it means imparting education, year, after year, after year (no matter how stubborn we may have been!) But today, it has all been factored into one special moment. And that is, this Commencement Ceremony.
But, we know it does not end here. And we know that we have a long way to go. I mean, come on friends, look at our audience! These guys are intimidating us! Some of them are wearing robes that are a lot more elaborate than the ones we are wearing! They have more knowledge and wisdom than we could ever brag about. Then even make more money than us! For that matter... they make money! (That is of course not so important).
But we do realize we have a long way to go... but yea, we are young energetic drivers, and we drive so well... but now it feels like we are driving a brand new car on a road we have never driven on before! We're cautious, yet excited to seek new places and opportunities! And as usual, we may not know what to expect. But we are not going to give you excuses this time, and we are not going to tell you that we don't know what to expect! Because we are confident, that the knowledge and values that this institution has raised us with, will take us where we want to be!
Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like each and everyone of us in this auditorium over here today, to go back, to that one moment in our lives, that we cherish the most! Moments of sheer confidence and brilliance when we knew we could achieve everything that we had set out to achieve! I want us all to reminisce and remember... but! For 170 odd among us over here today, that moment is now! Today we know, that no matter what our speed, we are starting out at the right time, and from the right place!
And we have nobody more to thank that you, our families, faculty, and our wonderful management and authorities for letting us finally take over our lives! And not just giving us the wings to fly with, but the wisdom to use those wings! We promise you... and it has long been coming, but we promise you that this is not the last time that we shall do you proud. And just as we enter this scary world of adulthood and bread-winning, here's another shocker... we will never let you down!
Thank you for trusting us, thank you for bearing us... and thank you for touching our lives!
The applause I heard felt like a dream - and in the crowd, the only hands that mattered... belonged to mama and papa... I understood the beauty of this moment only after I had explained it to 800 people - and seen the pride on my parents face as everybody said, "she's THEIR daughter!"
And as I walked back from the podium, and tipped my hat to the chancellor one last time, the daze returned... but differently so! It was overhwelming, frightening and satisfying... all at the same time.
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