Good evening.

I would like to start by thanking all of you for being part of our ceremony and celebration.

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Associate Provost: Dr. Lou Reinisch,
Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations: Mr. Patrick Minson
our local executives and Dean,
beloved Faculty, Family and Friends, and of course, my fellow graduates

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I am honored to be with you today, presenting our graduation. I am hoping my humble experience that got me here will inspire some of you. Undergraduates and graduates, there might be many of who share what I went through. I studied my bachelor's degree in a field that I had no interest in, but I had no other options laid in front of me. One day, a professor told me that I did not have the skills in the field that I was studying to achieve the degree. This statement made me study harder to achieve what I was told I don't have the skills for. The skills I have gained from my bachelor's degree, I carried into my Master's, and I am using them today in my career where I am a leading architect in huge projects in Abu Dhabi.

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Some of us have a natural talent to achieve certain standards, and the rest of us have to work harder to achieve the same – this doesn't make the hard-working group of us less achievers. As 21st century graduates, we don't like anyone telling us what we can and cannot do – or even draw limitations for our ambition. I hope my story will help those of you who are in a position like mine, and I hope you realize that the skills you have learned will take you forward to achieve your goal in one way or another.

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On behalf of my peers, I can say that going through university life, we have accomplished a lot, and few things happen in life for no reason. Through those times, we have changed, grown, and learned a lot, not only education-wise but also personally. Our characters have developed through this journey in different ways that have made us stronger, more responsible, and more confident.

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I am very sure that most parents here have often set high expectations for their children. Sometimes they may disagree with our opinion, and some of the time, our decisions won't make a lot of sense to them, but when they see us happy, they give us their support and the freedom to determine our goals. So, I want to thank my parents and all of the parents here for the unlimited support that they have given.

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From a person who hasn't had her family close, I want to thank my friends for all of their support during our time in university, and I know most of you want to thank your friends for always being there. We all know how friends have helped us through tough times and encouraged us to study. So, I want to thank all of them for being here today.

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I am a proud holder of a Master's degree in Instructional Technology, sharing our success after a long journey. Class of 2019, it's time to say we made it.