Celebrating the Class of Fall 2025

Bismillah Al Rahman Al Rahim.

Your Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the American University of Sharjah; esteemed members of the Board of Trustees; Chancellor Dr. Tod Laursen; Provost Dr. Matthias Ruth, respected faculty and staff; distinguished guests; our ever-supportive families; and, most importantly, my fellow graduates of Fall 2025 – Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Today is more than a ceremony. It is a moment of reflection, gratitude, and recognition. Reflection on the years of effort that brought us here, gratitude to those who carried us through them, and recognition of how AUS shaped us – not through comfort, but through challenge. Graduation is more than just the end of a chapter. It is a testimony that we have the determination to persist and the courage to rise above any challenge, expectation, and uncertainty.

When I first walked onto this campus, I could not have imagined how far AUS would take me. From sitting in the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York and representing AUS at COP 28, to leading as president of a club, and co-founding an association that now works with multiple entities and universities across the UAE – these were milestones I never pictured for myself. Yet, they became possible here. AUS opened those doors, pushing us to discover our potential, to lead with confidence, and to grow not only through received knowledge but through real experiences that shaped who we are today.

What truly defines the AUS experience are the moments that tested and transformed us. It was never just about grades or lectures – it was about learning to engage, to question, and to think critically. Group projects showed us the importance of collaboration and the strength that comes from teamwork; presentations pushed us to find our voice and appreciate different perspectives that broadened our understanding; and those long nights studying for exams taught us that success is built on discipline and resilience. Each challenge, each conversation, and each late-night effort shaped us into capable individuals ready to take on the world beyond the walls of AUS.

This is the essence of AUS. Challenge here was never about obstacles placed in our way – it was about opportunities that demanded courage. It was about professors who refused to let us settle for easy answers, about classmates who carried the weight of projects with us, and about friends who turned difficult nights into shared resilience. AUS taught us that success is not given; it is earned, and we earned it together.

As we look to the path ahead, we know the challenges will not get lighter; rather, they will grow heavier. The world beyond AUS does not pause until we feel ready. Conflicts around the world continue to test the values of peace and justice, climate change threatens the homes and futures of millions, and artificial intelligence and new technologies reshape how we live and work, often faster than society can keep pace. These are not distance headlines; they are the realities we inherit today.

Here, we learned that a challenge is an opportunity to move forward rather than a reason to give up, that leadership is not about waiting for certainty but about acting with confidence in the face of uncertainty, that integrity can be seen when choices are tough rather than when they are simple; and that resilience does not develop from ease but from struggle. These lessons were not confined to textbooks; they were lived, tested, and proven through our time at AUS. They are an essential part of our personality now, shaping who we are and who we will become.

With these lessons, we also carry expectations. The expectations of our families, who gave so much of themselves so that we could stand here today; the expectations of our professors, who pushed us beyond our limits and revealed the strength within us; and the expectations of our society – of Sharjah, a place that has long been a beacon of culture, knowledge, and vision under the guidance of its leadership. AUS (and Sharjah) reminds us that education is not only about personal success, but about service – service to our communities, our nation, and to a world that needs us. These expectations are not burdens but a trust placed in us, a trust that we will carry forward the values we have learned and use them to build something greater than ourselves. They remind us that our work, our choices, and our voices matter – not just for our own futures, but for the society we represent.

Today, we give gratitude.

اسمحوا لي في هذه اللحظة أن أعبّر باللغة العربية،

أهدي تخرّجي وإنجازي الذي أفتخر به وحصاد سنواتٍ من السعي والاجتهاد إلى من أكرمني الله بهم وجعلني أرتقي بدعمهم ويزيدني بهم شرفًا واعتزازًا .. أمي وأبي

To our families – thank you for the strength, patience, and unwavering belief that carried us here.

To our professors and mentors – thank you for pushing us beyond comfort, until excellence became part of who we are.

To our classmates and friends – thank you for turning this campus into a home, and for proving that resilience is always stronger when shared.

To the administration of AUS – thank you for your guidance, dedication, and commitment to creating an environment for us where we can thrive.

To Your Highness Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, thank you for safeguarding a vision of education that transforms not only what we know, but who we become.

On behalf of the graduating class, we say thank you – shukran, gracias, dhanyavaad, merci, spasibo.

Class of Fall 2025, we will face tests greater than the ones we leave behind, but we will meet them with the same persistence, the same resilience, and the same courage that AUS demanded of us. This university did not shape us through comfort; it shaped us through challenge, and that is why we are ready, not simply to step forward, but to rise.

Alf Mabrook, Class of Fall 2025 – may the lessons we gained at AUS give us the confidence to lead with purpose and integrity wherever life takes us.

Thank you.