Aga Khan University Convocation
Karachi, Pakistan, November 3, 2001

Bismillah

Your Excellency Chief Justice of Pakistan,
Chairman and Members of the Board of Trustees,
Respected faculty, family members, my fellow colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen

Asalamo Alaikum.

Congratulations! Class of 2001.

It is with great happiness that I speak on behalf of all nursing graduates at this convocation ceremony.

Today we have completed the most important phase of our lives. Words cannot express the sense of pride and accomplishment that we feel today on reaching this academic milestone of our career.  

This is our dream come true.

Since opening its doors, Aga Khan University School Of Nursing has come to be recognized as a trendsetter for nursing education in Pakistan by creating a transition from diploma to degree programs. After the two-year post R.N. in 1988, the four-year baccalaureate was introduced in 1997 and today, ladies and gentlemen we have amongst us, the first crop of the season! 16 graduates from this program - the first of its kind in Pakistan. But the journey did not end here. This October the School of Nursing could not resist and added another feather in its cap by starting the first Master's of Science Nursing program in the country.

We entered this institution impressed by the physical beauty and the architecture. Today, as we are leaving the portal of this institution, we realize that the beauty does not lie in its architecture but also in the caliber of its people and its atmosphere of academic excellence. Let me assure you that to achieve and keep up this excellence, we worked so rigorously that we hardly had any time to enjoy the structure, greenery, and the moonlight walks by the lakeside. Ladies and Gentlemen, today is the day to reflect and share some of our experiences as students. It reminds us of our first clinical day when one of our colleagues gave an ophthalmoscope to a doctor performing ear examination. Yet, another colleague convinced an undiagnosed patient to tell his diagnosis so she could fill in her assessment form and impress her faculty and friends. One of us in her state of anxiety started doing assessment on a person who was sitting on the bed of a psychiatric hospital. And after 15 minutes when she reached the point of asking the reason for hospitalization, in a state of surprise, the man said "Sorry, I am not a patient, I am a chowkidar on duty."

Working in the community was also an enriching experience mingled with everlasting aroma of fish from the Rehri village. We cannot forget those days when we worked in kachi abadi for sanitation and garbage disposal to help minimize infectious diseases. And by the end of the day, it used to become difficult to recognize our own faces in the mirror.

We still remember the days that we spent in the computer labs full of stress, anxiety and with minimal computer knowledge. Sometimes we ended up with corrupted or empty floppies on the day of submitting the assignments. How can we forget the way we begged our brothers or spouses to sit for hours and hours to type out our assignments which would go on until dawn. And by the end of the program, we realized that they knew nursing concepts more than us. (We did)

Our journey through Aga Khan University has been a combination of struggle and leisure for every student sitting here, wearing the Regalia, whether the student is from Pakistan, Central Asia or Africa. Through the period of trial and tribulations, we have developed as matured individuals and professionals. This journey has taught us patience, perseverance, and assertiveness and we feel that our school has given birth to a caring, knowledgeable and skillful nurse in every one of us. However, we will never forget the fall-out benefits of getting a baldhead, dark circles around our eyes and a crooked back.

Dear Graduates, now we are entering another phase of our lives. One, which demands confidence to critically analyze and make informed decisions, courage to take responsibilities and be accountable. We must continue to work as a multidisciplinary team to provide quality health care services. For us, our professional journey has just begun. We have to keep the AKU flag of values flying. The value of relevance, excellence, access and impact.

Today is also a day to express our gratitude. We are especially grateful to the Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, and the members of the Board of Trustees for their vision of the University. Thanks to our faculty members and the staff of the University who supported us in our accomplishments.

Thank you dear parents, our spouses and friends. Your encouragement, emotional and financial support has played a crucial role in achieving the successes that we celebrate today. You have every right to be happy and proud of us.

I would like to end with a quote of His Highness the Aga Khan, Chancellor of the University. I quote.

"Let us pray that we shall develop a guiding light, a light to be added to those many others who seek to illuminate the path to a better life for Pakistan, for the people of the Ummah and of the Third World."   unquote

And it is this guiding light that we the graduates of the class of 2001 promise to carry throughout our careers as part of the AKU family.

Thank you.