Valedictorian speech by Saima Hirani, Graduate of Aga Khan University School of Nursing

Honorable chief guest;
Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees of Aga Khan University;
Respected faculty;
Distinguished guests;
My fellow graduates;
Ladies and gentlemen;

Assalam-o-Alaikum,

The Chancellor His Highness the Aga Khan in the convocation address in 1989 address said and I quote:

“In thinking of the future, my thoughts return constantly to you our new graduates. To me, as a Muslim, proud of my faith, of its culture, humanism, and its compassion, you the graduates represent a powerful light, you have been educated by men and women of all beliefs, you are yourselves of different persuasions, and you have blossomed in a university, which stands for intellectual freedom and expansive enquiry. If time confirms and consolidates your belief in these principles too, it is my request that you should sustain and defend them as we have done for you”

These words by the Chancellor refer to a deeper meaning of our graduating ceremony. We are all here not only to celebrate our graduation but to commit ourselves to the expectations laid upon us as the alumni of this university.

Today marks a milestone in our lives. An important journey ends to commence a new journey.

I am honoured to have received this opportunity to represent the graduating classes and to reflect on our experiences.

Dear graduating students,

Let me take you back to some of our memorable moments spent as students at Aga Khan University.

How can we forget the first day, on which we were all welcomed by an academic world full of diversity. Diversity in age, education, experience and culture. Nevertheless, we all shared the same objectives and determination. This diversity gave our academic environment the motivating and fascinating touch. Sure, it sometimes led to disagreement over ideas and some heated arguments but it taught us many valuable lessons. We learned that we do not live in a vacuum.

My fellow graduates!

Today is the culmination of our many years of hard work. It is such a great feeling when we can say to each other, Hey, here we are, and we have made it through sleepless nights, endless assignments, dozens of quizzes and exams, prolonged stay in the library, strenuous clinical visits to hospitals and communities, sometimes spending entire study hours with friends debating about not getting enough time to study, corrupted or empty floppies on due dates of assignments, those pleading gestures to our brothers and spouses for typing the assignments at the eleventh hour until dawn sometimes, and of course the cafeteria food and McDonalds’…But we did it, and I congratulate everyone of us on our success.

My graduating colleagues: nurses, doctors, teacher educators, epidemiologists and health policy managers would surely agree with me that our stay at AKU has really brought about a significant change in our lives. Our training at AKU is more than simply attending school or progressing academically, or getting a diploma or a degree. It is an attitude, an approach, a state of mind and an intellectual experience that has helped us develop a vision and translate into action. Each one of us has gone through an education, which meets the highest standards of rigor and excellence. Our academic expedition taught us to think critically, analyse situations thoroughly, plan creatively, solve problems competently, act efficiently and lead effectively.

As we graduate today, we step into our professional lives. Now is the time to apply our knowledge and skills, and we are determined to do so. We will uphold the trust of all those who care for us, who taught us, who developed us so that we can contribute greatly to ourselves, to the institutions where we work, to our nation, and to our world.

On behalf of all the graduates I would like to express our gratitude to the Board of Trustees, particularly the Chancellor, our faculty, staff, parents, siblings and spouse who saw us through several tantrums and moods. We thank them all for bearing with us. We also thank so many others who in their own ways have contributed to our success.

I leave each individual this morning with this thought. Nothing is impossible. Reach for the moon, for the worst thing that could happen to you is that you will end up among the stars.

Thank you