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New York University Abu Dhabi today celebrated its second graduation ceremony, with the conferral of degrees to 141 students from 53 countries.
New York University President John Sexton and NYU Abu Dhabi Vice Chancellor Alfred Bloom officiated at the commencement, which was attended by approximately 1,300 guests and held in Abu Dhabi at the University’s Saadiyat Island campus.
In the presence of H.H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, offered remarks to the students and was presented with the NYU Abu Dhabi Global Leadership Award, recognising his outstanding commitment to the University and to the society. Also in attendance was Barbara A. Leaf, the US Ambassador to the UAE.
In a speech, former UK Prime Minister, The Right Honorable Gordon Brown, addressed the graduating class, faculty members, colleagues and visiting dignitaries, who extolled graduates to live a life of selfless-service, and to lead by example.
Mr. Brown said, "The students I see here today, you are notably the leaders of tomorrow – the scientists, the engineers, the doctors, the nurses, the politicians, the philosophers, the academics of the future. Leadership is not just about getting, it’s about giving. And it’s also not just about commanding people; it’s about convincing people. Your purpose as leaders has got to be to convince people that there are great causes you want them to follow with you."
Brown added, "My experience is that you will find true happiness not in hedonism, but in humbly helping others. My experience is that you will find true satisfaction not in self-indulgence, but in a lifetime of selfless-service to your communities. My experience is that your strength will be demonstrated not by being better than others or triumphing over others, but in subjugating your own personal desires to some of the great causes of our time."
NYUAD bestowed two Global Leadership Awards at the ceremony. In addition to Sheikh Nahyan, the award was also presented to Brown for his work to improve access to education for children around the world.
Collectively, the class has already been accepted to more than 70 master’s and doctoral programmes in disciplines spanning astrophysics, dance, economics, engineering, nuclear chemistry, literature, psychology, social work and speech pathology, and to medical and law schools, including Harvard, the London School of Economics, NYU, Oxford, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. Several graduating students have also already received job offers from renowned local and global companies and public sector employers, such as The Crown Prince Court Abu Dhabi, AECOM, J.Walter Thompson, Citibank, Johnson & Johnson, among others.
Emirati student Hamel Al Qubaisi, 21, who graduated with a degree in Political Science and is one of the two graduates who will study at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, said, "Choosing NYU Abu Dhabi was not a difficult decision for me because I believed in the vision. I saw merit in the idea of bringing in people from all over the world – over 100 nationalities so far – to peacefully live together and learn together. Four years later, NYUAD has proved to me that when we take the initiative to learn from each other and listen to each others' hopes, interests, and aspirations, we gain the knowledge to avoid choosing conflict as the only means to resolve our differences. And isn't that an exciting prospect?"
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