 Welcome to this virtual celebration of your graduation from AUS. We know that this is no substitute for being together and we look forward to seeing you when circumstances permit. In spite of the difficulties, you have persevered and have been successful. As you make the transition to life after graduation, I am sure that your ability to persevere will serve you well. The University is proud of your accomplishments and grateful for the contributions that you've made to enriching AUS as students, as campus leaders, and as role models for your peers. I wish you continued success as you join your fellow alumni to make the world better. Congratulations again. I hope that you enjoy this video intended to celebrate all that you have accomplished. Congratulations. On behalf of His Highness, Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad al-Qasimi, member of the UAE Supreme Council, ruler of Sharjah, president of the American University of Sharjah, members of the Board of Trustees, the faculty and staff, congratulations to the Class of Fall 2020. Much has changed since the first day you stepped onto campus and the world has changed in unexpected ways. AUS has expanded facilities, launched new programs, enhanced research opportunities for faculty and students, and renewed the focus on student success, including an increased emphasis on the transition to university life. Due to the foresight and the extraordinary vision of His Highness, AUS today is not only characterized by the incredible buildings that we enjoy due to his generosity, but the campus is much more. It is a diverse academic community enriched by the students, staff, and faculty who contributed to the advancement of the academic mission of the university. While the change that has occurred at AUS has been significant, it pales in comparison to the change that has taken place in the world. The pre-final exam anxiety that you experienced just a short time ago may seem minor when compared to the challenges ahead. However, my confidence is restored each time I speak with AUS students and graduates who are confident, capable, and prepared to face a complex future. At just as you have successfully negotiated the challenges associated with pursuing a degree, I am confident that you will rise to the even greater challenges that lie ahead. Education is a gift that comes at a cost and sacrifice, and we should not forget to thank those who have supported you in order to make today possible. Please join me in recognizing the family members and friends who have supported you through this journey. Given what you've accomplished academically and as contributors of the AUS community through class discussions, community service, initiatives, leadership roles, performances, extracurricular activities, and research and teaching assistance, I am confident that you will continue to make a difference in the world. Congratulations graduates. I am delighted to join you, your families and friends, in celebration of this major milestone in your lives. A degree from AUS is here finally. It's indeed a distinct honor for me to share the excitement of this moment with all of you and to express the sense of pride that everyone in the AUS community feels for your accomplishments. We all know that you have come to this point through a great deal of dedication, persistence, and hard work. That is always the case for an AUS graduate, but the fact that you have done so and the severe restrictions mandated by the current pandemic simply adds to our pride and to our admiration for your achievements. It should also be a source of great joy to all of you. Rejoice in this your day and please accept my warmest congratulations on your graduation and my best wishes as you embark in a new phase in your life. Our dear graduates, this is to congratulate you on your graduation from the American University of Sharjah and to congratulate and thank all those who supported you along the way, your families, your loved ones, sponsors, and of course my colleagues here at the University. At the time of filming I'm staring into a camera, imagining your proud beautiful faces that I've been looking forward to seeing. Again at the time of filming the world is going through a global transient. In our global fight against and defense against the pandemic we have postponed face-to-face meetings. So this is the message. The world is going through a transient and some are talking about going back to normal when it's becoming clearer and clearer and that that's not the case. And some are too eager to define the new normal. Take them with a grain of salt for it is you who will define the new world and it will be anything but normal. In defining your challenges and rising up to them it is with great pride that I know and I hope you do that you have strong roots and strong wings so fly high, fly far and don't forget your roots. We're here for you. You have all the strength you need with the new world. Proud of you, looking forward to always staying in touch with you. Thank you. Greetings to everyone and a hearty congratulations to the graduating class of 2020. Graduating today are some of my closest friends colleagues and the students I'm used to seeing in the halls of engineering building. No matter how we think we performed during our time at AUS we'll always cherish the memories of being part of such a prestigious institute and such a challenging college. And I'm sure you'll agree with me that our time at AUS has been incredible and certainly not enough. Let me remind you all this batch has experienced some of the history-making moments of the College of Engineering. You started your journey in the cozy engineering buildings and witnessed the inauguration of the new and advanced engineering and science building. Your batch is the first batch to attend classes in ESB and a very lucky batch to experience having the first female C and Dean of the region, Dean Chirin Thakini. And not to forget passing your senior year in a pandemic and making it to this day regardless of the many obstacles. We acknowledge your hard work and dedication and wish you all the best. Today you're leaving AUS with so much more than a degree. You're leaving with memories, friends by your side and the experience of a lifetime. Congratulations again and I hope you enjoy this day. The world needs you and AUS will continue to need you. You along with the 16,000 alumni that you join will continue to remain an important part of the AUS community. Just as I hope that AUS will remain part of you. I look forward to the time we can gather to celebrate your graduation. Until then I wish you continued success. Congratulations proud AUS. Friends, faculty, fellow graduates. We did it! We accomplished our dreams and our major steps that we took in this journey. I hope that wherever our future takes us we allow it to take us somewhere and even beyond. The past four years were more than an academic journey. I would definitely miss my morning rides to Sharjah and I would miss the ITF room at SBA but I'm definitely prepared for a career in corporate finance. Besides quality education, AUS gave me friendships and memories that I will forever remain grateful for. It gave me the opportunity to represent students in the student council for one year which I consider one of my greatest achievements. In the future I hope the type you simply represent AUS as an alumina and make it and its community proud. After graduating high school I always went with the quote that says be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire and this quote has governed the life I live for the majority of my academic and social speech throughout my time in college. To thank you to my MCM department and faculty that shaped me to the woman I am today that you guys are looking at and of course my friends that turned into my family. I can't wait to see what the future holds for me and each one of you and take all that AUS has taught us over the four years patience, commitment, hard work and kindness. Here's to our next journey of adulthood. AUS you'll be missed. Thank you once again.