 First Minister, thank you so much, for your kind but undeserved words. Ladies and gentlemen, it's my great pleasure to welcome our graduates, their families and friends and supporters to this great occasion today. The school has always had this special feel, a place where the world meets and where no particular culture takes precedence. felly sefydlu'i ddwylo ygafod o d fryd o ddiogel â sylwm ac sylwm, byddwch yn rhan ffodd, i fynd o'r unigynion. Efallai eich angen unrhyw i'r eich amser yn argyfyniad ar hynny'n mae'r hiwn. Roedd hwnnw eich angen am enwedig yn ychydig yn y gwrth gael, yw'r awdurdod mai sy'n ei wneud yn dechrau ac unrhywравu i'r byddwch yn gael. As chairman of SOAS's governing body, I'm especially proud to be presiding over this graduation ceremony in place of our president filling a gap between two simply inspirational women. Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, the leading barrister and human rights advocate who stood down at SOAS president last year and Grasha Michelle who takes over as president next month. Grasha, as I'm sure many of you are aware, is a highly regarded international advocate for women and children's rights and an acclaimed social and political activist. She is of course also the wife of the extraordinary, the inspirational Nelson Mandela who today celebrates his 94th birthday. So perhaps a round of applause, we are all delighted that she's joining us as our president in August and we believe she will be a most worthy successor to the outstanding Helena. So what I have to say I'm afraid will be but a modest substitute compared to their insights and observation. Now no one in this auditorium doubts that SOAS is an extraordinary and special university. We provide a unique and unrivaled range of programs in which so many of you here today have participated. You should be very, very proud of your time at SOAS. The 21st century belongs to SOAS and as new graduates it must be your time too. Now as Asia regains her preeminence in the world, as Africa becomes increasingly important to the global economy and as the Middle East begins to find its place in the world, what better time than to have been at SOAS? You are now part of the world changing beyond all recognition and the opportunities presenting themselves to you are simply breathtaking. The school I believe leaves you with a unique legacy, the indefectible experience of liberal, unconstrained intellectual curiosity combined with its extraordinary cultural diversity. At any good university you also learn the social skills of engagement with others, you learn how to communicate effectively, how to work successfully alone as well as in collaboration with others. You also make discoveries, discoveries about the nature of our common humanity as you study alongside people from different parts of the world with very different experiences and backgrounds. The school is a place for challenging orthodoxy and for testing ideas in the fire of open debate. Issues of North and South, of Eastern West, of development and poverty, of neoconservatism and democracy, of corruption and privatisation, of religion and other ideologies. All this is under the banner of SOAS. The landscape of our world is changing and our students are searching for understanding, seeking solutions. Globalisation to me means that knowing and understanding the world is more important than ever before. Employers are increasingly drawn to the graduate who is not only comfortable working alongside people from different cultures but is genuinely excited at the prospect of doing so. Governments need the expertise of those who have in depth the knowledge of other nations and systems. The professions, the academies are being enriched by the cross-fertilisation that comes from bringing together people with rich seams of interest and experience from different parts of the globe. Nowhere, nowhere is this more effectively done than here. SOAS creates that alchemy of unsurpassable and unique brilliance. Now, as you pass across the stage today and receive your degree awards, you become a new and very special element of the SOAS global community. As SOAS alumni, you become part of a network which is over 50,000 people strong, allowing you to become involved in a heritage that's now nearly 100 years old. You'll hear more about that from our director later. As you all know, we have very ambitious plans as we approach our centennial year and your involvement will help sustain this wonderful institution as it enters its second century. SOAS has many and varied alumnus, men and women destined for greatness when they return to their home countries. It has always been an incubator for leaders, though not just in the field of politics, leaders in business, leaders in scholarship, leaders in public service, in fact, leaders in all disciplines, and leaders not only from Britain, but from also around the world as well. Now, as you graduate today and begin a new phase of your life, perhaps I may leave you with a couple of thoughts and observations. First, adaptability. We must become the change we want to see is an off-quoted remark from Nelson Mandela, and as I've already mentioned, the world into which you are graduating is rapidly evolving. It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change. Those are words uttered by Darwin over 100 years ago. An observation which I believe is not out of place today. You must be prepared to change and adapt if you're going to make the difference and prosper in whatever field of activity you choose to pursue. In this regard, hold fast to the liberal, intellectual rigor and humanist spirit you've experienced at SOAS. I know it will stand you in good stead. Second, courageousness. As you make your way, stand up for what you believe is right. Stand up for those who are less fortunate than you. Look after and be there for your family and friends, and above all, don't be afraid of being in a minority of one if you think that's the right thing to do or to say. Lucrepitus behaviour never succeeds, and to paraphrase Edmund Burke, evil flourishes when good men and women fail to act, being true to yourself and to others around you instills confidence, respect and an inner epicurean calm which will fortify and protect you. Courage and aggression are often confused, but don't be fooled. It is usually the case that positions held and defended with atheraxia and grace and tranquility win out in the end. Remember, courage often involves fear. It's how you deal with that fear and conduct yourself that really matters. Third, optimism and authenticity. Intellectual rigour and debate teaches self-awareness. Be true to who you are. Play to those strengths that you've developed over your time at SOAS, and listen not just to what your head tells you, but what your heart tells you too. As you think about your career, pursue what you love and dream of, and then be the very, very best at what you do, because real success comes from being authentic and comfortable in your own skin. This is both liberating and energising, building indefatigable optimism and enthusiasm, and allowing you to seize the opportunities which will undoubtedly come your way. Nor should the cynics believe that it is naivety, far, far from it. It instead creates a strong sense of positive conviction. As Henry Ford, the great American industrialist made plain, if you think you can or you can't, you're right. As a former teacher, you might expect me to say that education is the most powerful weapon with which to change the world. Education undoubtedly changes people's lives. It has certainly transformed mine. And in this auditorium today, you are all tomorrow's leaders. You might not think yourselves in that way, but in fact you are. Because whatever you do, I know that you will take with you what you've learned here and apply it with great distinction and success, becoming wonderful role models for future generations of global citizens. During your time at SOAS, you've had the good fortune, the privilege, to have fashioned your personal weapons in the white heat of learning, honing and hardening them such that they can be put to best use throughout your life. Use them wisely, my friends. Use them well. So, to conclude, let me congratulate you on your achievements. And on behalf of the school, go forward with our best wishes in the road that lies ahead of you. We at SOAS are proud of you, very proud of you. Your achievements in success are our legacy. Thank you very much.