 distinguished guests, colleagues and fellow graduates. It is an honor and privilege to be sharing with you this platform on what is the 101th graduation ceremony of SOAS students. My fellow graduates, we are joining a special group of alumni who have achieved this feat and gone on to shape the world we live in and as such should be very proud of our accomplishment. My name is Mehdi Baraka, Co-President of the SOAS Students Union and as a fellow graduate, it fills me with great pride to be standing here in front of you, giving you this vote of thanks. We are brought together through a celebration of our journeys, moments in our history that have proved to be a momentous occasion in defining the course of our lives. Every year is different. As every year sees a new wave of graduates take the stage, standing out as a unique group of students deserving of their own respect. What unites us is the love we have for this place. The SOAS experience is truly a special one and one that can only be understood through living it. It speaks to the heart and captures your imagination, pulling you into its core and soaking up everything you have to give. I remember my first impressions of SOAS as if they were just yesterday, moments of joy, music, and celebration. I was very privileged from young to be welcomed into this beautiful community. I come from a family of four brothers of which whom all came to SOAS and I cannot wait for dinner tonight to hear my mom's favorite joke, how the school needs to give her a discount for sending all her children here. I was welcomed with open arms as it was my brother who was studying his Arabic BA at that time that dragged my 14-year-old shy, reserved, and chubby self along to a festival hosted by the Paxsox Celebrating Pakistan Independence Day. For it was the events conducted by students that brought me here. It was the will of students to have their voice heard that spoke to me. It was the honoring for the independence of a former colonized land that inspired me. From that day, almost seven years ago, my SOAS experience began. From that day, my real education started. Being here for so long, you forget to treat these moments as special occasions for they are too regular occurrences and what can only be described as one of the most colorful and active universities in the world. This is what makes SOAS SOAS and why it has such a special place in our hearts. This year has seen SOAS turn a new page and begin a chapter focusing on the SOAS experience. Much time and effort has gone into mapping and understanding what this experience really is. From facing cries of systematic racism as exhibited in the BME Attainment Gap to fighting for a fair and free education, students at SOAS continue to be true to their core and ideals, never giving up despite being alone in a growing world market of uncertainty and crippling conditions. However, thinking about what my SOAS experience is, I can't seem to get my mind to move beyond the personal impacts it has had on me. The development and advancement which has blessed me with the opportunity to be standing here in front of you. A beautiful saying comes to mind from Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq. He says, verily knowledge is a lock and its key is the question. For one thing I can be certain of is that my SOAS experience has taught me how to question and debate in order to reach the most deepest forms of understanding and embody my education. My fellow graduates, you have each played a role in shaping the experience of the other and each played a part in inspiring all those around you and to that we have to recognize the efforts and sacrifices of all those who make this possible. All the blood, sweat and tears that has gone into this. To our tutors, lecturers, academics and scholars, thank you for upholding the integrity of our studies and continuing to inspire us with your wisdom. To the staff who are the backbone holding up the institution, you provide care and console us, all of which without make our journey worthless in this critical stage of our life. Thank you. This one's a special one. To our parents, carers, family and friends, for being our resource and support throughout the years, for the love shown and generous acts which motivate us to reach our potential. You'll forgive me for making this personal but I cannot be in the same room as my true inspiration and not dedicate my being to them. To my mother, for whose happiness has been the only source of my smile and the only reason I have pursued my education. My dear fellow graduates, please stand up and give a round of applause to all our parents, carers and those who have supported us throughout this journey. And finally, to you, my fellow graduates, be proud of what you are a part of. It is you who has made this possible. Your hard work and sacrifice which has blessed this gathering and brought about a reason to rejoice. Recognize each other and respect the power you all have as a union. A union of students united through knowledge and struggle. A union of students which has reached its peak and is ready to take on the world. Now parents and fellow guests, please join me in giving a round of applause to our fellow graduates on achieving this momentous occasion. What separates us from a lot of other universities in the country is the high level of learning that exists outside the classroom. The JCR coffees, library strolls and activist atmosphere transcend the education received throughout our years here beyond our degrees. They impact us from within and drive us to see the world differently and as such act differently. These actions need to be celebrated and made an example of as they are the flames that are keeping Sawas alive and promoting its message to the rest of the world. At Sawas, we are privileged with having an abundance of examples for this. The work carried out with refugees across the Mediterranean and at home has stood high as a thorn to those denying the rights of humans to peace around the globe. The continued struggle to fight Israeli apartheid and remain a beacon of light celebrating Palestinian activism in the UK. The concept of freeing freedom and decolonizing our mind from our whitewashed Western perspective and challenging the status quo of wider society. Each struggle has its own beauty and each one has a different flavor to our vibrant university life. Sawas prides itself on being the leading global institution, an institution that seeks to inspire and shape the world with an alternative way of thinking. At Sawas, we take this for granted. Too many times have we been victims of leaving our identity locked behind anecdotes and stories which the world does not understand. The window for changing that comes once a year and it is this day. As a new wave of Sawas graduates take center stage standing tall and proud and write the next chapter in the Sawas story. Well, today my friends is our time to shine. Our time to be proud Sawasians for knowledge is power and with great power comes great responsibility. And now as we move on and throw our caps into the year, we need to do it with the added responsibility of being representatives of our beloved school. And as such act with a purpose in making the world a better place and proving that Sawas is still a lit and will never stop aiding students who are not afraid to fight for what's right. Class of 2018, it has been an absolute honor serving you as co-president. Thank you for inspiring me and thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with you. Before I leave, before I leave and we draw the ceremony to a close in honor of the late Nelson Mandela and in honor of his 100th birthday, I leave you with some of his inspiring words. May your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears. Let that guide us and become the compass of our life leading us into the recognition that our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. The world is ours, my fellow graduates. Go get them. Thank you very much. Enjoy your celebration.