 Thank you, Nargis John, for that kind words and for that wonderful and humbling introduction. I would also like to thank the leadership, faculty, staff and students at SOAS for welcoming me into your community. I'm truly honored and greatly appreciate the privilege and opportunity to share this day with you. Not only to celebrate this graduating class's achievements, but the school's centenary. SOAS is renowned and well respected for its work in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. You take pride in your research and make significant contributions to development in the region. As a native of Afghanistan and someone who works closely with young and promising future leaders, I strongly believe that institutions like yours play an important part in the development of my country and others. Our missions coincide to educate a generation in order to bring about positive change in our societies. At Sola, we believe that impetus for change lies in the hands of our nation's youth, especially young women. As Nargis highlighted, Sola is the first and only all girls boarding school in Afghanistan. We recruit girls starting at sixth grade from all provinces to come to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Not only to study, but to do life together. In a country like Afghanistan that has been torn apart by decades of war, the Sola model addresses both the country's educational and national issues. Look at what has happened just these past few weeks in Afghanistan. The Taliban and ISIS are claiming innocent lives in order to win their ideological wars. But how do you overcome one against such wars? You educate your nation. The most effective antidote to Afghanistan's major problems is to create the best educated leadership generation in the country's history. Sola gives our students the opportunity to be in an environment that enables them to reach their full potential and increase their sense of confidence, which ultimately equips them with the skills and knowledge necessary to make a difference in growth of our country. As you celebrate your 100 years of history and look back on your achievements, you should take pride in everything you have done to make a positive impact on the region you specialize in. However, today I challenge you all to do more. You see the challenges facing our world today has me convinced that educational institutions, most particularly educators, have a unique opportunity to affect change. Today's excellent students can no longer just be highly educated, well informed, accepting of others and feel sympathy for the thousands of innocent lives taken away. Our educational systems must drive our students to take action when they are troubled by a situation. Here's a situation that should trouble us all. There are 62 million girls around the world waiting for an opportunity to go to school. Most of these girls are in the regions you specialize in. Those 62 million girls are the answer to ending poverty, fighting terrorism, addressing HIV AIDS, and much more. Let's make their access to education at the center of how we understand the region. But most importantly, let's urge the leaders in these regions and continuously remind them to recognize girls education as a long lasting change they want to see in their societies. Thank you very much.