American University in Cairo
October 13, 2009

Good evening. I would like to thank Dr. David Arnold, Ms. Sohair for inviting me to join you this evening. I also want to apologize to everyone for keeping you waiting; I have the oldest excuse in Egypt, which is the traffic. I am glad that I made it here tonight, because I do consider this one of the most beneficial programs that the U.S. has been associated with in Egypt, and it is wonderful to see both the cohort of LEAD 6 as well as some of the alumni of previous years here.

It is just a great opportunity to see a program. I think President Arnold said that they worked out all the kinks in the program so you’re getting the best deal, but I can assure you that this program has had a strong leadership from the very beginning and it is only getting better.

Each one of you has worked so hard to complete your secondary education and to earn your place here at AUC as a LEAD scholar. I congratulate you and I wish you success as your begin your university journey.

As President Obama said in his speech in Cairo in June, “Education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century.” He mentioned specifically the importance of increasing scholarship opportunities to youth and you should all be proud of the role that you have played in accepting and making this vision a reality.

As some of you might remember, I have said many times that of all the programs that the U.S. government supports in Egypt to promote education, economic and health development, the LEAD program is my favorite. The academic education that you will receive is unique and unmatched. AUC reflects the best of Egypt and the best of the U.S. and provides the opportunity for a world-class education.

AUC, since its establishment in 1919, has developed liberal arts graduates ready to meet the challenges and opportunities in Egypt, the Middle East and beyond. AUC is a flagship institution for higher learning in Egypt attracting the best and the brightest throughout the region and the world

In addition to your academic growth, throughout this program you will develop leadership skills that will enhance your careers and give you the tools that you need to participate actively in your communities and in Egypt’s development. Your academic program will be complemented by leadership training and skills development through conferences, retreats, weekly meetings, and specialized training sessions. This training will enable you to collectively become a cadre of Egypt’s future leaders contributing to developing your country.

Perhaps most importantly of all, I think you all will undoubtedly forge life-long friendships at AUC, friendships that will endure through your moves through the latter part of your journey, through families and careers, and the challenges of the future. You and your colleagues here today will end up being closer than you imagine through your shared AUC LEAD program experiences. It reminds me that I’m looking forward to welcoming my college mates to Egypt in about a month, because they want to see what has become of me. So I suspect you will have similar opportunities in your lives as well. I urge you to look around the table at those students that you have just met in the last few weeks, and I guarantee that in five years, in ten years, and in twenty years, you will know each other even better.

Your families and the communities across Egypt that allowed and brought and encouraged you to be here I am sure are also very proud of you. Through your high academic achievements and commitments to your communities you have proved beyond a doubt that you can have an impact on your future and the future of Egypt. Remember that you represent each of the twenty-nine governorates of this dynamic country. I encourage all of you to be involved in campus life and to take the opportunity to inform students from other countries about your communities and your own country.

Giving back to your communities throughout Egypt is also an important part of the AUC LEAD program. With the completion of your academic degree, you will add to a growing group of global citizens who understand the importance of service to their community. I encourage and look forward to hearing about your life-long commitments to community service as you pursue your undergraduate degrees at AUC and beyond.

There are always challenges that come along with new opportunities. I encourage you to be resourceful in meeting these challenges and to keep in close communication with the AUC LEAD staff working with you.

Our master of ceremonies that introduced these proceedings mentioned that she had felt great or some anxiety when she came here. And now that she was leaving and preparing to leave in her last year, she was beginning to feel a little anxiety about the next step. What I can assure you that if your lives go according to a successful pattern, you will always have opportunities to feel anxious because that is just the way it goes. You will be, I predict, the employees, the teachers, the scientists, the public servants, the doctors and lawyers of the future, who, because of what you are learning today, will be very likely to be the people tapped for new things to do. You may be given opportunities that you can’t even dream about today. But based on what you’ve learned here, based on your future experiences, I predict that you will be given the opportunities that are commensurate of your skills and your ambitions. Yes you are allowed to feel a little anxious and I think that is the most normal thing in the world. You should cherish that because it is what gives you the energy to draw on the confidence that you have to go out there to perform to the level and to the standards that your parents and families expect from you, and that your teachers expect from you and that your communities expect from you.

I wish you all the best as you embark on your journey and I know that you will, through hard work and you commitment, enjoy success in not only this journey at AUC, but beyond. I am hoping that the years to come we will be seeing LEAD 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, and that those who have completed the course will keep their hands open to those coming behind them and to share the experiences that you have.

So good luck to all of you and thank you very much for inviting me tonight.