It’s that time of year, when the sun is shining and the chatter of many happy students can be heard around the campuses of the world’s great universities – yes, graduation time! This year has been especially important to me as I celebrate the successes of a very special cohort of my students who managed to get places at universities around the world four years ago. It was with their support and encouragement that Our Moon came into being.
They have been studying at universities such as UC Berkeley, Swarthmore College, Duke University, Georgetown University, New York University in Abu Dhabi among others. On campus, they have wowed their peers with their extraordinary commitment to their academic work as well as getting involved in extracurricular activities and all their universities have to offer. They appeared on Dean’s lists, studied abroad in London, Paris and Beijing and have already set up foundations that are running back in their home countries. Two have undertaken medical research at universities in Africa during their vacations. All have been helping their families back home during their studies.
One is off to med school, although he will spend a year earning a little more money so that he can support himself through school. This is an amazing achievement as very few students get funding for medical degrees. Another is off to a high-powered job on Wall Street, looking forward to living on the exciting, whirlwind island of Manhattan. Some are off to grad school to continue their studies. Two are already back home running schools and NGOs so that they can help others to take advantage of opportunities like they have had. Others are still to make up their minds about their next steps.
I applaud all of them and feel so proud of my other family.
