Princess Hussa bint Salman attends KAU graduation ceremony

JEDDAH: Princess Hussa bint Salman bin Abdulaziz attended the graduation ceremony of women students at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah recently, in the presence of the dean, vice presidents and academics of the women’s section.

“Tonight my joy is doubled as I share the happiness of this ceremony with the graduates of King Abdulaziz University, as it coincides with the university’s 50th anniversary. Fifty years of generous giving is the age of this university, which is renowned as the first Saudi university to open its doors to Saudi women and men at its inauguration. And here we are today, witnessing the graduation of a new generation of young women in whose eyes I see hope, perseverance and determination, to participate effectively in the comprehensive development that our beloved homeland is undergoing,” she said.
Princess Hussa praised the efforts of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in ensuring continued and sustainable “internal development, exemplified in its foremost aspect, i.e. raising the standard of the family and especially, the role of the mother.”
“Educational institutions are also mothers, and it is through education that women have come to lead women’s sections of universities, attain membership of the Shoura (Consultative) Council and lead municipal councils,” she added.
Princess Hussa praised Education Minister Dr. Ahmed Al-Eissa, acting University Director Dr. Abdulrahman bin Obeid Al-Youbi, Dean of the Women’s Campuses Dr. Hana Al-Nuaim and other leaders of the university’s women’s section for the role they have played in the university’s success.
Princess Hussa then surprised the graduates with her own story of King Abdulaziz University. “Many of you may not know that I was once a student, sitting on these seats, in this ‘warm home,’ after an auspicious first year at King Saud University, among the valleys of Najd and its towns shaded by date-palms. King Abdulaziz University, where for a year, I drank from the pure well of Zamzam and felt the spiritual breath of the Two Holy Mosques nearby, welcomed me and added to my enjoyment of higher education in the Kingdom, before my equally happy return to King Saud University for the completion of my BA.”
She said that it was a pleasure for her to return to the institution as an associate lecturer. “I feel that I am very lucky to return to my roots, and to go from studying to working at my alma maters: King Saud and King Abdulaziz Universities. I carry with me the very goals and aspirations I see growing and expanding in your eyes. I gained here the resources to realize my ambition of carrying out academic research at universities abroad and to return to help pass them on to a new generation.”
“I aspire, along with your young and promising deans, whose hearts beat with the strength of your aspirations, to plant the seeds of kindness and wellbeing in our promising nation,” Princess Hussa said. “Alhamdulillah, we now have the education and infrastructure to communicate with the world, allowing us to spread the principles of peace, tolerance and prosperity.”