The Founder, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, the AUN leadership, distinguished guests, dear parents, faculty and staff of the American University of Nigeria, good evening.
It is my utmost pleasure to welcome you to the Honor Society Awards Banquet. This is an event set aside to celebrate the hard work and achievement of the graduating members of the AUN Honor Society. This set of students do not only have high scholarly achievements but have dedicated their time, efforts, and resources to pursuing optimal scholarship and impacting their community; both within and outside AUN, through service. We are here to celebrate excellence. And in the words of Abdul Kalam, “Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident. It is the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skilful execution, and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities”.
There has been an air of excitement in AUN this past week and it is at its peak for me today because of what the Honor Society means to me. Around this time last year, I was seated here wide-eyed about to be sworn in as the then newly elected Honor Society President. Although filled with so much growth and opportunities, it has honestly been the fastest year of my life. In the past year, the Honor Society has embarked on numerous community service projects, participated in and won academic competitions, held retreats and game nights, and offered tutoring services to students on campus. These are proof of our core pillars: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. I was indeed blessed to have worked with the most amazing team; Najeeb Yusuf; our hilarious Head of Tutorials, Halima Mohammed; the team player, Nabila Hamidu; my ever-reliable Vice-President who is dynamite in a small package, Fatima Modibbo; the computer scientist who doubles as a great accountant, Soma; the secretary who had the most annoying job description as I would always tell her, Aribim Bristol; the calmest and most peaceful of us all, and Fridaus Bakare and Clinton Oguejiofor; the backbones of our events. I must mention our incredible principal faculty advisor, Dr Ash.
Graduating seniors, do not forget that the excitement in the air is all about you. The entire AUN community, our parents, families, friends, and loved ones are here to celebrate with us. I am positive that every parent here is proud of their child being a member of the Honor Society.
That you are here today represents hard work and discipline even amidst tears and challenges; demanding course works, pressures of time management, pulling all-nighters, and so much more.
Your presence here also represents endless possibilities and potential. It shows that you built determination and capacity to work hard and you are leaving with satisfaction.
My dear friends and colleagues, graduation is not the end; it is the beginning. With determination and perseverance, you will unleash your potential and impact Nigeria and humanity. If you think that you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito.
I once again welcome everyone to the 2022 Honor Society Awards Banquet. Thank you for sharing this moment with us.
Kind Regards,
Pwagwadi Madwatte
President, AUN Honor Society