The President of the Student Government Association (SGA) and the President of the AUN Honor Society were among the speakers at the Fall 2022 Convocation and Pledge Ceremony on Monday, August 29. The two student leaders are already living a campus legend. SGA President Halima Mohammed is leading an all-female executive committee of the student body; she is the second female to be elected SGA President. The Honor Society President, Soma Wokemba is heading an all-female elite club, a historic first as well. In his speech, the Interim President, Professor Attahir Yusuf, had urged the new students to seek support from the two student bodies to gain more insight and wisdom for successful college life.
Ms. Halima Mohammed, the SGA President, went first; she challenged the new students to step out of their comfort zone and to believe in themselves.
"Step out and dare to grow. The last thing you want to do is leave here as the same person you came in as."
The Politics and International Studies major also advised them to develop team spirit and people skills to enhance social mobility.
Ms. Soma Wokemba urged the entering students not to be overwhelmed or even carried away by their new pulsating experience on campus but to absorb all of it with the right mental frame defined by purpose and guided by the determined pursuit of their dream.
"It is easy to forget to prioritize your academics. But what is not easy is looking back on wasted potential and realizing that everything could have been different if you had only dared to take this seriously, a good time at the expense of the version of yourself."
The Law student exhorted the new students to work hard to realize their full potential, adding, "do not deprive the world of your greatness by not actualizing it."