2023 COMMENCEMENT
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2023
This day marks the cumulation of great achievements . When you first arrived at KAUST , you brought the fire of your ambitions to blaze a new trail in your chosen field . When you leave this University , you ’ ll take the success of these goals with you into the world to embrace new opportunities .
If we were to follow the threads of your journeys , we would see a trail of impact as far and wide as the Red Sea and beyond . With sharpened intellectual tools , you are about to reenter a shifting world that is fraught with geopolitical , economic and environmental uncertainties and disruptions . But these moments of great challenges are precisely the times that give birth and nurture the best businesses , creative inventors and original thinkers in history .
You are the first class to graduate with the winds of this strategy at your back . Congratulations , graduating class of 2023 , and thank you for all that you do ! Your talents will build a new future , and your family , friends , professors , fellow students and all those gathered here to celebrate your graduation know that you will make us proud .
I want to also acknowledge with admiration and gratitude the many individuals whose guidance helped shine a light on your path — parents , faculty , administrators and many others in KAUST ’ s extensive ecosystem of support , both inside and outside the school environment . As future alumni , this network is yours for the keeping . We will always be here for you , and you ’ ll continue to have opportunities to shape this community from wherever you are in the world . In the meantime , savor this moment of recognition and camaraderie with all who have been by your side . We are cheering you on , and wishing you every success in your endeavors .
With gratitude ,
Tony Chan President