The day of a university graduation ceremony is a momentous one for students the world over, but there is something even more significant about the Graduation of young women in Saudi Arabia. It represents not just the recognition of several years of hard work and study, but also the gathering momentum of change and progress for women in the Kingdom. On Saturday, May 14, 42 young women graduated at Effat University and four of these graduates represented a milestone in the history of women in the Kingdom for they are the first to graduate in the field of Electrical & Computer Engineering at a Saudi University. The graduation ceremony was held in the Effat Hall, an impressive auditorium with steeply tiered seating leading down to a stage. While the fellow students, parents and friends gathered inside, the graduates and faculty members were in the nearby gym, donning their ceremonial graduation robes and black, tassled mortarboard caps, the traditional headgear for academics. Instead of their usual black head scarves, the graduates all wore attractive turquoise scarves. Students and academics alike were snapping photos of each other and there was an air of irrepressible excitement in the room. Saudi Gazette took the opportunity to speak to Dr. Khouria Oudghiri, the Vice President for Academic Affairs. She comes from Algeria and has a PhD in Computer Engineering from Canada. Over her career at Effat University, she has worked her way up to her current position: “I have been at Effat University for six years and in this role for one year now. It is very exciting working here because we are a growing university that is making history in many things. One of them is that this year we have the first batch of female Saudi engineers graduating from a Saudi university. We are very proud of that and this is a very special day for us. The course is five years, so we started in 2006. We are hoping, and we are working so hard with the industry, to find jobs for them. It is a big challenge, but we are facing it. Tomorrow, we are having a business forum with many representatives from the industry. Our aim is to build strong relationships with the industry to help our students find job placements and also to arrange internships because all of them have summer internships to do, at the junior and the senior level.” A graduate who had excelled in her year was Jeddawi Fatima Al-Banawi who had won the Queen Effat Citizenship Award for 2010-2011. The award honors a student who has been involved and committed to all aspects of University life. She explained what this had meant to her: “It was exciting to win it, but it is not just excitement. It is more like a responsibility and something that you reflect on later when you win it. In addition to the expected academic excellence, I have won it for my extra curricular activities, my social and community participation, the constant engagement in different events and organization of conferences, and for demonstrating and providing leadership skills. It is also all about the love for learning.” She is now 22 years old and graduated with a BA in Psychology: “My plans are to pursue my Master's Degree in Social and Community Development, or Social Justice, or gender issues. I am currently applying to different universities in the UK which are the top rated Universities in the field. Hopefully, I will go on to do a PhD.” She is also taking what is almost the equivalent of the British “gap year”: “I plan to have an art journey of self-discovery and kind of self-reflection of the past few years before I get engaged in another academic journey.” Two young women holding the flags of Effat University and Saudi Arabia led the procession of academics and graduates into the Hall. It was an impressive sight to see this group of elegant and beautiful young women follow their professors and teachers into the Hall, a symbol of the future of women of their country. The guest speakers were Dr. Samir Al Tubayyeb, the Vice President of Employee Relations and Training from Saudi Aramco; the US Ambassador James B. Smith; and Dr. Kristina Johnson, former Dean of Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, US. Three award winning graduates and the President of the Alumnae Association also spoke with impressive confidence. Ambassador Smith offered the congratulations of President Obama and the American people for a job well done. “Yours is a tremendous achievement,” he said. “You have been given a tremendous opportunity. First, by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for his deep commitment to women in Saudi Arabia. Second, you represent the product of a life's vision that began with King Faisal and Queen Effat, and continues this day under the unceasing efforts of Princess Luluah and the Faisal and Effat families to ensure women in the Kingdom receive the best education the world can offer. Finally, after you receive your diploma, tell your parents one more time: ‘Thank you'. They have ensured you had access to the best education possible, and they know you represent the future of Saudi Arabia. Your destiny is to lead in a turbulent time where the people of this region are demanding that governments become more responsive to the needs of their people. We were honored along with the Middle East Partnership Initiative to help launch your engineering program. Tonight, I watch with pride at the first graduating class of women engineers. Your destiny is to build this country and to make it great.” Dr. Kristina Johnson also made an inspirational speech, advising the graduates to make a commitment to optimism, kindness, and to their new post-university community. She went on to say: “I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma when I was a graduate and was told that I may have only two months to live. They said if we catch it early enough, you may have a chance. When you find yourself in dark moments, remember what Martin Luther King said: ‘Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars'.” Three of the faculty staff were honored with awards, and Princess Luluah Al-Faisal, along with Dr. Haifa, the President of Effat University, then presented the Graduates with their degree certificates.
