When Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi first came to America from Saudi Arabia to attend Lehigh University, Elvis was topping the charts, John Wayne was at the height of his career and JFK was president.
Al-Naimi, Class of 1962, addressed 1,842 students who could finally breathe a sigh of relief as they walked across the stage and received their diplomas at Goodman Stadium today.
The commencement speaker and Saudi Arabian minister of petroleum and mineral resources said when he speaks with young people, they often ask about the secret behind his journey to career success. It’s no secret, he said. It's the product of working hard, using imagination and remembering the people who supported you, he said.
Brenna Tudor, a political science major from Fair Haven, N.J., credits her friends with getting her through her time at Lehigh University. To her, graduation means "a new chapter of life and a new beginning," she said.
Tudor said she plans to continue her education at New York University to get her master’s degree in multimedia journalism.
Al-Naimi said a lot has changed since he first came to America, including a better relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. and the acceptance of women at Lehigh. He said he hopes to see the new Lehigh graduates use the opportunities that come from their education to make a lasting impact on the world.
LIST OF GRADUATES
In his remarks, Class of 2012 President Alexander Gromadzki told his fellow graduates not to be afraid of change. After all, they witnessed the election of the first black president, the toppling of oppressive leaders in the Middle East and the celebration of 40 years of women at Lehigh during their college careers, he said.
Earlier in the ceremony, Jane Jamieson, Class of 1975, talked about being one of the first women to learn at Lehigh. Jamieson said being the only woman in English class prepared her to go into the finance industry, where she was frequently the only woman in the room.
She said graduates’ time at Lehigh has equipped them for the real world.
Cory Kent, a history major and Mountain Hawks baseball player, said studying at Lehigh taught him time management. He said getting his degree required a lot of hard work.