Commencement 2024

Graduate Student Address by Peter Thabet, IBS MBA’24

Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone, proud parents, dear professors, friends and family, and most importantly, my fellow sleep deprived class of 2024.

[Audience clapping]

To everyone who's here celebrating this wonderful day with us, welcome. Our presence here today celebrates more than just our individual hard work and success. It is also a tribute to the spirit and principles that Brandeis University has stood for since its inception. This institution, founded on the pillars of academic excellence, critical thinking, and a commitment to improving the world has been our intellectual home, and it's our great honor today to be celebrating our graduation and the Brandeis 75th anniversary.

[Audience clapping]

All right, let's talk numbers. My MBA journey started at Brandeis International Business School in August, 2022, and after four semesters, 26 courses, 344 classes, 578 hours and 36 minutes, yes, I counted every last minute, also, after 11 textbooks, which I promise I opened, 161 case studies, 23 honorable professors, and countless hours in the library, I'd love to share with you three lessons that I've learned in the business school.

I know you might be thinking that business students only learn how to get more money out of your pocket, and let's face it, we're pretty good at that. [audience laughs] But today I'll share with you different lessons that have the power to improve the quality of all our lives, no matter what you study at Brandeis, whether it's public policy, English, or philosophy.

The first lesson comes from the investments course, or as they call it, Finance 201. And the lesson says, the bigger the risk you take, the bigger the reward. I vividly remember my very first class at Brandeis. It was an investments class, and the professor kept using a statistical term I didn't quite get back then. He mentioned sigma repeatedly, and I was left wondering, "What is that?" So not knowing anyone in the class, I wrote on a piece of paper, "What the hell is sigma?" I folded it and passed it around. The paper came back with a very simple answer — standard deviation — and I felt so small at that moment. I started questioning my ability to succeed, and a voice whispered, "You cannot do it. English is not even your first language." It was a big risk, but I was determined to learn and succeed. In that same class, Professor Steve Xia said something else that I could really understand. He said, "The bigger the risk, the bigger the return." And since then, I've carried this lesson with me. The risk each one of us takes by venturing into a new journey, a new career, and for many of us here, a whole new country, is a huge risk. Yet the rewards are far beyond the initial investment. The doors of opportunities are wide open to those willing to challenge themselves. And we, my friends, have the privilege to be equipped with what it takes to venture in.

The second lesson comes from the alliances course, Business 262. As all of us know, one plus one equals one. Professor Ben Gomes-Casseres taught us in his course on alliances and partnerships that to build the right culture among different groups of people, unity is key. They have to become one. And I have witnessed this every day at Brandeis. During my second semester, my mom was diagnosed with cancer, shocking her, me, and the entire family. And throughout the diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and her final recovery, I was showered by [audience clapping] I was showered by love and care from many around me here. The sheer volume of emails I have from professors and fellow students checking in on us, left me speechless. To them, thank you.

[Audience clapping]

Another example, as someone born and raised in the Middle East and a proud Brandeisian, last year was not easy. When the current tragedy started in October and the voice of violence became so loud globally, I firsthand had friends from opposite sides of the conflict, and our diverse Brandeis community faced a challenge. It was then that I saw how unity is the key, and I learned that while diversity is a state of being, on the other hand, inclusivity requires active efforts, which I've seen.

The third and final lesson comes from the accounting course, Finance 212. In accounting, expenses are recognized when they are used, regardless of when the payments were made. And I remember Professor Brenda Anderson always [audience clapping] always bending her knees and saying, "Accrued," explaining this concept. And it made me think of all the gym memberships I paid for, but never used. I realized that paying for the fancy gym is one thing, probably an impulsive purchase, but actually going and moving my body is something entirely different. Similarly, having education and knowledge is one thing, but actually using it to benefit our communities and our planet is quite another. I invite all my fellow graduates to recognize this investment that has been made in us, an investment we crown today with our beautiful caps and gowns. Let us all commit to turning this investment into tangible developments wherever we go, in our professional endeavors, in our relationship with friends and family, and in our contribution to the planet.

With a grateful heart and an inspired mind, I stand before you today feeling blessed, honored, hopeful, excited, and honestly overwhelmed. Here's to our future, filled with endless possibilities, shaped by the values we cherish here at Brandeis. It is my absolute pleasure to say congratulations to the class of 2024, thank you.