Five years ago, I lived in a place, a place
where everyone knew everyone.
There wasn't so much diversity.
I shared a lot of things with others
that I didn't have any problems of being
secure or out of place.
That place was Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi Arabia, as a woman, my chances
of becoming the person I wanted to become were so limited.
That I knew I had more dreams.
And I knew I could do better and more
than just staying at home all day doing nothing,
taking care of my husband and just cooking.
I was like, no, this is not the person I wanted to become.
So I decided to come to America because I knew here
I could be myself.
I could do the things that I wanted to do.
I was so excited about coming to America
that I learned the language on my own.
I came to America.
I took ESL classes for a year.
And then I did two years at a community college.
And then I transferred into UVA as a third-year student.
I came here and I saw so much diversity
that it was so overwhelming.
And I felt so overwhelmed and out of a place.
No one really shared the same story I had.
No one had the same background.
I felt so out of a place, that no one understood me.
I was so conservative to Americans and others
and very free [INAUDIBLE] to my own community.
I wanted to get a sense of belonging
and to feel accepted and welcomed
so I put the hijab on, the headscarf that Muslim women
wear to show modesty.
I put it on for eight months to feel welcomed.
And then I was walking around campus
with it not wanted to do it.
Not to get me wrong, wearing hijab is a good thing.
But if you're not doing it, if it's not coming from within,
then it doesn't count.
Religion or anything else, if you don't do it for yourself
then it doesn't count.
So I put it on for eight months.
And I just started walking around and not
knowing who I was, not knowing who I am.
It was so much worse actually, because even people--
they couldn't deal with me because I wasn't being myself.
And it was getting really uncomfortable,
that I felt even more of a place.
But one day it was a breakthrough.
I started to ask myself some important questions.
Why am I here at UVA?
That I worked so hard, I wasn't going to throw it all away.
That day I took my hijab off and I started being kind to myself
and loving myself for who I am.
So my message for you today, my friends,
if you are a first year, a second, a third, a fourth,
a graduate student, or even a president who are going
through what I went through--
about losing your identity or finding
yourself --is to open up and to love yourself, and be
kind to who you are.
Because if you're not kind to yourself,
no one is going to be kind to you.
Be yourself because you are loved, you are special,
and you are wanted.
Reach out to your opportunities and ask questions if you want.
And it's OK to feel insecure sometimes.
This place can be really intimidating at times.
But I guarantee you everything will be all right if you just
be totally yourself.
It's OK.
And if I could do it, then I know you guys can do it too.
Thank you so much for.
[APPLAUSE]