As I stand here and look out at the students, I have to say that this is such a happy occasion for me. Because, as Secretary of State, and as Senator and as First Lady, I have traveled the globe and I have been in many parts of the world where the education of girls is not yet occurring, where young women are not provided the opportunity to live up to their own God-given potential, where leaders like His Majesty the King, or members of the board, or faculty and administrators don’t recognize the fundamental importance of the education of women.
I, of course, believe that educating young women is not only morally right, but it is also the most important investment any society can make in order to further and advance the values and the interests of the people. The Egyptian poet, Hafez Ibrahim, said, “A mother is a school. Empower her and you empower a great nation.” (Applause.)
I am a graduate of a women’s college, Wellesley College, outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and I know how rewarding it is to be a member of this kind of community, where young women are the focus of attention, where our interests are identified, recognized, and nurtured, and where the friendships that you make and the lessons that you learn will enrich your lives long after you graduate.
Because the education you are receiving is, first and foremost, about acquiring skills and knowledge, but also about becoming active, engaged, and effective citizens in your own communities, in your own country, and in the larger world. I was delighted to hear that the college has a requirement for community service. Because with education comes responsibility. Given the fact that I travel to places where young girls don’t attend school, they’re either denied or they’re too poor to be able to do so, where women are not given the same respect in the family or in the larger society, it is important for us who are educated women to accept the responsibility that that education brings.
Yes, we can have the tools to fulfill ourselves, to become successful medical doctors -- and I congratulate the doctor for her very well deserved honor that the King has bestowed upon her – (applause) – or to become leading academics or leading business women, there are so many opportunities for us to follow our dreams, assuming we are educated to do so.
But there is also a crying need to make sure that we don’t just hoard that educational gift ourselves. Yes, we share it with our families, with children, with the next generation. But it is important to look beyond as to what we can do to help advance the opportunities for girls and women everywhere.
What the Kingdom is doing under the leadership of His Majesty the King is so important, not only to Saudi Arabia, but far beyond your borders. The emphasis on educating girls and women; the support for education, both girls-only and coeducational; the construction of the new university in Riyadh, named for his aunt; all of that sends powerful signals that are being received, not only within the Kingdom, but far beyond your borders. And I am here, first and foremost, to congratulate and to applaud this commitment. It is evidenced here at this college, but it goes beyond the walls of this particular excellent institution.