Student speaker Saniya Darediya's remarks

Body

As prepared for delivery

Good morning, President Washington, university leadership, esteemed faculty, families, friends, and most importantly, fellow Patriots.

When I first arrived in the United States, I was 17 years old, sitting alone in my room the night before my university orientation… crying.

Neuroscience major Saniya Darediya was this year's student Commencement speaker. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Not because I was unhappy, but because I was afraid. Afraid that I might not belong here.

I had just left my home in India: my family, my language, my culture. Suddenly I was in a place where everything felt unfamiliar.

My accent sounded different. My upbringing was different. My way of seeing the world was different. And quietly I wondered: Will people notice how different I am?

A few weeks ago, while writing this speech, I remembered George Mason University's tagline: All Together Different.

And it made sense. Because the very first thing I noticed when I arrived here was how different I felt.

But Mason slowly taught me something deeper. Everyone here carries their own version of difference.

Some of us traveled across the world to get here. Some of us were the first in our families to attend college. Some of us were still discovering who we wanted to become.

Differences were not separating us. They were connecting us.

One of the first places I understood this was not in a classroom… but on the Metro. During my first year I spent almost six hours every day commuting. At first, it felt exhausting.

But those Metro rides slowly became part of my Mason education. I would see students reviewing notes, finishing assignments, or sprinting through the station like their lives depended on catching that train. And in those moments, you realize something simple.

Everyone on that train is chasing a future.

Different dreams. Different paths. But the same determination.

Another moment that shaped my Mason journey came through friendship.

Before enrolling at Mason, I never imagined my closest friendship would cross continents. We celebrated our cultures together. She came to EidNavratri, I went to Christmas. And I realized something powerful.

Differences do not have to divide people. By celebrating our differences together, we get closer.

This year, I had the privilege of being the emcee for the International Week dance competition. Standing there, surrounded by students from dozens of countries, I had a moment of reflection The same girl who arrived here feeling uncertain was now helping celebrate the diversity of this university.

That is the kind of transformation Mason creates.

I saw that same idea come to life again through my work as a mentor. Through the Mason Autism Support Initiative, I mentored more than 20 students. Each student experiences the world in their own way.

Working with them reminded me that differences should never become a wall between people. They should become a place of curiosity. A place where we listen more carefully, understand more deeply, and support one another with empathy.

Mason also taught me something else. Sometimes, when you cannot find the place where you belong… you build one.

So, I created the Neuroscience Club. Under Dr. Ren Guerriero 's guidance, what began with no members has grown into a community of more than 200 students today.

I know many student leaders here today understand this feeling. You helped build the communities that make Mason feel alive.

Along this journey, Mason also gave me the opportunity to explore research. My research journey also began with difference. In science, progress often begins when something appears different. A pattern that does not quite fit. A question that challenges what we know.

I worked on a biochemistry project with the American Chemical Society, and I learned that science advances because someone is willing to think differently.

Which brings me to the world our generation is stepping into.

We are the generation that grew up alongside artificial intelligence. We learned how to use it. We adapted to it. And now, in many ways, we compete with it.

Artificial intelligence can analyze information faster than we can. And sometimes it can even do our homework better than we can, which has definitely kept faculty on their toes.

But if you ask it the same question again and again, it often gives the same answer. Because machines search for the correct answer.

Humans do something different. We think about people. We think about experiences. We think about consequences.

Sometimes the correct answer is not the best one. The best answer might require empathy,
or compassion, or understanding someone's story.

If our generation wants to thrive in a world shaped by artificial intelligence, we do not need to become more robotic. We need to become more human. More creative. More compassionate. More curious. More different.

And that reminds me of a poem I wrote years ago:

Would the world be as intriguing
If everyone looked the same?
Everybody is beautiful in their own way.
Every person's idea of perfection
Is valid in its own.

Maybe that is the lesson Mason has been teaching us all along. The differences that once made many of us wonder whether we belonged are the very things that make us valuable.

Before I close, I want to thank the people who made this journey possible.

To my parents, thank you for being my backbone and my safety net.
To my sister, thank you for always being there.
To my aunt and uncles, thank you for making this country feel like home.
And to my friends, thank you for becoming my home.

Class of 2026, every one of us arrived here with a different story. Different cultures. Different struggles. Different dreams.

Yet those differences led us to the same place today.

We are different, but today we stand here together. And that is exactly what Mason taught us.

We are All Together Different. And we are Mason Nation.

Congratulations Class of 2026!

Thank you.

Watch the ceremony recording

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