Cosmopolitanism is a concept that NYU Abu Dhabi students associate themselves with. Although the term may be overused to the point that my classmates want me to refrain from using the C word, it emphasizes the cultural, social, and political diversity that shapes our community. Yet within this diverse pool, one ubiquitous characteristic always tends to manifest itself.

 

Cosmopolitanism reveals itself as a unifying force that bridges our interests and passions and is the keystone that ultimately holds our community together. Some schools pride themselves for their sports teams, others for a specific program. I could not be any prouder for the constructive role that ambition — something that much like cosmopolitanism permeates all aspects of NYUAD — has played in creating and fostering our community.

 

What has impressed me most is the intensity with which students pursue their interests in an attempt to enhance their understanding of how the world works. This ambition fosters an environment conducive to informed dialogue and intellectual engagement. Ambition manifests itself in various forms throughout our small 700-student community, from independent student initiatives to Student Interest Group meetings.

 

Student initiatives, Student Government and a variety of SIGs have been the catalyst when nascent ideas became full-fledged programs. One can look at the development of SILA Connection and its conferences as a prime example. In 2012, SILA held its first conference for students at Abu Dhabi universities to come together and find solutions to local problems. A solution to separate and repurpose the water used in the process of Wudhu, or the procedure of Islamic ablutions, developed during the first conference. SILA’s success is evidenced in its expansion to New York City and Shanghai this year. The ambition and curiosity that we see on a daily basis at the institution creates a healthy, vibrant community outside of the university setting.

 

But this characteristic can lead to greater change in the world. Gaining a more comprehensive understanding of how the world works can easily lead to the development of solutions to current world problems. In 2012, members of the NYU Abu Dhabi community participated in and won the Global Hult Challenge with a plan to provide solar lighting to a million homes in Africa within twelve months. Since then, the community has seen its students become Rhodes, Truman, and Falcon scholars.

 

The four years at Sama Tower and Downtown Campus are now over. It is now time to come to the permanent Saadiyat Campus with the qualities that we have found to help develop and foster our community. We are not starting from scratch, but we have a duty to continue building a solid foundation for future classes.

 

There is a certain cause for concern, however. Some believe that we should relax and enjoy life because our futures were consolidated the moment we accepted our offer to attend NYUAD. We must remember that we came here as pioneers, ready to establish something that had never been done before. The class of 2014 was the most entrepreneurial-spirited with the most to risk. Their curiosity and ensuing success built the foundation for the institution that we now call home, while those who will benefit from that success -- the future classes -- will have to find an equivalent way to add to the foundation and compensate for the lack of risk they encounter. However, the foundation will never be completely formed -- for curiosity will indubitably lead to future classes contributing to the legacy of NYUAD.

 

We must remember the traits and characteristics that formed our Abu Dhabi home and made Sama Tower the vibrant and intellectually stimulating location that formed the Student Government, SIGs, Rhodes Scholars, Truman Scholars, and a winning Global Hult Challenge team. These traits and characteristics should be brought not just to Saadiyat, but beyond.

 

We owe it to our fellow classmates who worked so hard, to the institution that gave us this chance, and to the future classes that will want to follow in our footsteps. But perhaps we will owe it most to our Candidate Weekend selves: the idealistic teenager who promised that, if accepted, they will achieve great things. That, is the NYU Abu Dhabi legacy.