NOUBAR AFEYAN: Thank you.
Thank you, Mark, for that generous but somewhat embarrassing introduction.
President Kornbluth, trustees, and faculty, students and families, alumni and members of this remarkable community of scholars and solvers, it's a special honor to be with you today.
Graduates, I once sat where you now sit, brimming with excitement and the sense of accomplishment that comes with a hard-won MIT diploma.
Congratulations to all of you.
Families, as the father of two MIT alums, Taleen and Lena, I know firsthand the pride and emotion you feel today.
Faculty members, as a senior lecturer here for 16 years, I saw up close how well you prepare these graduates for what lies ahead.
And fellow trustees, it is a great privilege to serve alongside you.
I spent my childhood in Beirut, Lebanon.
Three generations of my proud Armenian family shared an apartment on the ninth floor of our building.
