Remarks of PAO Hyun Sim at the ASD International Day

November 29, 2011 - American School of Dubai

Good morning.  I am delighted to speak today at International Day for the American School of Dubai.  I’d like to thank Superintendent Harold Fleetam and the ASD PTA for this opportunity to speak before the students, faculty, and administrators.

U.S. Consul General Justin Siberell, who was originally scheduled to speak this morning sends his regrets.  He was called away to an emergency meeting at the last minute.

Standing before you this morning, it’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 20 years since I graduated high school.  I have changed much in the intervening 20 years – for example, I’ve put on some weight and my hair has become greyer.  I’ve also lived all over the world and had the privilege of representing my country-the United States of America- as a diplomat.  However, as much as I have changed since my graduation, the world has changed even more.

For example, I had never even heard of e-mail during high school, much less the internet.  Mobile technology hardly existed back then—I remember that car phones were just coming into vogue.  

In fact, technology has advanced so much in the last 20 years that my high school years really do seem like the Stone Age.  But most importantly, this rapid technological advancement has brought upon unprecedented social and demographic change as well.  The world is truly much smaller and flatter than it ever has been, and groups of people are able to engage in previously unforeseen ways. 

As recent regional events have demonstrated, more than at any point in history-- young people such as yourselves, the early adopters who can best access this new technology-- have the power, and now the mandate, to change your communities and the world for the better.  In fact, a Time Magazine cover earlier this year referred to you as “the Generation Changing the World.”  What an exciting time to be young!

Almost 20 years ago, I was sitting in your seats full of hope, dreaming of new worlds to explore and adventures to seek.  Growing up in Tennessee, as the only Korean-American in my class, I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that I’d be representing the United States in the United Arab Emirates today.

However, in general, America’s strength lies in its diversity.  The United States truly is a nation of immigrants and the product of varied people, cultures, and ideas fused into a harmonious whole.  I always tell my daughter Ella, an ASD 2nd grader, to be proud of being American, but also to celebrate her Korean roots.
 
The new U.S. ambassadors to China and South Korea are Chinese-American and Korean-American respectively.  Our own U.S. Ambassador to the UAE, the Honorable Michael H. Corbin, comes from Caribbean-American roots.  And, in perhaps the most well-known example, an old law school professor of mine--now President Obama--is the son of a Kenyan father and American mother.

As I look around today, I’m struck by the diversity of nationalities represented here at ASD’s National Day.  Look to the left and to the right of you—now to the back and to the front.  It’s unlikely that the people sitting next to you have the exact same background as yourself.

You are fortunate to be growing up in the truly world-class city of Dubai . . . possibly the most diverse place on Earth as judged by the number of nationalities, languages and religions represented here.  Dubai is a fascinating compilation of over a hundred different nationalities, ethnicities, and languages where 90% of the population comes from somewhere else.  

In conclusion, be thankful for the diversity at ASD, and to echo today’s theme, celebrate your differences and learn from each other. Your friends can be your teachers…ask them about their culture, try their food, meet their families. Each of you should be proud of your own unique background and heritage.  You can be an effective “cultural ambassador”, right here in Dubai.

Best of luck to you all and enjoy International Day!