Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani encourages youth to follow their dreams

The AUS Office of Student Affairs' Student Leadership Program organized an inspirational lecture by AUS alumnus, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Thani, Chairman of the Department of Statistics and Social Development, on February 11, 2014. The talk was entitled "Follow your Dream."

The Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) brand ambassador is the first Qatari to climb Mount Everest and his expedition in May 2013 aimed to raise $1 million for ROTA's education projects in Nepal. According to Sheikh Al Thani, his mountaineering expeditions aim to raise awareness and charity about various social issues.

A part of the AUS Student Lecture Series, Sheikh Al Thani's lecture also reminisced about the effort it took to achieve his goal of climbing Mount Everest. According to him, the key to success is being well prepared and planning for the future.

Mennat Khaled Khalil, a sophomore student majoring in international relations, said, "I found Sheikh Al Thani's lecture extremely motivating. Inspired by his remarkable achievements and challenges, I learned that nothing is impossible as long as one is prepared, determined and is willing to work hard and sacrifice."

Zahra Al Fardan, a finance senior, said, "Hearing about Sheikh Al Thani's story at the beginning baffled me; I kept thinking why would a person voluntarily want to go through so much hardship just to reach one goal. By the end of the lecture, it hit me: It is because that one goal would be worth it. I learned that the worst obstacle in following your dreams is your own self-doubt. This is a real life example of how much you can accomplish when you believe in yourself. This taught me that all your hard work and efforts will pay off, and one day, you will be standing giving a speech about how you reached your dream goals."

"A simple but powerful message to believe in yourself was the highlight of the talk by His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani. Speaking from his own personal experience, Sheikh Al Thani surprised the audience through his willpower and willingness to beat all odds and climbing Mount Everest. Climbing Mount Everest is no small goal, it is a true example of self-determination and hard work. We thank His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani for his encouraging talk and wish him continuous success," said Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.