It is surreal that I will soon be a college graduate, and I’m eternally grateful to be in such a privileged position. But leading up to this celebration, I’ve grappled with an immense feeling of guilt — ever since an already-fragile Sudan became the subject of ethnic cleansing and genocide on April 15, 2023, the spring semester of my first year. 

A few days after the proxy war was Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim celebration marking the end of Ramadan. And while my Eid mornings usually consist of endless phone calls with my family, that day was quieter than ever. For months, communication with my loved ones was disrupted by the Rapid Support Forces, the violent and primary aggressor that monopolized telecommunication services, forcing my family and other civilians to pay an exorbitant amount in fees to make monitored phone calls. 

My entire college career, I’ve carried Sudan with me: At every job, internship or extracurricular, it never left my heart or mind. The past few years have been some of the most monumental for me, and I’ve grown in ways I’m proud of. While I thought of using this space to list whatever achievements, prestigious internships or extracurriculars I’ve done, I am consumed by the thought that 13 million Sudanese men, women and children were robbed of those same opportunities — a devastating result of the United Arab Emirates’ neocolonial project to extract Sudan of its resources and destroy its communities. 

The gulf country that brands itself as a luxurious vacation destination has predatorially built its wealth from stolen Sudanese gold. It conveniently became the world’s second-largest gold hub in 2023, despite having no gold mines of its own. And it continues to fund the RSF, with finances and weaponry used to publicly execute and murder over 150,000 Sudanese people — excluding death by malnutrition, lack of healthcare and medicine or disease.

It would be remiss not to address that the same institution I received my diploma from is capitalizing on its partnerships with the UAE and Israeli governments. NYU bolsters its sites in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv while robbing millions of Palestinian and Sudanese students of their education, committing scholasticide abroad while positioning itself as a global institution. 

My college career began and ended with the ongoing mass displacements, executions and instability perpetuated by imperialist entities. As I complete this milestone, I celebrate the class of 2026 in Palestine and Sudan who yearn to have a paper due at midnight or an 8 a.m. exam. And I mourn the ones who were killed wishing their biggest problem was homework.