United States

President Levin, Dean Lorimer, faculty, students… thank you so much for making me feel so welcome here at Yale. I’ve wanted to come here for many years, and am so grateful to everyone for the hospitality and kindness you’ve shown to me and my staff.

I’ve really been looking forward to seeing the Yale landmarks that I’ve been hearing about for so long – the Beinecke Library… Harkness Tower… Old Campus… Peter Salovey’s moustache.

Thank you, Nermin, for those kind words – and, more importantly, for all you do as president of the Mosaic Foundation. Over the past eight years, the Mosaic Foundation has played an inspiring role – not only in lifting the lives of women and children around the world… but in showing how much Arab women can do, individually and collectively. Tonight’s magnificent gala is just the latest proof of your leadership.

I would also like to thank Laura Bush for honoring us with her support… and for her lifetime of service on behalf of children, literacy and education.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - New York) During day two of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah stressed that the only way to create a stable and secure world is to address global injustices, specifically in the Arab world.

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S92GUKy9oI]]

"Thank you very much Dean Ellwood, Mr. White… 

Let me begin by saying it is wonderful to be with you all in Harvard tonight. It is always a pleasure to visit the US, especially in the midst of such a lively and competitive election season. The tension is tremendous…the atmosphere is electric…the whole country-- the whole world-- is on the edge of their seats… trying to predict the winner. Will it be Melinda, Lakisha or Blake?! The new American Idol.

Thank you, Ann. It’s an honor to be here with you all this morning; thank you for that warm welcome. What a wave of positive energy to start the day…wow!

So, before I visit a new place, before I meet new people, I always do my homework…and everything I read about you guys was pretty amazing:

“…an environment of exceptional trust and respect… highly committed staff…a four-year college enrollment twice the national average for women of color… high expectations…highly supportive… students consider school their second home…”

Good evening and thank you, Barbara, for that kind introduction. I am excited to be here to celebrate the launch of Ben and Izzy - a magical feat of children’s animation which has united Arabs and Americans in our joint quest for mutual understanding. As you have seen, Ben and Izzy tells the story of two little boys who meet in Jordan at an archeological dig. From there, they embark on whirlwind adventures that take them back through history and expose the values that we share today.

Good evening and thank you, Leen, for those lovely words.  You may know the saying, “If you educate a woman, you educate a family.”  Your example makes clear that if you educate a girl, you educate the future.  And whenever I meet young Jordanians like you, I  know our country’s future is bright indeed.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department- New York) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah was presented the 2005 Sesame Workshop Award and the Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award, this week, for her outstanding contributions to improving the livelihood of children and her humanitarian work, respectively.

The awards are a symbol of her commitment to the causes she supports.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department – Boston) During her last day in the city of Boston, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah visited Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where the faculty briefed her on a number of successful initiatives launched there and touched on the upcoming MIT Learning International Networks Consortium (LINC). The initiatives are all in line with Queen Rania's core interests, including eradicating poverty, securing education for all, and empowering women.

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaP5tLNTIq0]]

"Thank you Maria.