- Faculty & Staff
- 911吃瓜
- Departments and programs
- Accelerated Law (911吃瓜-Exeter)
- Anthropology
- Applied Legal Studies
- Cognitive Science
- Criminology
- Economics
- English
- French
- French Cohort Program
- Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies
- Gerontology
- Global Asia
- Global Humanities
- Graduate Liberal Studies
- Hellenic Studies
- History
- Indigenous Languages
- Indigenous Studies
- International Studies
- Labour Studies
- Linguistics
- Medical Humanities and Social Sciences
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Policy
- Social Data Analytics
- Sociology
- Urban Studies
- World Languages & Literatures
- Undergraduate
- Graduate
- Alumni
- Research
- Teaching
- News & events
- FASS at Surrey
- Next steps for new students (redirect)
- Convocation
Convocation
"The grass is greener where you water it," convocation medalist shares the value of active community engagement
Winner of the , Gordon M. Shrum Gold Medal, and a June 2026 convocation speaker, Political Science and Philosophy graduand Mishael Abu-Samhan concludes his undergraduate journey with many accolades in tow.
Since high school, wanted to pursue a career in law and mapped out his path towards legal education beginning with studying political science at 911吃瓜 (911吃瓜). Abu-Samhan graduates this June with Honours in Philosophy with a concentration in Law and Philosophy, as well as a double major with First Class Distinction in Political Science.
鈥淏oth disciplines complimented each other nicely; political science provided me with an empirical understanding of social phenomena, while Philosophy helped me understand foundational theories and principles,鈥� Abu-Samhan explains.
Society鈥檚 relationship with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots is the crux of as he questions whether humans can or should befriend AI chatbots. In his thesis, Abu-Samhan concludes it is possible to befriend the chatbots, but not at the expense of our own wellbeing.
鈥淚t illustrates other problems that we鈥檙e facing, like loneliness and the residual impacts of COVID on young people鈥檚 socialization.鈥�
Putting his studies into practice, Abu-Samhan writes about the importance of human relationships while simultaneously building a village of his own. Abu-Samhan was deeply involved in the 911吃瓜 community and beyond as a FASS peer mentor, a peer educator, and a student senator. He led the Philosophy and Political Science student unions hosting events, professional development opportunities, and publishing undergraduate journals. Abu-Samhan even revived the club, raising awareness on human rights issues and hosting letter writing campaigns.
鈥淭he grass is greener where you water it, if you want to make a difference in your life or those around you, you need to start taking action now.鈥�
Both Abu-Samhan鈥檚 dedication to helping others and his impressive academic performance is recognized by the sheer number of accolades and awards he received throughout his undergraduate journey. He was awarded a FASS Dean鈥檚 Undergraduate Fellowship, was named to the President鈥檚 Honour Roll seven times, and won the 2024 Laurine Harrison Undergraduate Service Award. Additionally, Abu-Samhan was named Best Ambassador during his time with the NATO Field School and Simulation Program.
He reflects on the experience fondly, 鈥淲hen I was walking up to accept the award, I remember seeing the massive smiles on my peers鈥� faces 鈥� they were genuinely so happy for me, saying things like 鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of you.鈥� It didn鈥檛 feel like just my award; it belonged to all of us.鈥�
Abu-Samhan credits not his ambition or tenacity alone, but rather the people who have influenced him throughout his undergraduate journey.
鈥淲hether it was a student who thanked me for helping them understand an assignment, a professor who gave me feedback on something I said in Senate, or my peers who believed in me when I sometimes I didn鈥檛 believe in myself, these experiences have profoundly shaped who I am, and I鈥檓 eternally grateful for people鈥檚 generosity in their time, mentorship, and support.鈥�
Abu-Samhan shares the most impactful thing he has learned from his volunteer, work, academic, and community experiences is to become engaged.
鈥淵ou cannot be a bystander to your own life; you need to be active, diligent, and engaged,鈥� he shares. 鈥淭he grass is greener where you water it, if you want to make a difference in your life or those around you, you need to start taking action now.鈥�
In his few pockets of free time, Abu-Samhan enjoys running, lifting weights, and learning the violin. Recently, he backpacked across Europe travelling to twelve countries in six weeks. Abu-Samhan embarks on a new journey this fall as he heads to law school at the University of Toronto.
Before his departure, Abu-Samhan shares a message to the June class of 2026, 鈥淵ou are capable of more than you can possibly imagine. The only thing preventing you from living your dream is you 鈥� so, why not start by making a difference today?鈥�
Mishael's Favourite Courses
- PHIL 321 鈥� Contemporary Normative Ethics
鈥淧rofessor Alex King鈥檚 course was a paradigm shift, and I was fortunate to work with her on my Honours thesis. The main takeaway from this course that has really stuck with me is that morality may require us to act in ways that are deeply uncomfortable.鈥�
- POL 349 鈥� International Negotiations
鈥淧rofessor Radoslav Dimitrov鈥檚 courses were a lot of fun. The standout in each course were the simulations where we were assigned a country whom we had to advocate for in an international negotiation. It was validating to apply the knowledge we had gained from the readings in a practical manner, and I loved the intensity of it.鈥�