From a Promise to Her Father to a Platform for Change: Meet Westcliff’s 2026 Graduate Student Speaker Dr. Abeerah Waqar
For Dr. Abeerah Waqar, earning a doctorate was never just about adding another credential to an already accomplished career. It was about fulfilling a promise.
When she crossed the stage at Westcliff University’s 2026 Commencement, Dr. Waqar celebrated years of academic dedication, professional achievement, and personal sacrifice. But among the many people who helped her reach this milestone, one person will be especially on her mind: her late father.
“It was my father’s dream,” Dr. Waqar shared. “Even in his final days, he told me, ‘I wish you to complete your doctorate.'”
Although he is no longer here to witness the moment, she knows exactly what she would say to him.
“We did it.”
That simple phrase captures the heart of Dr. Waqar’s journey, one built on perseverance, family support, and a lifelong commitment to making a difference.
Turning Education Into Impact
A Summa Cum Laude graduate from Westcliff University’s Doctor of Business Administration program with a concentration in business intelligence and data analytics, Dr. Waqar has spent much of the past 16 years serving in Pakistan’s audit and accounts service. Today, she serves as director of international relations and coordination at the Office of the Auditor General of Pakistan, where she works to strengthen accountability and transparency across the public sector.
Her doctoral research focused on using artificial intelligence to improve fraud detection and prevention within Pakistan’s public auditing systems, a project she now hopes to bring to life in her professional work.
“My next plan is to use business intelligence and data analytics in Pakistan,” she explained. “I feel more equipped. More confident. I think I am at that point where I can bring change.”
For Dr. Waqar, education has never been an endpoint. It has always been a tool for creating meaningful impact.
More Than a Student
Behind every dissertation chapter was another responsibility waiting for her.
Throughout her doctoral journey, Dr. Waqar balanced life as a mother of young children, the spouse of a career diplomat, a full-time civil servant, and a doctoral student pursuing one of higher education’s most demanding degrees.
“I survived on three hours of sleep,” she laughed.
Despite the demanding schedule, she never walked the journey alone.
She credits her husband, children, family, faculty mentors, dissertation chair, and the entire Westcliff community for helping her reach graduation.
“There were days when I would text my dissertation chair and say, ‘I can’t do it anymore,'” she recalled. “She would tell me, ‘Just open the laptop and write.’ Without her constant support, I don’t think I could be here.”
From faculty and student services to career services, Dr. Waqar says Westcliff became more than a university, it became part of her support system.
“When people ask me where they should study,” she said, “I tell them this is the best university.”
A Voice for Women in STEM
When Westcliff announced applications for student commencement speakers, Dr. Waqar immediately knew she wanted to share her story.
Not for herself.
For the next generation.
Originally from Pakistan, she hoped her commencement address would encourage more young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), where female representation continues to grow but challenges remain.
“I wanted to bring my story to my fellow graduates,” she said. “From where I come, it is important to have women in STEM. I wanted to give this message to women back home that you can achieve whatever you put your heart to.”
Her advice is simple, yet profound.
“Everything can come back, money, relationships, so many things. But if you invest in building yourself, that is going to stay with you forever.”
She believes education empowers women not only professionally, but personally, giving them the confidence and ability to create lasting change in their communities.
A Degree That Opens Doors
For Dr. Waqar, earning a doctorate has already transformed both her career and her confidence.
The recognition from colleagues and leaders in her department has affirmed the value of her achievement, while the knowledge she gained through Westcliff has prepared her to help modernize public sector auditing through emerging technologies.
More importantly, it has changed the way she sees herself.
“It has made me more confident,” she said. “It has given me the approach that I can do things and that I am able to bring change where I work.”
As governments around the world continue embracing artificial intelligence and data-driven decision-making, Dr. Waqar hopes to help lead that transformation in Pakistan through more transparent, efficient, and accountable public systems.
A Commencement Speech Years in the Making
When Dr. Waqar took the podium at Westcliff University’s 2026 Commencement Ceremony, she spoke as a researcher, public servant, mother, mentor, and advocate for women in STEM. As well as a daughter whose father’s dream became her own.
While the diploma represents years of hard work, the moment itself represented something much deeper, the people who believed in her before she believed in herself, the family who stood beside her through every challenge, and the knowledge that education has the power to change lives far beyond the classroom.
Her story is a reminder that success is rarely achieved alone. It is built through resilience, strengthened by community, and made meaningful when it is used to serve others.
As she prepares to return home and help shape the future of public sector innovation in Pakistan, Dr. Abeerah Waqar carries more than a doctorate.
She carries a promise fulfilled.