Valedictorian Sharwari Khare (Class of ‘25) on peacebuilding and youth leadership: “We all have a sense of justice”
Freshly graduated from AUC, valedictorian Sharwari Khare is taking time to pause, reflect, and explore. With a deep-rooted interest in social change, human rights, and the power of youth, she has already left a meaningful mark through her work with initiatives like Peace-by-Peace and Right2Education. We sat down with Sharwari to talk about her time at AUC, her experience of advocacy in and beyond the classroom, and the significance of speaking up – especially when it’s uncomfortable.
Sharwari Khare (Class of ‘25) during her valedictorian speech at the AUC Graduation Ceremony.
Sharwari was a Social Sciences major and eventually focused on International Relations. But her journey didn’t follow a straight line. Along the way, she tried film, programming, anthropology – and said yes to experiences that would later shape how she views peace, politics, and the privilege of being heard. “If we can afford to spend time on things that aren’t necessary for our survival,” she says, “then we have a duty to use that time to help those who don’t have that privilege.”
Peacebuilding from the ground up
A pivotal turning point during her time at AUC was the Peace Lab intensive in her second year, a course led by Dr. Anne de Graaf that included fieldwork in Rwanda.
“We met people working in peacebuilding from the ground up: NGO workers, grassroots initiatives, even UN and government officials. It was incredibly eye-opening. We weren’t just reading about it – we were learning directly from those living it.”
As part of the programme, students worked on creative projects inspired by what they witnessed on the ground. Sharwari’s group focused on the power of music in peacebuilding. “It showed me that peace isn’t just about politics or diplomacy. It’s in how people connect – in music, in art, in how we create meaning, in what makes us human.”
One of the organizations they visited, Sauti Arts Rwanda, ran art and music workshops to foster creativity and healing in youth. These workshops help children and young people living on the street to develop skills, generate income and, in turn, fund their own education. “It created a self-sustaining cycle and reminded me that peacebuilding is about the everyday, not just the extraordinary. It was by far one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”
“Peace isn’t just about politics or diplomacy. It’s in what makes us human”
Building spaces for advocacy and care
Back in Amsterdam, Sharwari put her learning into action through two initiatives: Peace-by-Peace and Right2Education.
With Peace-by-Peace, an online peacebuilding manual for young peacebuilders, she began as a research assistant, helping identify recurring themes from interviews with peacebuilders and turning those insights into a practical ‘how-to’ manual for others. In July, the initiative became an official NGO.
Her role at Right2Education, an initiative founded by AUC students, was more hands-on – as the buddy system coordinator, she matched guest students (ed. students with a refugee status) with university students from AUC or UvA. “It wasn’t just about integration or practical support. It was about building friendships, exchanging perspectives, and creating community.”
She describes both roles as deeply formative, not only for the skills they developed but for how they clarified her understanding of advocacy – and who gets left out of it. “Young people hold so much energy, so many ideas, but we’re constantly underrepresented in decision-making. There’s so much potential being wasted.”
She also became acutely aware of what is called ‘peace privilege’ – the idea that, in a country like the Netherlands and especially within “the AUC bubble”, peace is often assumed and taken for granted. As a consequence, this limits impact. Sharwari seeks to reverse this line of thought: “You don’t need a direct crisis situation in your backyard to care. If we can afford to spend time on things that aren’t necessary for our survival, then we have a duty to use that time to help those who don’t have that privilege.”
Beyond passive observation
In her graduation speech, Sharwari addressed more than her own academic journey. She also used the platform to speak out about the genocide in Gaza, and the lives of Palestinian students who would never get to graduate. “I knew it might make people uncomfortable. But I couldn’t ignore it. Especially not at a moment like graduation.”
Together with other students, she helped organize symbolic acts: placing flowers on a Palestinian flag, holding a minute of silence, and offering graduates a bracelet engraved with the name of a Palestinian student who had been killed. “There were almost 300 of us graduating. But you’d need a class 15 times bigger to represent all the registered Palestinian students who were killed.”
When asked what’s next, Sharwari admits she’s not sure. But that’s the point: “I’m taking a gap year. I’ve been in education since I was four years old. It’s time to slow down and see what my life can look like outside of academics.” Her plans involve working part-time, reconnecting with hobbies, and talking to people whose careers resonate with her.
“We all know, deep down, when something is wrong”
While most students feel pressure to jump straight into a master’s, she hopes more graduates will give themselves the freedom to pause. “There are so many reasons to take a gap year. Especially coming from a Liberal Arts and Sciences background, your interests are wide, and so are your options. Give yourself time to explore what direction you actually want to go in.”
As Sharwari steps into this new phase – one filled with open doors, but no set path – she remains committed to staying engaged, learning from others, and refusing to detach. Eventually, she sees herself working in human rights or NGO spaces, and perhaps even exploring law and policy-making. But for now, she’s choosing curiosity over certainty and advises others to do the same.
“Get involved,” she concludes. “It sounds simple, but it can be intimidating.” Even so, she insists there are many ways to speak up. “Start small. Have conversations. Educate yourself. We all have a sense of justice. And we all know, deep down, when something is wrong. But we don’t have to be passive observers.”