Thank you, Doctor Chapin,
Good Evening, Chairman of the Board, Trustee Payne, President Wright, faculty and staff, friends and relatives of graduates, and graduates themselves. I feel that I am very privileged to be able to speak to you, particularly my fellow graduates who are about to impact the world.
I consider myself very fortunate to receive the valedictorian award, remembering very clearly how particularly discouraged I had once felt about my studies. My �bottom of the pit� experience occurred when I received very poor grades in Singapore.
Because of this, I was very apprehensive about my chances of attaining a degree here at Hawaii Pacific University. Not being academically inclined, as a student I often feel like a chicken trying to swim or stay afloat in the water.
However, with the constant encouragement of my family and friends, I found great inspiration to press on. But the greatest source of motivation is my religious beliefs which taught me to �trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.�
Through my struggles here, I have learned that it is very important not to give up but to move forward. I believe that no failure is final. The only real failure is when we quit trying. Richard Wurmbrand, A Rumanian Christian who spent fourteen yours in communist prisons, wrote, �don�t worry about your physical handicaps or any other kind of handicap. They can be the best stimulants to great achievement.� Former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, General George Patton, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein all had one common handicap � dyslexia, a perceptual disorder which blocks the person�s ability to read, spell, or write legibly. Yet they did not bow down to this handicap but went on to accomplish great things. We can learn from them.
Finally, we are all handicapped to one degree or another. Not knowing what the future holds creates anticipation and fear. But my studies at Hawaii Pacific University have been like a journey of exploration. I now understand that graduation is not the end of education and discovery: it is indeed the beginning. It is the great opportunity to offer our talents, our good values, to work hard to make a better society. The university, my friends, faith, and family all have nurtured me and through this I have grown stronger. All of us here tonight have grown and now have an opportunity to give to your fellowman this legacy of education.
It would not really do justice to say that I�ve earned the valedictory award or that the award is really mine. It is not a one-man band, but it is rather an orchestra. I could not have made it through without great support from all: Jesus, friends, family, teachers. These people have, one way or another, helped me overcome my handicap. I thank all of them.
Thank you. |
