I did it!!!

Somehow all of my efforts have began to pay off, I managed to graduate summa cum laude and I was given the opportunity to participate in a contest to address the entire University of Evansville's graduating class of 2012. I was lucky enough to make it as a finalist and would like to share some of my final thoughts on my blog. The winner of this contest gave a wonderful speech and she was certainly very deserving. As my speech in many ways summarizes my personal experience, I decided to share it with you. Hope anyone that happens to read this is inspired to take any and all steps towards making your dreams come true. Thanks for taking the time.

University of Evansville 2012 Commencement Address May “The Journey” Never End Thank you President Kazee, faculty, proud parents, and to all supporters of our class who in many ways have in part earned the degrees that will soon be presented to us. Congratulations to my graduating counterparts, The University of Evansville’s Class of 2012! It is an honor to have the opportunity to speak at our commencement and to share a few thoughts about the voyage that we are beginning today. If I look a little bit older than many of my fellow classmates, I can assure you that there is very good reason for it, this year I am celebrating the 31st anniversary of my high school graduation. As a wife, mother, and grandmother, I am here today as proof that it is never too late for any of us to make revisions in our lives, and it is never too late to become what you thought that you might have been. Many years ago as a young single parent living just a few blocks away from the University of Evansville, my son and I would take walks around the campus appreciating the beauty of each changing season and always taking delight in the ringing of the campus bells. Never did I ever consider that I would become a graduate of this prestigious university. Thanks to the very strong insistence of my husband Ron and my son Jeff, who earned his undergraduate degree from UE in 2009, I stand here today as a soon to be graduate following in my child’s footsteps. I am proud to say that Jeff continued with his education as well, in fact he just earned his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School of Business. Yes, I am a non-traditional student…and a very grateful non-traditional student at that. Many of us have made the decision to earn our degrees for different reasons, for me it was out of fear, the fear of missing out on career opportunities that I knew I was deserving of. But soon after I began as a student in the Global Leadership program something within me changed, I began to fall in love with the process of learning. I can assure you that I am far from the smartest student in my Cohort, yet the desire within me to learn became so strong that I have been able to achieve successes that were beyond anything that I ever dreamed possible. I have been an honored to work closely with many “traditional” students through various classes and honors programs. I have been inspired by listening to and learning from each of you. In today’s society we are so fortunate to have your brilliant young minds positively influencing the trajectory of our world. Having so many intelligent, compassionate, and highly motivated young people prepared to take on leadership positions in so many different fields is something that our society should take great comfort in, and for this I commend each of you. As we move forward on this momentous day, it is important to remember that each of us is more than a citizen of our community we are all citizens of the world. Through recent major advancements in technology and mass transportation our world has decreased in size. These changes have created greater opportunities for those of us that are willing to fearlessly experience and embrace other cultures. Even more so when we are accepting and appreciative of the diversity of our global society. Please remember that the wisdom that we take away from this experience is more important than any “Tweet” or “Facebook” status that we will ever post, even more important than any amount of money that we will ever carry in our wallets. Financial successes are great, in fact very necessary, but wisdom and compassion will carry us through the difficult times that we are each certain to face in our lives. Wisdom strengthens our faith and allows us to become our authentic selves. If we fail to become authentic it will be very difficult to experience the true joys of happiness. This is a lesson taught to us as children through reading books such as my favorite “The Velveteen Rabbit” which fully explains the importance of becoming real. It seems as though everyone is asking me “So, what are you going to do now? What’s next?” trust me, these questions are not asked exclusively of traditional students. Although most of us can give some sort of decisive response, I can personally relate to the stress involved when trying to provide a truthful answer. I recently discovered an honest answer to give when asked about my future plans without deflecting the question. My new response is simply that I haven’t written that chapter of my life yet, but one thing that I can tell you is that I am working hard to be completely prepared by becoming the happiest, most honest, and best person that I can become; earning my degree is a very important component of my preparation. So, don’t fret if you don’t know exactly where you are going next and what is to come of your life, fretting should be left to those that are failing to become prepared. Spend your time and energy becoming a leader that others can trust and put their faith in. Be courageous, and passionately follow your dreams. I hope that your dreams are bold, because if your dreams do not scare you perhaps you are not dreaming big enough. Most importantly, as success becomes yours, remember to throw a rope back, reach behind and give a hand to another. The greatest successes are best when shared which makes our world a better place for everyone. The degrees that are being presented to us today are powerful things; they are tools for us to use to create better opportunities for ourselves. They should also serve as examples to others of what can be achieved if the desire is strong enough, with dedication and hard work anyone can attain their goals. Education should be our lifelong partner, in the words of Plato, “You are young, my son, (or daughter) and, as the years go by, time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters”. I think Plato might have been explaining that education is a journey and that we should never let the journey end. That’s great advice we all can benefit from. I promise, it is never too late to revise and it is certainly never too late to become anything that you desire to be. Congratulations and best wishes class of 2012. Here’s to a lifetime of joy and happiness! Thank you.