Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Thank you President Rou, Thank you County School of Education but more specifically, a special Thank You to the Human Services Department and that includes faculty, administration, and fellow students. Thank You! Parents, Family Members, Relatives, Friends, Educators, Alumni, Turner Kids, and Graduates, We made it! Everybody give these graduates a-round of applause. Graduates give yourselves a-round of applause. Yes, we made it. We made it through all those late nights studying, studying in the early mornings, and we made it through cramming studies all night long. We made it through many obstacles placed in front of us, that we thought we could never overcome, but we made it. We made it through all the tests and papers, the research, the reading, the reading, and more reading, which was assigned, to us, and somehow we made it. But how were we able to keep our lives somewhat manageable throughout all this you might have asked? The answer is simple, the Educators of Western Washington University has shaped us, molded us, and guided us to become the leaders that it took for us to become, to make it here today. There were times I wondered if it would ever end. Or, I would think, what am I doing? It seemed as though I was studying around the clock everyday. Days were rolling into days and I often asked different people, what day is it? I began questioning the amount of work, because my original intentions was to go to school so I could earn more money and work less, which begged the questions; was this a set-up? Am I being trained and conditioned to work this hard after I graduate? Is this normal? Well, my fellow Graduates, because of the hard work and the abnormal lifestyle it took to acquire this degree, I learned that the... ...bout to put each and every one of us in a category where we can say, I am one of the 20% all the citizens in the United States with a college degree, and I am one of the 2% of all the people in the whole world, with a college degree. So you see, we really do deserve to be congratulated. So when we leave here today and set out on our path toward serving others, and making a difference in our world, whether that be shaping, molding, and guiding our children for a better future, leaving the ballot box after casting our vote for whoever, or whatever issue, or leading a march for a worthy cause, whether we stand-alone or we stand as a part of multitudes, We Need To Lift Our Heads Up High, Stand Tall, And Stand Proud because we are now, graduates of Western Washington University, and for that I congratulate you. May GOD Bless You In All Your Future Endeavors! GO Vikings!