December 2014


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My fellow graduates, good afternoon.

As I look out at the sea of eager graduates before me, I almost don’t recognise you all without the stressful looks on your faces! Ahh freedom! My fellow graduates I want to extend to all of you my heartiest congratulations on this giant achievement today. Give yourselves a round of applause; truly we all deserve it. I have been given the wonderful opportunity to deliver this valedictorian address this afternoon. Like all of you I am ecstatic to be here wearing this gown; and as a young graduate I will do my best to share the features that I personally believe to be the ingredients to a successful life.

It brings me great joy to be here today sharing this moment with you, my graduates because we are here together celebrating this remarkable feat. The mere fact that we are at this juncture indicates that we would have exhibited perseverance, dedication and hard work.

The late nights and early mornings studying. Days upon days of sleepless nights perfecting those assignments. The traditional morning stops at campus favourites such as ‘Veg Out’ for a sausage roll or cheese pie to help us through those rough mornings. The many group studying sessions we scheduled at SAC, in the Library or at the LRC greens on the benches (which sometimes ended up being a lime). Or even the countless times you spent knocking on the office doors of lecturers for help after hours. Indeed, as I gaze out at all of you today, my dear fellow graduates; your sacrifices have not been made in vain.

For quite some time I have been pulling my hair out, flustered and stressed over what could possibly be brought to this stage that we have not previously heard a hundred and one times before?

Then it occurred to me. How many of us truly believe and have conviction in the degree we are receiving? I would like to talk a little about the value of your education. Graduates, I am certain that like me, you might have been told that your degree is of minimal value. Or maybe at some point, people have tried to deter you from whatever field you have chosen. We live in such an influential world today, the church, the mass media, relatives, peers… Our social atmosphere forces us and moulds us to conform to standards set by society – to pursue a certain career path, one that is reckoned to be more prestigious. My friends, whatever you would have had to do to surpass those negative forces and to be where you are right at this moment; I say to you, never lose that unwavering attitude. For it is that attitude which brought you here in year one, while you sat in these very seats for ‘UWI Life orientation’ with a passion burning deep inside you, a want, a thirst for learning. To quote Robert Brault, “Stubbornly persist, and you will find that the limits of your stubbornness go well beyond the stubbornness of your limits.”

Never relinquish the dream. When I chose sociology as my degree so many people condemned my passion, instead encouraging me to study law or something they felt was better suited to my abilities. By no means should you concede and bow to social pressure. Ever. Be focused and strong. I’m not going to lie to you and say that from here on out success is inevitable. No, chances are there may be failures, however, you must rise up and proceed towards your goal with your head held high; this is the definition of success. The notion that good things happen to those who wait is false. I believe good things happen to those who buckle down, make sacrifices and work, work, work, along the path to success. Never compromise your goals and dreams. I remember Benjamin Franklin Fairless asking, “what is the recipe for successful achievement? To my mind there are just four essential ingredients: choose a career you love, give it the best there is in you, seize your opportunities, and be a member of the team.”

As we do so, we must also learn to be appreciative; you will never be too successful to acknowledge the good people have done. Our parents/guardians/partners who would have supported you financially and emotionally throughout the struggles of your college days – standing beside us and offering assistance whenever necessary. Mom, Dad, Anjana and Soonich Ramsarran, thank you. Our dedicated, hardworking lecturers who have gone above and beyond to help you get those A grades. They were always fervent to provide assistance or material even outside the classroom. These lecturers and of course our colleagues shared in our day-to-day rituals for the entire three or four years. Personally, as I recall with delight our beloved Dr. Marshall having to deal with so many of us running to him for help with the group project for survey design and analysis, boldly asking for an extension on the deadline, even starting petitions for the request. Dr. Marshall’s class was one of my most memorable classes and who could ever forget the famous question, “what is a theory?”

I’m sure every single sociology student in the audience can recite the definition for a theory. The remembrance of your lessons will truly be etched in our minds forever. In recollection, Mr. Anand Rampersad comes to mind, the man who knocked the shy out of me and helped me to be fearless when offering opinions in class. I absolutely enjoyed the many debates and discussions we raised. One of my most intellectually stimulating classes was indeed modern social theory. I must say here at the Faculty of Social Sciences I have had the privilege of being educated by some of the warmest, headstrong and devoted lecturers. Therefore, on behalf of the student body here today, let me take the time to thank all of you. You have gone miles beyond the responsibility of a lecturer. You did not give us the fish, but you sure taught us how to fish.

As we bid our farewells today, we will all set out on varying paths. I want to take this moment to remind you that no matter where life takes you, never forget where you came from. Your past shapes you whether negative or positive, learn to accept it as an active element of your identity. This does not make you less than someone else nor does it make you superior. Let our experiences and even your struggles be a learning mechanism to guide you towards your goal.

Your struggles are a blessing, graduates. I invite you all to listen to a short story which has stirred me and I hope today it can also inspire you.

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body through that little hole.

The moth seemed to be stuck and appeared to have stopped making progress. It seemed as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further. The man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth; so, he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily. But; its body was swollen and small, its wings wrinkled and shrivelled. It never was able to fly. The man in his kindness and haste did not understand that the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was necessary to force fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight upon achieving its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets, and don’t forget the power in the struggle.”

My dear graduates, as you close this chapter of your life. Remember that though your school life may have come to an end; you will learn many more lessons throughout your life. In the words of John Adams, “There are two types of education. One should teach us how to make a living, and the other how to live.”

So as I end my address, I leave you with one last quote. “Circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant… It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are” (that was, Mewtwo- from the Pokemon movie). I do hope you all would have enjoyed my speech or at least napped well to the sound of my voice.

Thank you all. And again, congratulations class of 2014!