Inauguration speech for CIBA class of 2013
Ryan Campbell
To begin I would like to welcome the students, parents, faculty and distinguished guests, Board Members, and Dr. Zito, and I would like to thank the Class of 2013 for extending to me the honor of speaking this evening.
You are a fortunate group of students. You have parents and family members who support you and care about you, and you have a school full of staff-members who want nothing more than to help you succeed on the IB exams and get into the school of your dreams. Daily you take advantage of a world class education afforded to you by the state of CT and by the town of East Hartford. Yes, you are a fortunate group.
You are an assiduous cohort that strives for success in every class. The staggering number of your faces on the honor roll is indicative of your diligence and courage in the face of obstacles. You challenge yourselves to meet teacher expectations, family obligations and personal goals, and are learning effective time management and task efficiency. You won’t necessarily realize you’ve learned these things until years from now, in college and in the work force, but trust me, you will. And you will be grateful.
This evening I want to speak to you about the virtue of perseverance. Resolve. Determination. Staying the course with unflinching tenacity.
“¡Yo no voy a renunciar!
Colocado en un tránsito histórico, pagaré con mi vida la lealtad del pueblo. Y les digo que tengo la certeza de que la semilla que entregáramos a la conciencia digna de miles y miles de chilenos, no podrá ser segada definitivamente.”
At 9:10am on September 11, 1973, Dr. Salvador Allende spoke these words over the radio to the people of Chile. Under extreme duress, with bombs bursting and shrapnel sailing through windows and walls, Allende thought of his constituents who had freely elected him President. His final address after the initiation of the coup d’état that ultimately cost him his life, instructs us this evening about how we might comport our lives with integrity. The following is a translation of the portion of Allende’s final speech which I just read:
“I am not going to resign!
Placed in a historic transition, I will pay for loyalty to the people with my life. And I say to them that I am certain that the seed which we have planted in the good conscience of thousands and thousands of Chileans will not be shriveled forever.”
I am not going to resign. Powerful, defiant words penned by a man with only moments left to live. After the traitorous generals turned against Allende and laid siege to the presidential palace and congress, they offered Allende a way out: a plane with which to leave the country, as so many other ousted leaders have done in the past. In that moment he could have taken the easy way out, walked out on the tarmac, and scaled stairs to a future of warm sand and cool drinks, but most importantly, with his life.
The people of Chile, however, were not afforded this luxury. For them, the iron rule under Augusto Pinochet would be harrowing and filled with unspeakable terror.
Torture.
Death squads.
Los desaparecidos.
The disappeared ones, who vanished in the middle of the night, never to be heard of again. Allende understood that life without principles and integrity, without a moral compass to gauge right from wrong, is hollow. He understood that his personal freedom, given the situation, would shackle him forever to a prison cell of regret and remorse.
¡Yo no voy a renunciar! I am not going to resign.
The verb, to resign, means to give up a position or office. Resignation. When quitting a job, one usually submits a letter of resignation, formally severing ties with the employer. However, the word “resign” also has connotations and nuances of becoming complacent, passively accepting one’s circumstances without fight or thought. In light of either definition, Allende’s choice is clear: He will neither give up being the President of Chile to some CIA-funded fascists wielding weapons, nor will he acquiesce and passively accept the conditions demanded by the leaders of the coup.
I won’t ask you what you would have done if you had been in Allende’s shoes. I think most of us know the answer to that question. What I will ask of you, however, is to consider Allende’s fortitude and his example of how to comport oneself when faced with a stressful situation.
Repeat after me: IB is hard. (echo)
Beyond the rigorous and consuming daily assignments and readings required by your teachers in every class, there’s a battery of acronyms interspersed, looming in the distance: IOP, IOC, IO, 4PSOW, CAS, EE, TOK. There are recorded oral exams in English, Mandarin, and Spanish; the extended essays, world lit essays, and Theory of Knowledge papers are mailed off to the Ukraine, Uganda, India, Australia, or any number of other disparate locations to be scored by an examiner who knows nothing about you or your personal situation.
Expectations are high.
You are being held to an international standard.
As the pressure builds and your grades vacillate more than you’re used to, you might flirt with the idea of pulling out, giving up, and resigning from your position as a full IB diploma candidate. You might weigh your options and consider dropping courses not required by State of Connecticut for graduation. Because you are human, you might waver in your loyalty to the program. Because you’re tired. Because you want less work. Because you want something easier. Having those thoughts is perfectly natural. Everyone has tough days, hard times, and personal situations beyond his or her control.
But don’t do it.
Remember, you’re being held to a higher standard, one beyond that of the state. It is harder because it means more.
Hope Lima graduated in 2008. She swam on the varsity team for four years, worked a part time job, and was incredibly bright. However, her senior year she decided that History was a waste of time, and since she didn’t need it to graduate high school, she would drop it. In May of her senior year she sat for all of the other IB exams, and upon seeing her results realized that had she gotten a 4 in History, she would have earned the diploma.
Last year when she returned to visit, she shared her story and implored those listening to take all of the exams, to not drop classes, to not take the easy way out.
Dropping History was her one regret.
Unlike Allende, she got on the plane and flew off to a land of sand and cool drinks, but also one filled with frustration and remorse.
Hope could have easily earned a 4 or a 5 on that History exam. She was that bright. That being said, after attending thirteen graduations and witnessing both high and middle achieving students earn the IB diploma, I know for a fact that everyone in this room has the potential to perform. All of you can do it.
It’s about perseverance.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Being tenacious matters.
¡Yo no voy a renunciar!
As a class, I would like you to offer this pledge of perseverance right here and right now before your families, your peers, your teachers, and the administration guiding this school and the Town of East Hartford:
Say it with me: ¡Yo no voy a renunciar! (echo). Say this in your head: I am not going to resign from my position as a full IB Diploma Candidate. I am not going to quit. I will BEa full IBDiploma Candidate.
¡Yo no voy a renunciar!