Moch High School
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
TRANSCRIPT
Greetings: Makkal, Mayor, Governor & Second Lady, Ex. Director CSSS, Pastor, Padre David and the clergy
Distinguished quests
School administration
Parents and friends
…..and of course the graduating class of 2012
It is a pleasure and my honor to have this opportunity to speak to you today, on this very special day in your lives. I congratulate you on your success –and I salute also your parents, friends and teachers, whose support and guidance have clearly enabled you to reach this key stage in your life.
Of course, an invitation to speak to you on such a significant and meaningful occasion has given me an opportunity to reflect upon and reminisce about my own high school experiences.
That was on Weno …more than 40 years ago …a time when I had to spend a whole school year away, not being able to visit parents because of the scarcity of transportation.
At my own graduation I remember being deeply moved by the ceremony because it represented the culmination of hard work and of the many challenging adjustments to living and learning in a “faraway land”– and of course the ceremony was recognition of a grateful survival and a job well done. And even though I felt sadness that my father (who had died when I was 5 years old) and my mother were not able to be with me to celebrate the fruit of their dream, I was consoled by my excitement and anticipation for a new journey – for the opportunity to continue my studies on the faraway lands.
Of course, there are many aspects of the ceremony today that are the same as I experienced all those years ago. This is to be expected as the origins of graduation ceremony go back many centuries.
In a short while, you all separately are heading home for more celebrations. But remember, you have your college preference waiting to welcoming you to its community of future scholars, and from where the quality of your education at Moch High School will be field-tested.
Most of you have decided to attend COM Chuuk Campus, COM National Campus, Chaminade University degree program at the Caroline College Pastoral Institute (CCPI) at Nepukos Weno.Andsome of you have determined to start you college experience on Guam, Hawaii, and the US mainland.
In due course, all of you will have to follow the same departure route when leaving Chuuk for further educational opportunities abroad. You have to check in at the Chuuk International Air Port in order to board the 727 Jet planes that will take you to your destination. You have to check in your luggage and other excess, and double checkand secure your carry-on itemsas you board the plane.
In like manner, please include my words in your carry-on items as you embark on your next journey.
Firstly,Always give thanks: When you drink from a spring, know where it comes from and offer thanks giving for the source. (A Chinese proverb)
Founding fathers – We come together today to celebrate the joy of our graduates’ achievements, but we must also give thanks to all those who brought us here, especially to make possible a regional high school “close to home” established here on Moch Island. In particular, the late Mayor Masaichy Umwech for his influence and stewardship in rallying people behind his dreams for Moch, which resulted in the allocation of 5 years of the First Compact of Free Association money for the construction of a two-story 90’ by 120’ L-shaped school building. His vision has paved the way for the Moch Community School to become a sounding board for the development of education in the Mortlocks region. Clearly, this was his greatest contribution – it has inspired his successors and other stakeholders to build upon this beginning and now, at the twilight, a beacon of light appears visible on the horizon, inviting everyone to join hands and move forward. ALWAYS GIVE THANKS
Your parents – God’s guardian angels who made you who you are and what you are. Hold dear and heed the counsel of your parents. It is where true love and best wishes come from. All parents have the same wish, hope, and concern for their grown up children. My mother, like yours, always cautioned me of the time I would leave home in search of further opportunities. She would say, “When you leave the nest, predators will soon begin to circle. Some are going to take your money, but the really clever ones are going to tempt you to throw your life away. They will appeal to your pride and vanity, or worse, to your moral ambition”. So remember, for their everlasting, tender loving care, ALWAYS GIVE THANKS
Your teachers – are your chosen parents away from home. They are not only the ones who are there with you during all the hard times of your learning at MHS, but they have also engraved within your heart that education is the most valuable asset that you can acquire, an asset that can boost your chances of success in life. With all the skills and knowledge they have equipped you with to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s world, GIVE THANKS ALWAYS.
Our Heavenly Father – Most of all is our greatest thanks to our precious God Almighty, the giver and provider of all these precious giftswe inherit.Life is best lived when we’re conscious of becoming all that we’re capable of becoming. We all want this successful pattern of living, but so few, have it. How do we achieve it? Our personal development and success in life are determinedby our attitudes toward life’s realities.We can experience these realities through a positive imagination and appreciation of God-given gift. Your all is God-given gift such as: your mom and dad, your teachers, your friends, your life and your all. As a Chinese proverb states , “We cannot keep the birds from flying over our heads but we can keep them from building a nest thereon” It is not what goes to the mind but what stays inside that leads to desire and eventually action of thanksgiving and praise, Therefore GIVE THANKS TO GOD ALWAYS…)
Secondly,Take risks and fear not failures: Sitting on your bottom will keep you sitting, scaling up your life’s dream will get you where you want to be.
Failures will teach you things that you cannot learn in any other way. For instance, you may have a network of friends who love you, but really, how else will you know yourself or the strength of your friendships until both have been tested by adversity? And how else will the principal of Moch High School know the hidden loyalty of his support staff and faculty members until field tested through wisdom and knowledge?
One way that prominent figures get upstairs is by taking risks and by not fearing failures, whether big or small, academic or social.
Thomas Edison, who has had a huge influence on society through his many brilliant inventions (…), experienced many failures during the process of his success. Many of his friends thought he was crazy when his various new inventions failed, yet his persistence to succeed never waned. He feared no failures and instead took risks to pursue his passions and follow his instinct. In response to his friends’ annoying manners, Thomas Edison would always say, “Isn’t it amazing to make an invention out of a thousand failures?” Nature cannot bring back another Thomas Edison, but his courage and his work ethic have inspired inquisitive people everywhere to follow his lead.
Likewise, we don’t see the countless shots that Michael Jordan has missed in perfecting his basketball skills before he become the Most Valuable Player of the MBA, nor the countless routes that Mau Pialuk messed up before becoming a renowned Master Navigation in the Oceania. Your father may never catch big fish unless fearlessly taking risk to fish in the open sea.
“While you should always strive for excellence, you should remember that for many things in your life, failure actually is an option. But when you fail, don’t let it be because you didn’t care or didn’t try”
Thirdly, Heed the “can-do” attitudes: “Seabees can do” remains a proven slogan, not only for members of the United States Navy construction battalions, but also to encourage the marginalized to remember that attaining their life’s dream is possible. It is known that people with low self -esteem have the tendency to be passive and to shy away when asked to confront life’s obligations. And to that end, these people become self-defeated – they fail to bring out their best potentials and instead settle for mediocrity and menial standards. Consequently, the “can-do” attitudes believed to boost chances for success remain nonexistence in their line of thinking – If you can do it, I can do it too!
While this “can-do” attitude is a popular belief in major societies, our society conditions us to be humble, thus limiting us to settle for what we know we can accomplish. Of course, we cannot level ourselves to God, but we are God’s given creatures to utilize and increase the infinite Blessings of HIS unconditional love for humanity. It is good to aim high, but only under the umbrella of His divine providence and prominence. So, don’t let anyone else take measure of you your worth and capabilities.
Challenge yourself to pursue the impossible, and you will go further than you could ever imagine. And, always stand proud in who you are.
Fourthly, Knock on the Door: Many times we become victims of our ownchoice when people open the door of opportunities for us. It is their preference for what they want us to be that is laid behind the opened door, and this can restrict us to become life-time opportunists. Instead, I encourage you to be optimistic and realistic in terms of which door you choose to knock upon. If the front door doesn’t respond to your knocking, then look for the rear door. If both doors do not respond, then build one that will open to your own knocking. After all, just keep trying! Never give up, never give up! Remember, the only person who can stop you is –YOU.
And finally, A fatherly reminder: While tomorrow brings a new journey, today marks the beginning of a new chapter in your lives. No longer will you eat together in the cafeteria. No longer will you sing together the ‘Anean me Onotan’ song during general assembly. No longer will you walk together through the walkways and the hallways. No longer will you sit together side by side in the computer lab. Instead, the world will be your hallways and walkways. Different localities with hospitals, office buildings, and even battlefields will now become your classrooms.And my hope for you all is that when you meet again, later on down the road of life, you will have amazing stories to share with one ANOTHER. My hope is that you, the graduating cohort of Moch HighSchool, the Class of 2012, become loyal and responsiblecitizens of the FSM community.
While I am standing here, I can see that the tassels hanging on the left side of your gowns keep bucking me to stop making nonsense. They can hardly wait to hang loose where they belong. And so yes, in honor of my dear graduates of Moch High School Class of 2012, I will stop making nonsense. But before returning to my seat, I am sad to say that NOW IS TIME TO SAY GOODBUY. God Bless you
Akapio Raymond
June 13, 2012