Ed Note: Today, President Obama delivered the commencement address at Kalamazoo Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan. View an interactive map of commencement addresses delivered by the President, Vice President, First Lady, Second Lady and senior administration officials here.
Do you remember your high school commencement speaker? The class of 2010 at Kalamazoo Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan will probably never forget theirs. Today, President Obama delivered the commencement address at Kalamazoo Central – the winner of the 2010 Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge.
The Commencement Challenge asked high schools around the country to submit an application telling the President how their school is making significant strides on personal responsibility, academic excellence and college readiness, and how they are working toward the President’s national goal of having the most college graduates by 2020. After three rounds of competition, Kalamazoo Central High School was named the winner.
The President began his remarks by congratulating the students and the Kalamazoo community on their innovative approach to education:
Together as a community, you’ve embraced the motto of this school district: “Every child, every opportunity, every time,” because you believe, like I do, that every child – regardless of what they look like, where they come from, or how much money their parents have – every child who walks through your schoolhouse doors deserves a quality education.
The President also took this opportunity to give the graduates some advice on navigating the waters after high school. He told students that success is determined not by one’s circumstances but by “by how hard you try; how far you push yourself; how high you’re willing to reach.”
But meaningful achievement, lasting success – that doesn’t happen in an instant. It’s not just about the twist of fate, or the lucky break, or the sudden stroke of genius. Rather, it’s about the daily efforts, the choices large and small that add up over time. It’s about the skills you build, the knowledge you accumulate, the energy you invest in every task, no matter how trivial or menial it may seem at the time.
Fonte: White House