Georgia Highlands College 2006 Commencement Speech: Great Opportunity, Great Responsibility

Georgia Highlands College 2006 Commencement Speech: Great Opportunity, Great Responsibility

Thank you.

To the students, faculty, staff and families of Georgia Highlands College, thank you for giving me the honor of addressing you today, and celebrating with you as the class of 2006 graduates and its members start upon their next journey in life.

I would especially like to thank Georgia Highlands President Randy Pierce for his dedication to education, his commitment to students, his involvement in our community, and on a personal level, for his friendship. Everyone here is very fortunate to have a leader like Randy guiding this institution.

Being here at Georgia Highlands reminds me of how important education is to our way of life in this country. As we continue fighting and winning the international war on terror, I can't help but compare the system of values we have here in America to those of the oppressive regimes we are battling abroad.

There are many aspects that set us apart: freedom of expression, the liberty of diverse beliefs, the ability to practice our religions, and, yes, the availability of education to all members of our society.

Earlier this year, I had the honor of visiting our brave Georgia troops stationed in Iraq. One evening, while I was having dinner with members of the 48th Brigade Combat Unit of the Army National Guard, I met a young sergeant who shared with me some inspiring words.

He asked me if I ever thought about the difference between the Iraqi people and the American people. Americans, he explained, have hope and opportunity. Until now, the Iraqis had neither. This young man saw it as his mission to share the abundant freedoms our nation enjoys with those struggling in Iraq to achieve a freedom of their own.

Interestingly, this particular solider had dropped out of high school to enroll in the 48th Brigade - he didn't have his diploma. But he reminded me that what he did have was hope and opportunity. And in fact, it was his goal to get his high school diploma and further his education when he returned to the States.

Hope and opportunity are why we live in the freest and most prosperous nation in the world. Hope and opportunity are why the American Dream isn't just a parable, but a tangible reality realized every day.

Georgia Highlands College is a perfect example of how education helps us realize the American Dream. Your institution's mission is founded on a philosophy that education is crucial to the well-being of individuals and society, and that no physical, geographical or financial barriers should keep any member of our community from learning and growing at this institution.

This is precisely the attitude that sets America apart.

In fact, it is part of our nation's credo. You've undoubtedly heard it before: in America, you can be anything you want to be. With dedication, hard work, and a whole lot of heart, there is nothing to stop your ambition and achievement.

You have already proven your dedication to hard work - that's why you're here today. So if you can approach the rest of your life with the same tenacity you've exhibited at Georgia Highlands, I promise your future will hold many achievements.

You are graduating into one of the best job markets in years. Our economy created 2 million jobs in the last year alone, and wages for college graduates continue to rise.

In fact, members of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisors recently revealed that over the last 25 years, college-educated workers have seen their salaries grow by 22 percent. 22 percent! I bet that makes you glad you attended Georgia Highlands…

Seriously though, the skills and knowledge you've gained at this institution will help you reap benefits long after you've left these walls. That's because our economy rewards higher education, and our educational system creates hope and opportunity.

I know this to be true because I have experienced it. I grew up in a lower-middleclass family. I am the son of two wonderful parents, neither of whom had a college education. And yet, I have been afforded the honor of serving in the United States Congress.

This is a uniquely American experience, and I owe it to the fact that I was blessed to have been born in America. Let me assure you that here in our country, hard work begets opportunity - opportunity unimaginable to people living in most parts of the world.

Now, I don't want get into trouble with my wife by revealing my age to you, so let me just say that in my many years of life, I have never forgotten to count my blessings as an American. And I should never forget that with this great freedom comes great responsibility.

My charge to you today is a common one for graduates, yet one that has guided me throughout life. As it is written in Luke 12:48, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded."

You have been given much. To start with, you live in the United States of America, the freest nation in the world. You have been afforded the opportunity to learn at Georgia Highlands College, some of you through Georgia's Hope Scholarships, Pelt Grants, Stafford Loans, or simply working hard to balance education, a job, and a family. Now, you are free to use that education in pursuit of a life of your choosing.

And so, because you've been given much, much is expected from you. We expect you to walk the right path, the righteous path, the humble path of true leadership. Indeed, we are looking to you as the next great thinkers, developers, inventors, and leaders in our community.

Now, don't worry. I know this seems like a monumental task, but you won't have to do it alone. In life, our accomplishments are always built on a foundation of support from our family, our friends, and our community.

I certainly owe much of my success to the people who believed in me, encouraged me, and pushed me to believe in myself.

In fact, I was about your age when I first realized that the support of others was going to be crucial to my success in life.

Spring football practice of my junior year in high school, our team had no returning captain. To fill this void, my football coach decided to challenge me to come forward and lead the team.

There we were, the whole team gathered around the coach, about to begin our pre-practice calisthenics. My coach came up beside me and literally pushed me into the middle of the group - which I took to be a not-so-subtle suggestion that I should take the lead. I remember feeling reluctant to take on that responsibility - the responsibility of leadership. But I accepted, and looking back, I think I did a pretty good job leading my team that season.

It was an important lesson in my life. My coach saw potential in me that I didn't see in myself. He challenged me to be more than just a player on the team - he challenged me to be a leader.

Today, I present the same challenge to you. Anyone can be a player in life. Anyone can sit on the bench waiting for a few minutes in the game. But I challenge each of you to be more than a player - I challenge you to stand up and lead.

As I look out at all the proud faces in the crowd today, I know you are all blessed with family and friends who care deeply for you. As you leave Georgia Highlands, you can rest assured that everyone here today stands behind you, pushing you toward success. Like my football coach, we see your potential, and will always help you see it in yourself.

Today, each of you embarks on a journey to put your education to good use, to stand up and lead your community. It's a big responsibility, but as Charles Murray, a noted political scholar, once said, "Responsibility is not the ‘price' of freedom, but its reward. Responsibility is what keeps our lives from being trivial."

None of us wants to live a trivial life. So I will promise you something today. If you use the freedom and opportunity afforded to you as a citizen of this great nation; if you believe in your abilities and commit them to the service of others; if you take on the responsibility of leadership and make yourself accountable to your community, your life will never be trivial.

I always remember the words of our great former president, Ronald Reagan, who said: "America is too great for small dreams." Each of you has been given much, and now is the time to dream big, and achieve big.

I want to thank you again for the honor of being here with you today. In closing, let me offer you this recipe for a successful life: Work as if everything depended on yourself, but pray as if everything depended on G-d, because it does!

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