|
 Printer-Friendly Version
Commencement Speech
St. John's University
Jamaica, New
York
May 20, 2001
Thank you. Good afternoon. It is such a thrill for me to
be here. I am honored to share this very, very special day with you.
I want to also say a special hello to the graduating
seniors' family and friends, because as we all know, you wouldn't be here
without them, so let's give them a tremendous round of applause as well.
(Applause)
Aren't we proud of our graduating seniors? They've done
it!
What an exciting day! We're looking forward to great
things from you!
Father Harrington, thank you so much for your tremendous
leadership of St. John's University. Your vision has carried this university
far, and a new chapter is unfolding as St. John's expands its nationwide
appeal.
And of course, I want to say congratulations to one of St.
John's most illustrious alumni, Tom McInerney, who is receiving a special
commendation today as well. My husband knows Tom. When we heard that we were
going to share the stage today, we were just thrilled. You've heard Tom's
story, and what a wonderful story it is. It is a story that is all about
America. Tom's hard work and tremendous contributions to his community are well
known. He returns to his alma mater today to show you his love and dedication
to St. John's. Tom, we thank you very much for your contributions to your
community.
As you have heard, it's a particular pleasure for me to be
here today because St. John's has played such an instrumental role in my
family's history as well. I'm glad that my husband, (U.S. Senator) Mitch
McConnell is here, because he has heard so much about Father Harrington, about
St. John's, and about all of you. I am so glad that he's able to be here with
me so that he can meet all of you.
I'm also glad that my parents are here. For those of us
who are Americans of Asian descent, we feel so strongly about our families and,
in particular, our parents. I'm here today because of the tremendous
opportunities that my parents have given me, and the tremendous love and
commitment that they have shown me and my sisters. My father and my mother are
individuals of great courage and integrity. They are true American patriots who
have sacrificed much to reach America's shores so they can offer their children
America's freedoms and opportunities. Because of them, I feel that I have been
given the best opportunities to start life and today I honor them for all that
they have done for me.
Our family is one of the tens of thousands that have
benefited from the extraordinary opportunities available at St. John's. You've
heard how we first came, as a young family of new immigrants who knew very
little about America. When our family arrived in America, we didn't understand
the language, we couldn't eat the food, we didn't know where to live, and we
didn't have a car. And, if you think about it, a young family of five without a
car — we really had to rely upon the generosity and charity of a lot of
newly found good friends!
In my childhood, one of my most vivid memories was the day
my father was graduating from St. John's. We were so proud of him. We got all
dressed up. (We did have to find someone who would be able to take all five of
us to St. John's, because we didn't have a car.) That day was also extra
special because President Kennedy's Peace Corps director, Sarge Shriver, was
the commencement speaker. How exciting it was to hear him speak!
Little did I know at that time that I would one day be
appointed by President George Bush to become the Peace Corps director in his
administration and start new Peace Corps programs around the world.
My mother earned her Master's Degree at St. John's. After
most of her daughters had left for college, she decided to continue her studies
as well. She loved her time here as a student. She enjoyed the interaction with
her classmates. She said she loved coming to class.
My father has special ties to St. John's as well. Before
my father was even able to participate in the graduation ceremony where Sarge
Shriver was the speaker, he had left China in 1949 amidst a civil war there. In
the rush of leaving his homeland, he was not able to bring his transcript with
him. In fact, he wasn't able to bring very much with him at all. Without his
transcript, a number of well-known American universities would not admit him.
Only St. John's was willing to give him the chance to prove himself. Through
his local parish priest, my father obtained an interview with St. John's Father
Easterbrook. My father pleaded with Father Esterbrook for a chance to prove
himself. He said even though he couldn't produce a transcript, my father would
be a proud and worthy alumnus of St. John's University one day, and that the
university would never, ever have to regret that he took the place of someone
who deserved it more. Indeed, St. John's did give him a chance. To Father
Harrington and to others I would say, I think my father was a good bet.
My father's story sums up the unique environment at St.
John's. St. John's is known as a university with heart and soul — an
institution that had as its base the faith in the Almighty and in giving others
opportunities that otherwise would not have been available. For that my family
and I will always be grateful in ways that words alone cannot express. Because
if St. John's hadn't been there for my father, I don't think I'd be standing
here before you today.
So, to those who are receiving your diplomas, I am very
excited for you. The full value of your education will reveal itself in the
years ahead. St. John's has placed keys of knowledge in your hands, but you
can't yet see all the doors of opportunity that they will unlock. That will be
revealed in the fullness of time.
St. John's has not only merely taught you a collection of
facts and figures to be memorized and recited for your exams, it's taught you
the more intangible lessons that are so important to leading a fulfilling life,
the values and methods of learning that will guide your decisions throughout
life. It has taught each of you how to learn and how to use your knowledge
wisely, and that is so much more important than any specific factual knowledge
that you may take from here. Because as much as you should celebrate the end of
this phase of your education, your true education is far from complete. St.
John's has given you — each of you — a rock-solid foundation of
knowledge and core values, and now you've got to build a life of learning and
self-improvement upon that foundation.
Because I'm from the Department of Labor, I want to talk
to you a little bit about the workforce. Entering the workforce, as most of you
will do in the coming weeks, is the next step in what's going to be a process
of lifetime learning. For many of you, that journey will carry you through
nearly a half-dozen careers and more than a dozen different jobs. You will need
to manage your careers in ways that the previous generation did not. This is
not your parents' workforce, where most people joined a company right out of
college and stayed with it for decades. This is a 21st century
workforce, filled with greater opportunities and greater challenges as well.
Each of you will need to be 21st century workers in order to reach
your full potential.
This means understanding that you're a part of a new
global economy that places a premium on skilled workers, information, and
technology. It means developing the communication and leadership skills that
will allow you to foster teamwork and loyalty among your co-workers. And it
means learning to work in a diverse environment that makes the most of
America's most precious resource, and that's the unique skills that each person
brings to the job. Each of us is blessed with unique talents in life, and we
will only have a strong workforce if all our workers develop their true
potential.
At the Department of Labor we're working hard to help each
of you, and the rest of America's workers, meet the challenges of the
21st century workforce. America's economy is shifting, and our job
at the Department is to help you anticipate the workplace trends that will
affect your future. At the Department of Labor, we look at demographic trends,
technological innovations, and the societal and economic needs of American
workers. We're dedicated to working closely with America's employers and
employees to find common solutions to our common challenges. And the trends
that we see in the coming years present both challenges and opportunities for
America's workers.
The bad news for America's employers is that they're going
to face a growing workforce shortage in the next 10 to 20 years as the baby
boomers begin to retire. The good news for each of you in this audience is that
the education that you've worked so hard to acquire will be valued more and
more by America's employers.
Now today, many of you are probably wondering how to get
that first job after college. But consider this, America's employers are even
more anxiously wondering where they're going to find skilled, educated workers
like you to replace retiring baby boomers.
These trends could be troubling for America's employers,
but they're good news for you, and you've worked hard to earn your diploma
here. In the coming years your education will become increasingly valuable in
the marketplace — especially if you continue to learn — because those
who have college educations will be in a position to benefit from the timeless
law of supply and demand.
The supply of educated women and men like you is
shrinking, and the demand for your skills is increasing. Last year, only 1.7
percent of college graduates above age 25 were unemployed. In contrast, high
school graduates who had not gone on to college were more than twice as likely
to be unemployed. And those who never finished high school were four times as
likely to be unemployed. So as you navigate through the challenges of the
21st century workforce, take comfort in knowing that the demographic
trends and the fundamental nature of our information-based economy are on your
side.
And the Department of Labor is on your side as well. We're
working hard to help the American workforce anticipate and adjust to the new
realities of the new workplace. And we're working hard to help America's
workforce and America's workplace be as healthy and vigorous as possible —
from schools and career centers to employers and unions.
As you've heard, I'm proud to serve in the cabinet of
President George W. Bush. He's committed to changing the tone in Washington and
bringing a common sense of purpose to our country. President Bush's initiatives
will give each of you much greater control over your lives, your incomes, and
your savings. He wants you to keep more of your earnings and to make America a
better place to live, to work, and to start families of your own.
We're all working together to extend that life of
opportunity to everyone, and next weekend, on Memorial Day, I hope that you'll
remember those who have sacrificed to make our country strong and to make the
opportunities we speak of possible for all of us.
So, as you go forward in life from here, do your part to
create opportunities for others, as the Vincentes have done for more than a
hundred years, as this wonderful school has shown in so many of its alumni.
This is what America is all about. Lend a helping hand and you'll discover that
this is what makes this country so wonderfully great.
If you never forget the values that St. John's has taught
you — truth, love, respect, excellence, dedication, and service — you
will do well in the workplace and you'll do very, very well in your own
life.
Thank you again so much for letting me share this day and
congratulations.
| 
