Many of you are already more successful than the people sitting on this stage. You might not realize it, but out here in front of me are more than 600 success stories. Look at the person on your left and on your right. Each person graduating today has a success story to tell.

Success is measured not so much by the position that you have reached in life as by the obstacles which you have overcome while trying to succeed. Everyone in here has overcome obstacles. Some students have overcome greater obstacles and some have overcome more. But because of the obstacles we have triumphed over on the road to graduation, everyone in here is a success. From people who have suffered devastating accidents and come back to graduate the same year, to students with learning disabilities who were challenged throughout their education...we all have succeeded, and now, are graduating. By looking at these people, we can realize their abilities and how much they have achieved in their own lives. These extraordinary people have gone against the odds and achieved what none thought possible, but these are the people who have led the way for others and given them hope.

None of you would be sitting here today if you had looked upon your obstacles with hopelessness or despair, for failure is what happens when people take their eyes off their goals. All one has to do is look inside the walls of Gaither to notice the courage, determination, and perseverance of young adults working to achieve their goals. This is how we successfully meet our goals: through perseverence and through hard work.

To overcome obstacles in life, you need to change your outlook. Don't see problems as obstacles; instead look at them as challenging situations. Don't look at problems as problems; instead, see them as opportunities. Opportunities to change, opportunities to grow, opportunities to move toward your goals.

But the road to success does not end here. And it's not an easy road, just as the road to graduation was not without its bumps and curves.

I leave you, the Class of 1997, with one last thought from Arthur Ashe: "Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is usually more important than the outcome. Not everyone can be Number 1."

Home | Autobiography | Resume | Writing Samples | Links