You’re Excellency Governor Christina Scott, the Honourable Chief Minister Mr. Hubert Hughes, members of government, distinguished guests, my fellow colleagues, ladies and gentle men to you all a haughty good morning.
It is with much pride and humility I present to you the valedictorian speech for the first graduating batch of the Anguilla Community College. When I got word that I was selected for this role my initial thought was wow in front all those people but, though shaking in my shoes I will definitely do it my way .
In the words of Joel Brown, “The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.” This occasion that has brought us here today is as a result of ambitious individuals who made notable sacrifices to achieve personal development in the pursuit of success.
The fact that we are also here today for such an historical occasion is by no means accidental or coincidental but, it was meant that history would be made is in this regard, and fate has it that we would be agents of history. It is important to acknowledge that as long as life exists in this sphere, this day will always be referred to. The Anguilla Community College evolved out of the Community College Developmental Unit and has since has an indelible impact on the Anguillan community which is manifested in today’s turning out of the first cadre of graduates. This in itself exemplifies an institution that is poised to charter an academic path parallel to the most acclaimed tertiary institutions in the region.
The day we started on this journey, we had many questions. Such as, what would the experience be like? When will we reach the finish line? And, what will it take to reach the finish line? Not knowing what was awaiting us we marched into the unknown with the confidence that we are going to do whatever it took to reach that finishing line. It was the same confidence Marcus Garvey alluded to when he said, “if you haven’t confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started”.
The journey was one that tested our mettle as we had to grapple with many challenges such as the times we spent sleepless nights trying to meet deadlines, having to cope with the demand of work and family while balancing our obligation to school; or the many evenings and weekends we spent with colleagues and tutors working to get a better understanding of a particular subject area. Also, being the pioneering group came with its disadvantages, as there were times when being the “giunea pigs” worked against us.
Though it might not be apparent to all of us, these experiences have aided us in making new discoveries about our individual beings. We would have come to realise that in the pursuit of personal development and advancement, we were willing to risk the unknown and challenge ourselves to rise to the occasion and showed a great deal of courage and will when it most mattered. We learnt that we are resolute, we learnt that we are tenacious but, most of all that we learnt that will persevere until success is accomplished.
We would have also learnt that as we strive to achieve success it is impossible to achieve it without the help of others. In this regard we should never take for granted friends and family that aided us but, more so the faculty and staff members who assisted us on our journey by imparting their knowledge and influence; the hope that we were given in the most challenging times and the ability to liaise personally with faculty members were indispensable.
The time we spent pursuing our studies were marked by some memorable moments that helped to define or college experience. One such experience was our first college week, in particular our first sports day, when we competed for the highest score, not with pen and paper but, on a field in different sporting activities, while at the same time having fun in each other’s company. Our efforts in hosting two successful movie nights which brought us, faculty members and members of the community together also provided much personal gratification, as they both ended with a stimulating group discussion.
Our experience throughout our time studying has taken us through many highs and lows but through it all we learnt and discovered life changing things.
To my accomplished colleagues, today! We have reached that finishing line. We are the first graduating batch from the Anguilla Community College. I say to you, job well done! Today validates that we are pioneers and indeed true agents of history. Today also validates that we are characters fortified with resoluteness, stick-to- it-iveness, and a go-getter spirit. I am convinced that the qualities that have brought us to this juncture will inevitably guide us along the path of continuous success.
Though this chapter of our lives has come to a close, we should ever be mindful that the journey on the path to success is continuous therefore; we must aspire to continue on the learning curve as this is the basis on which success is built. We should also never relent on the pursuit for success as our experience has taught us that it does not always comes from the most favorable or privileged circumstances but, often from humble yet ambitious sources. We should however, be mindful that on this journey automatic ascendance to success is impossible as we will be confronted with myriad obstacles therefore, it’s imperative for us to never lose that fire, be ever tenacious and embrace that go getter spirit that has inspired us thus far. A common saying states that success is born of action; therefore it’s imperative to define your success and pursue it unrelentingly.
As we look toward a new beginning out of the class rooms, let us take on the world with an armoury of newly- learnt skills. Let us be mindful that we are going into a world where nothing is promised but anything is possible. We are often the main obstacle to our success. We often stumble over our selves; over our insecurities, over our lack of effort or our unwillingness to take advice or share experiences. We place limit on our selves where there is really no boundary to our possible success, may it be with our family, may it be in our professional life, may it be in our community or for our nation, let us go forth and continuously purse success while distinguishing our self like the true agents of history that we are.
As we transition from one phase to the other and embark on our individual paths, the attainment of success should never be marginalised as we continue on the path of personal advancement.
In confronting the future, we should be mindful that this is a time when the world is increasingly becoming a global community and influences of varying nature are ever challenging our core principles therefore; it is imperative that we remain grounded in our core values, and use whatever influence you might have to influence others around us by demonstrate an exemplary attitude, irrespective of how small the act might be as Mahatma Gandhi said, “in gentle ways, you can shake the world”. I’m not only confident that the lessons we have learnt about team work, about self belief and adapting a never quit spirit will aid us in making valuable contributions to our society but, also the fact that we appreciate that, we only fail when we fail to rise from a fall.
The experience we have gained throughout our tenure at school would have taught us that, though we might be confronted with much uncertainty, to achieve the success that comes with self advancement, we must challenge that uncertainty with much boldness and courage and convince ourselves that we will be victorious. We have endured a challenging journey but, today we beam in the pride of victory and savour the taste of success.
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
