An extraordinary graduation speech from Chris Snider – a friend of The Germanna Foundation, he has greatly benefited from the educational opportunities of Germanna Community College. Thanks to our donors, the Germanna Foundation was able to launch the college through a donation of 100 acres of land in 1969. Chris now works for Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and we expect great things from him in the future.
——————
Here is my speech from last night for those of you who have been asking to read it:
GOOD EVENING. I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN BY THANKING EVERYONE WHO MADE THIS NIGHT POSSIBLE FOR US: OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS, THE MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT STAFFS, THE GERMANNA FOUNDATION, AND OF COURSE, THE ADMINISTRATION AND FACULTY.
TONIGHT IS A VERY SPECIAL NIGHT FOR ALL OF US, AND I AM HONORED TO SPEAK TO YOU FOR A FEW MINUTES.
FIRST LESSON OF THE NIGHT: IF YOU PUT SOMETHING IN WRITING, BE PREPARED TO HONOR IT.
BACK IN THE SUMMER, I WAS FILLING OUT SOME PAPERWORK FOR GERMANNA AND I WROTE ON THE BOTTOM OF ONE OF THE PAGES, “I WILL DO ANYTHING FOR GERMANNA.”
ABOUT A MONTH AGO, I HAD A PHONE CALL THAT BEGAN, “DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU WROTE YOU WILL DO ANYTHING FOR GERMANNA?” WELL, HERE I AM!
FOR MOST OF YOU, YOUR COLLEGE CAREERS BEGAN JUST TWO YEARS AGO.
FOR ME, MY JOURNEY BEGAN 25 YEARS AGO.
I AM BUT ONE OF MANY NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS HERE AT GERMANNA, AND THERE ARE MANY OTHERS IN OUR COMMUNITIES WHO COULD THRIVE AS MEMBERS OF THE GERMANNA FAMILY.
COMING TO GERMANNA TO EARN MY FIRST DEGREE HAS ALREADY CHANGED MY LIFE.
I HAVE A RENEWED SENSE OF PURPOSE AND HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.
I HAVE ACHIEVED A WORTHY GOAL AND MY CONFIDENCE IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH. DESPITE FEELING EXHAUSTED AT TIMES, I FEEL 10 YEARS YOUNGER.
INTERACTING WITH YOUNGER STUDENTS HAS RENEWED MY SENSE OF CURIOSITY, SOMETHING THAT TENDS TO FADE AS WE GET OLDER.
LIFE TEACHES US LESSONS, AND I AM NO EXCEPTION.
AS YOU CONTINUE ON YOUR JOURNEY IN LIFE, KNOW THIS: HAPPINESS COMES FROM WITHIN.
IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE. DO NOT MAKE YOUR HAPPINESS CONTINGENT UPON SOMEONE ELSE’S APPROVAL OR SOME MATERIAL POSSESSION.
IF YOU DO, BE PREPARED FOR MUCH DISAPPOINTMENT.
INSTEAD, BECOME THE PERSON WHO YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW.
BECOME THE PERSON YOU ARE HAPPY TO SEE IN THE MIRROR EVERY MORNING.
IF YOU BECOME THAT PERSON, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY REGARDLESS OF WHAT LIFE THROWS AT YOU.
BE KIND TO ALL PEOPLE SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY EXIST.
SMILE OFTEN.
COMPASSION SHOULD NEVER BE CONDITIONAL.
DO THIS BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
COMPASSION FOR OTHERS ELEVATES US ALL, THE GIVERS, THE RECEIVERS AND SOCIETY.
ROBERT INGERSOLL SAID IT BEST WHEN HE SAID, “KINDNESS IS THE SUNSHINE IN WHICH VIRTUE GROWS.”
LATELY, OUR SOCIETY HAS BECOME FRACTURED.
US VERSUS THEM HAS REPLACED, “WE, THE PEOPLE”, AND PERSONAL ATTACKS HAVE REPLACED CIVIL DISCOURSE.
PARTISAN POLITICS AND THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA FEED OFF OF A FRACTURED SOCIETY, WHILE WE SUFFER.
FORTUNATELY, WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT AT GERMANNA TO BE CRITICAL THINKERS.
PUT YOUR SKILLS TO PRACTICE AND FILTER OUT THE NOISE.
NOURISH YOUR MIND JUST AS YOU WOULD NOURISH YOUR BODY.
LISTEN ONLY TO WELL REASONED ARGUMENTS FROM TRUSTED SOURCES.
JUST AS YOU READ THE LABELS ON YOUR FOOD, VERIFY YOUR SOURCES FOR INFORMATION.
TRUST YOUR INTELLECT AND DECIDE WHAT YOU BELIEVE TO BE TRUE.
THE SPIRITUAL LEADER, THE DALAI LAMA, SAID,
“MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY WE ARE THE SAME. WE EACH HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR GOOD OR BAD AND TO BE OVERCOME BY DISTURBING EMOTIONS SUCH AS ANGER, FEAR, HATRED, SUSPICION AND GREED. THESE EMOTIONS CAN BE THE CAUSE OF MANY PROBLEMS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU CULTIVATE LOVING KINDNESS, COMPASSION AND CONCERN FOR OTHERS, THERE WILL BE NO ROOM FOR ANGER, HATRED AND JEALOUSY.” WE CAN DISAGREE WITHOUT FEELING ANGER. WE CAN DISAGREE AND REMAIN FRIENDS.
HAVE MENTORS THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE.
FIRST AND FOREMOST ARE YOUR PARENTS.
FAMILY RELATIONS AND EMOTIONS CAN RUN HIGH AT TIMES, BUT THERE IS NO LOVE LIKE THAT OF A PARENT FOR THEIR CHILD.
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR PROFESSORS.
NETWORK WITH LEADERS IN YOUR CHOSEN FIELD.
TRUE LEADERS ELEVATE THEMSELVES BY ELEVATING THOSE AROUND THEM.
A GREAT MENTOR WILL ALWAYS BE EAGER TO SHARE HIS KNOWLEDGE WITH YOU.
HAVE A GOOD BARBER, TAILOR, ACCOUNTANT AND ATTORNEY.
MY ATTORNEY IS HERE TONIGHT IN THE AUDIENCE, AND LUCKILY FOR YOU, HE TOLD ME THAT HE WILL BE CHARGING ME BILLABLE HOURS IF MY SPEECH GOES OVER 10 MINUTES!
BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU ENVISION FOR THE WORLD.
ALLOW YOUR IDEALS TO FRAME YOUR ACTIONS.
THERE IS NO GREATER TESTAMENT TO YOUR BELIEFS THAN TO PUT THEM IN TO PRACTICE THROUGH YOUR DEEDS.
YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE WORLD, BUT YOU CAN CHANGE SOMEONE’S WORLD, AND IF YOU DO THAT, YOU HAVE CHANGED THE WORLD, FOR THEM.
IN 1966, ROBERT KENNEDY DELIVERED HIS “DAY OF AFFIRMATION” SPEECH IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA.
HE SPOKE OF PEOPLE WHO CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY: MARTIN LUTHER, ALEXANDER THE GREAT, JOAN OF ARC, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, THOMAS JEFFERSON AND ARCHIMEDES, FURTHER SAYING,
“IT IS FROM NUMBERLESS DIVERSE ACTS OF COURAGE AND BELIEF THAT HUMAN HISTORY IS SHAPED. EACH TIME A MAN STANDS FOR AN IDEAL, OR ACTS TO IMPROVE THE LOT OF OTHERS, OR STRIKES OUT AGAINST INJUSTICE, HE SENDS FORTH A TINY RIPPLE OF HOPE, AND CROSSING EACH OTHER FROM A MILLION DIFFERENT CENTERS OF ENERGY AND DARING THOSE RIPPLES BUILD A CURRENT WHICH CAN SWEEP DOWN THE MIGHTIEST WALLS OF OPPRESSION AND RESISTANCE.”
FIND JOY IN SIMPLE THINGS, OR AS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE SAYS, “MAKE THE ORDINARY EXTRAORDINARY.”
SOME OF LIFE’S GREATEST JOYS DO INDEED COME FROM THE SIMPLEST THINGS.
I AM LIVING IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING NOW AND ONE OF MY NEIGHBORS HAS THE CUTEST LITTLE BOY.
HE IS SO TINY, YET SO DETERMINED.
HE CLIMBS THE STAIRS AS IF HE WERE SIR EDMUND HILLARY, ALL THE WHILE TALKING UP A STORM.
IT’S “MOMMY” THIS AND “MOMMY” THAT.
I CANNOT FIGURE OUT HOW OLD HE IS BECAUSE HE IS SO SMALL, YET HE SPEAKS SO CLEARLY.
I SPEND HOURS EACH DAY WORKING ON SCHOOLWORK AND MY FAVORITE BREAKS ARE WHEN I CAN HEAR HIM CLIMBING THOSE STAIRS, TALKING AWAY.
THE WAY HE SAYS, “MOMMY”, WITH SUCH CLARITY AND REVERENCE, STOPS ME FROM WHAT I AM DOING EVERY TIME.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE COME TO LOOK FORWARD TO.
SOMETHING SO SIMPLE. SO POWERFUL. “MOMMY” TRULY IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WORD IN ANY LANGUAGE.
THE WONDER AND INNOCENCE OF OUR BABIES, OUR LITTLE ONES, IS SUCH A TREASURE, HEAVEN SENT.
TAKE TIME TO CHERISH THEM.
I HAVE BEEN BOTH HONORED AND HUMBLED TONIGHT TO BE ABLE TO STAND ON THIS STAGE BEFORE YOU.
16 MONTHS AGO, I NEVER WOULD HAVE PREDICTED THIS, BUT HERE I AM.
HERE WE ARE, TOGETHER.
IT HAS BEEN A TEAM EFFORT.
I HOPE SOME MUSINGS FROM AN ORDINARY STUDENT WHO HAS HAD AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE AT GERMANNA WILL GIVE YOU SOME PERSPECTIVE AS YOU EMBARK ON YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE.
GO FORTH, MAKE YOUR RIPPLE AND CHANGE THE WORLD.
THANK YOU.
Travel to Germany with the Germanna Foundation