July was the month of graduation..

I write this to celebrate everyone graduating across the

country, to our beloved , teachers, staff , graduating students who have been part of their
journeys, but most of all- the parents who have sacrificed and invested so much for their
children (good afternoon, good morning).

I believe that all educators will agree that the most rewarding aspect of the job is the
opportunity to work with, and support so many young leaders of tomorrow. Therefore on behalf
of all the parents of graduating students it was a double honour for me to speak in this
Graduation Day. Just uttering those two simple words makes me emotional. As parents, we
want our kids to realize their full potential and make a difference, regardless of their career or
your field of
study. We want you to make good decisions and we know too that you will fail sometimes but
that you will learn from your mistakes. And that may not necessarily be a bad thing.
We pray your mistakes are small ones, but if not, we hope that you will possess the courage
and integrity to do the right thing in the face of adversity, peer pressure and the inevitable —
easy way out.

Graduating students your parents and relatives are very proud of you.. I know you are so well
prepared and dedicated to your dreams. Never lose sight of those dreams and never
compromise anything to reach them. Having said that, I encourage you to remember that life is
made up a lot of small journeys and you want to strive to make them as enjoyable, interesting
and rewarding as possible. When you embark on a journey you never know what will happen
along the way and where it will end up, which, at least to me, is incredibly fascinating.
Regardless of the path you choose I know you’ll be fine. But try to pursue something you really
want to do although it is not always easy to know what that is.

One piece of advice: never let money be the primary motivator for what you decide to do.
Success is not measured by your job, your education, how much money you have or what kind
of car you drive. But having a lot of money does not automatically make you a successful
person. What you want is money and meaning. You want your work to be meaningful. Because
meaning is what brings the real richness to your life. What you really want is to be surrounded
by
people you trust and treasure and by people who cherish you. Now as we stand here with you
on the verge of another milestone, we know this one involves big change.

This milestone isn’t about just growing up, it’s about being a grown-up. As a parent, this
moment
causes us the most pride and the most pain. Our brains are full of excitement and wonder for
you, but our hearts feel something different. We know the magnitude of the milestone and we
know what follows.Remember my fellow parents and graduating students Be prepared for
highs and lows. Celebrate the highs and ask for help during the lows.