These remarks were made at the Center for Distance Learning graduation ceremony,held on October 14,2001 in Saratoga Springs.
President Moore,members of the faculty,college staff,fellow graduates,family and friends,let me begin by thanking you all for being here today.To the outside world,it appears that an Empire State College student earns his or her degree independently and alone,I know from my own experience that getting from registration to graduation requires a lot of help,support and encouragement.Thank you to my mentor,Sergia Coffey,who was never too busy to be a cheerleader as well as a guide.Thank you to my tutors for taking me on the most enjoyable journey of my life.Thank you to the staff of the Center for Distance Learning; many students here can attest to your kindness and your diligence.Thank you to the students who joined me in my online courses.Your contributions made even the hardest subjects easier to get through.And thank you to my family who celebrated each victory with me and encouraged me when I was too tired to encourage myself.
Instead of talking about the things I learned at Empire State College,I’d like to tell you about the things I unlearned as a student.The founder of the Visa corporation,Dee Hock,may have said it best,"The problem is never how to get new,innovative ideas into your mind,but how to get the old ideas out." Three obsolete beliefs kept me from pursuing my bachelor’s degree for many years.They were that (1) earning a college degree meant choosing a life-long profession,(2) that I was the kind of person who could only learn sitting in a classroom,and (3) that having a family and full-time job meant there was no time for college.
Twenty years ago,I had the opportunity to attend college right after high school.But I didn’t go.I was 18 and,like all 18 year olds,I knew everything,I didn’t know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and I was afraid that a college degree would lock me into a career that I might not want later.So much for knowing everything!I was afraid that a college education would lock me in,when earning this degree has unlocked doors that I never knew existed.Not only career opportunities,but whole realms of thought.The way that I looked at the world changed ...as well as the way that I saw myself.Thank you,Margaret Mary,for challenging me to take a chance on myself and setting my feet on this path.
When I enrolled at Empire State College,I still had some doubts.I thought,"I’m too old for this ...I can’t do this on top of everything else!" And I found that,if you say this in front of other people,they will agree with you."Yes,you are too old!" They say,"I could never do it." And somehow you hear the subtle message that maybe you can’t do it either.
But those of us graduating today,we know the other side of that thought.Little by little,paper by paper,course by course ...we find we ARE doing it.On top of everything else ...in addition to the other roles that we play ...we have carved out this role for ourselves:we are college students.And today we join the long line of college graduates.
So thank you all for being here today.Your often unseen,but very real presence on my academic journey made this day possible for me and I’m profoundly grateful.
从googel 上搜得,以英文为母语的人写的,