Remarks at Adult Fall II Orientation

Hello everyone.  Before we get started, I want to have a brief moment of silence for peace in the world, and for all of those who have been hurt by violence, both in and out of the recent news.  Thank you.

For me, the only day rivaling the excitement of Commencement is New Student Orientation. They are bookends indicating a new beginning and going forward into the relative unknown.

I was of course delighted to receive a letter from President Barak Obama on the 100th Anniversary of The College of Westchester.  To quote from the August 5 letter that I received on behalf of CW today;  (begin quote)

The White House Washington

“I am pleased to join in celebrating your school's 100th anniversary.

America's schools serve as gateways to opportunity and engines for our nation's progress.  Inspiring students to be the best version of themselves and equipping them with the tools to thrive, our halls of learning can instill in our next generation the fundamental belief that with hard work nothing is beyond reach.

Since your school's founding, faculty and staff have prepared students to meet the challenges of their time.  And by cultivating passion for learning, schools like yours help ensure the doors of opportunity continue to open wide for all who are willing to dream big.

I hope your community takes pride in the ways your school has touched lives.  As you celebrate in this special milestone, I wish you all the best for the years ahead.”

Barak Obama (end quote)

I was so pleased that we have received this, as a stellar proprietary college. I am glad that we have been recognized for the good work which we have, in fact, been doing, for 100 years, since 1915.  Thank you, Mr. President, for recognizing us.

As students enrolling and beginning or continuing your education as adults, I know this is a serious, conscious decision to make.  Thank you, first of all, for choosing The College of Westchester.  When continuing my education as an adult, there were many of us, in our 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.  We were all in the same boat – nervous, wondering how we could juggle work, family obligations, classes and much schoolwork.  And I won’t lie – it is hard.  However, another phenomenon happened to me.  I loved going to school.  I sat in the class, worked online and offline, spoke with classmates, made friends, and loved every minute of it.  I felt that it was a privilege that was precious, and that I had to make the most of it. 

There were times that were rough financially, trying times with the family, and just pushing through and having the energy to get through it all.  Beside my family and my faith, the other things that I kept coming back to were two things.

1.  how great it was to be able to take the time to learn new things, and to have the oasis of the classroom and studies no matter what was going on outside of college and
2. My goal – the finish line.  What I would do with my degree when I finished. 

Those are the things that truly kept me going – that and snacks.  Haha

But seriously, if you remember that you are worth it – you are worth the time, the energy, the investment and the sacrifice, you will be successful. And remember to keep your eye on what you really want.  Envision it. 

Close your eyes for a moment and think about why you are in college.  What do you want to get out of it?   Picture yourself on graduation day and set a goal NOW for what you want.

Now open your eyes, write it down on this goal card, and stick the card in your wallet.  Take it out and look at it periodically.  Remind yourself about that goal.

On those days and nights when you don’t want to sit at your desk and do an assignment, or the weather is cold and you don’t want to haul your body outside and make it up to 325 Central Avenue, remember your goal.  Remember that you are worth it.  Everything you put in place, everything you learn, every sacrifice you make will be worthwhile.  And it really is all what you make it.  You can dial it in, but you will not have the same experience as if you make every day count.

In addition to that, keep in mind a very important statistic that we have seen for many years at CW.  I am sure it is the same at probably every college.  People who show up do better.  Attendance counts.  They learn more.  Their grades are better and they are more successful.

And lastly, your education is a gift you give yourself that will last forever. 

Here is an example of “retained learning”.  When I was a kid, a friend of my Dad's, Howard, decided to expand my reading and appreciation of poetry.  He gave me a book called Reflections On A Gift Of Watermelon Pickle...and Other Modern Verse. I was in third grade. We just happened to have to memorize poems that year in school, and I still remember one I recited in front of my classmates, from the watermelon pickle book, called Hold Fast To Dreams.
 

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow

    ---Langston Hughes
 

The point, beyond holding onto your dreams, is that I learned that poem at the age of 8 as an assignment in school.  I still remember it, almost 50 years later.

The things that you learn become yours forever.  Your knowledge becomes your property, and can shape your destiny.  Holy fast to your dreams and your goals, and they will become yours.