Second, value your friends. They are your most valuable asset.
Third, whatever you do, make sure you enjoy life. Life is supposed to have joy. It’s supposed to be fun. When you decide to do something, you have a decision to make. You can either enjoy what you do, or hate it. I choose to love what I do, and recommend others do the same.
Fourth, I hope the students of Washington College will get involved in trying to help solve the big challenges of your day. Remember: The real satisfaction to work comes when we work for a cause that’s bigger than ourselves. As my favorite President often says: “From now on in America, any definition of a successful life must include service to others.” He’s right.
One thing’s certain: Here at Washington College, you have a wide variety of wonderful community service organization to choose from and to help out. Groups like Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Peer Educators, and certainly the Hands Out volunteer center. But my favorite organization has to be your
Finally, no matter how tough the going may get sometimes, never give up on yourself. Learn to persevere. Try to be like the missionary, who was sitting in a small corner restaurant reading a letter delivered from home. As she opened the letter, a crisp, new twenty-dollar bill caught her attention. Needless to say, she was pleasantly surprised, but as she read the letter, her eyes were distracted by the movement of a raggedly-dressed man on the sidewalk leaning against a light post in front of the building. She couldn’t get his peculiar condition and stature off her mind. Thinking that he might have greater financial need than she might, she slipped the bill into an envelope on which she quickly penned, ‘PERSEVERE.’ Leaving the restaurant, she nonchalantly dropped the envelope at the stranger’s feet. Turning slowly, he picked it up, read it, watched the woman walk away, and smiled as he tipped his hat and went his way.
The next day walking down the street, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She found the same shabbily-dressed man smiling as he handed her a roll of bills. When she asked what they were for, he replied: ‘That’s the money you won, lady. Persevere paid five to one!
I can’t guarantee rewards, only a successful fruitful life.
Thank you, again, for this degree which I will treasure. Good luck to you all.
by Barbara Pierce Bush
isn’t alive to see me
receive this honorary degree I know I don’t deserve but I graciously accept. Being invited to receive a degree with a renowned, Nobel-Prize winning scientist like Dr. James Watson—to say nothing of the greatest President in the world (whoops — forgot where I am—better make that the second-greatest President)—being here with these two distinguished leaders, I feel like the mule that was invited to run in the Kentucky Derby. I’m happy to be along for the ride, but I’m a little out of my league.
But George and I are pleased to be here with all of you at Washington College, and pleased, too, to help you kick-off this year-long celebration of George Washington’s life. His surely was an extraordinary life, and it struck me that there are several similarities between your George and my George.
But as many of you know, only my George has jumped out of an airplane at 12,500 feet. George doesn’t like me to mention his skydiving exploits because he thinks it’s bragging. Well, I don’t mention it to brag—I just think he’s nuts.
Some of you may already be aware that the podium from which we are speaking with you today is a new one constructed from the historic Washington College Elm, which was so beloved it lives on as the namesake for your school paper. But because this is a new podium, I’m going to go easy on it by sharing just a few brief thoughts, particularly for the students.
The first is that you should go immediately to your teachers and administrators and thank them for
