This picture was taken on June 25, 2023, during the 6th Commencement Exercises, International Migrants School.
This was the motivational/inspiring message I wrote the evening before the commencement and graduation day at the International Migrants School – IMS:
“Dear Parents, Teachers, Benefactors of the School, Guests, and dear young graduates, Congratulations!
I was on my way to take my flight when Ma’am Mila texted me that I had to deliver a speech.
It is an honour to be with you in this joyful moment of celebrating one of the vital turning points in your life.
Maya Angelou once said, “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their colour.”
Some of you will begin the next chapter of your life, whether you are going to primary school, high school, college, or university.
I graduated from the university thirty-one years ago. As I maintained my full academic scholarship for five years, my success formula was hard work, tenacity, patience, perseverance, and determination.
No matter what happens, never give up and bloom to the fullest along the cutting edges of life.
Remember to seize the day and not waste time. You must take care of your brain and maintain a healthy lifestyle, as a healthy brain supports a healthy body, and vice versa. Sleep is crucial for a healthier brain, improved focus, and maintaining calmness. Like a saying in Italian, “ la calma è la virtù dei forti.”
As migrants, you already possess the gifted character of being resilient, tenacious, resourceful, patient, empathetic, sympathetic, helpful, and determined to succeed, as you’ve experienced striving and thriving amidst various challenges, obstacles, and trials. It is better to be part of the solution than the problem.
Like in a tree of life, having a bicultural education enables you to consider different perspectives, and the necessities of education in an ever more complex society shall bear abundant fruits. You are all golden leaves carrying incomparable shapes of love, blades of hope, shades of joy, the touch of respect, and veins of peace.
Like Elie Wiesel said, “Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another. Mankind must remember that peace is not God’s gift to His creatures; peace is our gift to each other.
I want to paraphrase what Michelle Obama said, “Whenever you go to a new job, your first job, there will be people who may take you down. If that happens, remember that when they take you down, you will rise up. Please don’t be the one who brings another person down, because if you do, it will come back to haunt you one day and hurt you.
The values that the International Migrants School teachers strive to impart, teach, and guide you in are ones that you can always hold your head high, so you can be equally proud.
You will be shaping your generation, your future. Do it with a quality of mind, alert, mindful, and an honest, critical thinker. A holistic mind that understands that we all commit mistakes while keeping in mind that these mistakes do not define us.
Quality of the golden heart rooted in faith knows sacrifice, reaches out, grows, and surpasses derision and any obstacles.
A quality of a resilient soul and determined spirit that is passionate about creating what is meaningful to you, helping and reaching out to others, and making a valuable difference in this world.
Fearless, hopeful hearts taking challenges, conscientious, persistent, and persevering.
The linguistic challenges you flexibly learned and honed by learning foreign languages or becoming multilingual open limitless doors to job opportunities.
You are the priceless pearls of the diaspora.
Cultivate a critical thinking, beautiful, holistic mind: creative, cooperative, responsible, knowledgeable, environmentally mindful and vibrant.
Be gifted with a tenacious spirit and a joyful, grateful, mindful, inspiring, hopeful, resilient and wholehearted mind, heart, and soul contributing to humanity.
Congratulations, Graduates of International Migrants School, Class of 2023 and wishing you the best of everything in life!”
© 2023 Ana Angelica Abaya van Doorn
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