Good afternoon
I want to begin by giving each and every one of you in the class of 2012, hearty and heartfelt ‘CONGRATULATIONS’ for achieving this milestone.
I also congratulate your parents and guardians, teachers, friends, all who have had a hand in encouraging you to remain focused. You have kept your eyes on the prize and now this afternoon, after 5 years of hard work in the Elmore Stoutt High School, you are a success story.
We give thanks and praise to God for watching over you the students.
The exercise this evening puts you at a cross road. And, I want you to get comfortable with cross road, a recurring theme in your life’s journey. You must understand that when you stand at a cross road and you make a decision as to where you will walk; those choices will take you to other points of decisions. In the end you will either end up in the place that sees you achieving your goals, or off course with shattered dreams or not having lived up to your full potential and abilities.
The reality is that the BVI is depending on each and every one of you to live up to your full potential if we as a people, are to survive and prosper in this global world and in an economy based on Tourism and Financial services, where we are competing with the best in the world.
But, we also need those occupations that all countries must have if they will be successful at looking after their citizens. We need carpenters, electricians, health care professionals, bankers, pastors, politicians, police officers and the list goes on.
I encourage you to choose your profession carefully. Work hard. Prepare yourselves well because the globalised world is the stage on which you must perform. Your competition is no longer just the person sitting next to you or your co-worker or your friend or the people next door, but rather, everyone on the world stage.
But that is not all. As the future custodians of the BVI you have the added responsibility of making sure that you hand over the Territory to the next generation in as good or better shape than you received it.
The services you work on developing in your youth; and the institutions that you strengthen in the course of your careers; are the same that you will have to depend on when you have retired from active service. In doing your part, know that you are standing on the shoulders of giants who made their contribution and have improved the general fabric of our lives. For example, H. Lavity Stoutt, who was the first Chief Minister of the BVI and who envisioned higher education for all its people. Also, Adina Donovan, a former Chief Nursing Officer who was instrumental in shaping nursing in the Territory, and other.
Class of 2012, I again congratulate you all for your achievements and especially those who have excelled in your studies. But, I want to particularly congratulate the five young men from this institution who attained a spot on the Territory’s top 10 students list; Klaudius Maynard, Jason Williams Jr., J’Verne Findlay, Devern Robin, and Ricky Singh. We are all immensely proud of you.
Your success has once again invigorated a hopeful society in a time when “our males” are said to be wayward.
Young men, your example demonstrates one simple and profound truth: when we put our minds to the task, there is nothing that we cannot achieve.
Today, you will receive your school leaving certificates and you are moving beyond the realm of responsibility of your parents, your teachers and your principal – and forward into the world as responsible and empowered adults. It is a moment of transition in life, one of those cross roads that I spoke of earlier.
You have been educated in an institution where the basic core values are hard work, discipline and self-respect. These core values are the imprint of good character, values that Mr. Elmore Stoutt, who was recently bestowed the Queen’s honour OBE, has left for generations to follow.
Students educated at the Elmore Stoutt High School are not simply required to learn the curriculum and pass the tests. You are encouraged to explore the outer limits of your own potential and to think creatively and to trust your own judgment. You are taught basic lessons in character and conduct and you are always reminded that the path to success in this world rests on a foundation of discipline, sacrifice, hard-work and, above all else, self-respect.
Students, the people of the BVI are looking to you.
We are filled with great hope and great expectations. We have every faith and every confidence that you can and will succeed in all your endeavours.
Face failure by trying again. Do not place limits on your ambitions. Go into the world filled with your own hopes and dreams. Prepare to work hard. Prepare to think big. There is an old saying: “In order to achieve great things, one must not only act, but also dream; not just plan, but also believe.”
You have all the tools to make a difference. You can help build the BVI, an economy that stands tall on the world stage. You can build here, a culture that thrives and inspires us all. You can build here, a Territory that provides an ever higher quality of life for its people. We are here as a Government to continue to do our part in building this Territory.
Some of you will go on to higher education right away, others of you will wait before taking that step and will enter the world of work. Whichever path you take, I want you to always do your best. I want you to continue to engage in the process of learning, one that doesn’t end when your schooling does. Continue to read, both for pleasure and for information. Information will help you to understand the people around you, the society in which you live and the world of which you are a part.
While what you learn tomorrow may not come in useful next week or even next month, rest assured that the information will be needed as you go through life. Engage in a continuous process of learning. Life-long learning will not only make you a better person but it will make you a better entrepreneur, a better employee, a better employer, a better leader.
Class of 2012, as you enter the larger world – think not just about how you can prosper and succeed in your own life, but think also about how you can contribute to the greater good of your entire community and give back to this community which has given much to you.
I have great faith in you and your generation. I know you will do great things in life and that you will bring honour and glory to our beloved British Virgin Islands. Be the best you can be and success will be yours.
Congratulations, again, Class of 2012! I wish you all God’s blessings today and every day.
Thank you.
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