2006 March Graduation Speech

The decision to embark upon tertiary education can often be a very daunting experience. Having to decide what to study and also where to study. For some of you this has meant leaving home for the first time. Moving to an unknown city and having to meet new people. For others, you made the decision to return to tertiary education after being in the workforce for many years. Having to remember what it was like to study, how to study and also dealing with the stress that comes with it.

Whatever your reason to entering tertiary education you all deserve to be graduating today. Today is your opportunity to celebrate the journey you have been through.

A journey that has consisted of many hours spent huddled over books, essays, computers, projects and having to learn to deal with the stress that is placed upon students in today’s society. There has been the early morning rush to find a car park or the last minute rush to put the finishing touches on an essay. You have had to fit your studies around such things as looking after your children, running a household, and spending time with friends among a huge array of other things.

Graduation day is a day where we all come together to celebrate each and every graduands outstanding achievement. An achievement that for some has been a smooth road to victory. Everyone always told you that you would get a good qualification and go on to become something great. For others, the road to graduation was not so smooth. You may have had to battle through many obstacles such as family issues, financial discomfort, and personal fear. You should all feel a great deal of pride and satisfaction in yourselves for completing your journey. Today is your day.

As a student myself I understand that there is a certain amount of pressure that is put on today’s student to succeed not only in an education sense but also in a personal sense.

There are a number of defining moments when you are a student. That first assignment you had to do. The tension you felt before you got your marks back and the joy you felt when you passed. I can also almost guarantee that our graduands can remember the last assignment they completed. That feeling of relief as you handed it over and realised that you are coming to the end of an era. For some of you, today is the end of classroom education for you, however you will all continue learning from this day forth making yourself better at what you do for the benefit of yourself and for the benefit of society. For those that have made the decision to continue on your journey you will be gaining a further in-depth knowledge in your chosen area and this will benefit you in both educational growth and personal growth.

Our wonderful graduands here, with all their unique differences will be able to fix, teach, programme, organize, create, and generally sort out a wide variety of things. I am proud of our graduands unique differences that will make for an exciting future for our whanau, and generations to come.

Otago Polytechnic graduates will go on to inspire many people to achieve as you have done today. You have gained an education in the face of over inflated education costs, hideous student loans and inaccessible allowances and this is a wonderful accomplishment. Along with those who have assembled here to honour your unity in graduation today I pay tribute to your accomplishments and wish each exceptional one of you an exciting future- a future which celebrates and values your accomplishments today and into the future.

Along with our graduands there are a number of other people here today that deserve praise and thanks also. These people have been through the good and bad times of studying. They have seen the stress, the tears, the frustration and the happy times for our graduands. They are very rarely seen or heard during the course of study yet they have helped the graduates through their studies more than is recognised. The people I am talking about are the friends and family that have joined us here today to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduands. On behalf of those graduating today, thank you.

In closing, WAIHO RÂ KIA TÛ TAKITAHI ANA NGÂ WHETÛ O TE RANGI,
Let it be one alone that stands among the other stars in the sky.
In other words be your own leader and achieve.

Thank you.