ISLAND VOICES
Seniors, as you step out into world, recall values learned here
By Betty White
Betty White is principal at Sacred Hearts Academy.
Seniors, your moment has arrived! What an awesome sight you are — radiant, poised and confident — the school's 97th graduating class on the brink of adventure and discovery.
For some of you, the journey began when you entered kindergarten, where you played games, danced, sang, acted and listened to each other tell stories.
Now, 13 years later, you can solve mathematical equations, perform scientific experiments, speak a foreign language, argue about historical truth and analyze great works of literature. Yet the joy of playing games, dancing, painting, singing, acting and telling each other stories has not changed; it has become more sophisticated and meaningful.
You are a close but diverse group. Some of you have stayed up late working while others slept soundly, feeling little stress regardless of the tests to be taken the following morning. Some of you are skilled athletes; others have trouble dribbling a basketball. Some of you are effervescent and enthusiastic; others are more introspective and reflective.
Yet, despite your differences, you are connected by the experiences you have shared at our school. You have been with each other during good days and during challenging moments, always showing respect and support for each other.
Tonight you are looking back as you dream of the future.You entered high school in 2000, a time of peace and almost unprecedented prosperity. You are graduating in 2004, in a post-9/11 world that still harbors economic sluggishness and is permanently scarred by the senseless evil of terrorism and homicide bombers.
The tragedies of war have taught you how important it is to be a people centered in God, to be a people dependent on one another and to be a people committed to peace and justice with compassion for all. You are leaving high school well prepared academically and capable of handling responsibilities and problems which you will inevitably confront on your journey in life.
The year was 1964 when I sat on a similar stage, excited to receive a high school diploma.
I entered a world very different from the world you are entering — a world that had only one woman in the U.S. Senate, no women in the astronaut program because NASA insisted it couldn't find women who qualified as a pilot or a scientist, and a woman could not get a bank loan without a male co-signer.
Of course, this is not the world you are entering. Even though my generation has made much progress, we still live in a man's world. But you have the potential to be members of a generation which will reach the kind of equality and mutual respect between women and men of which my generation could only dream.
You are entering a world with so many more choices than women before you. You can travel in outer space like Sally Ride, be a force in sports like Michele Wie, run a major corporation like Carly Fiorina at Hewlett Packard, run a state like Governor Linda Lingle, and be a force in world affairs like Condoleezza Rice.
It is now time for the faculty, staff and I to tell you goodbye. As we let go of you, please accept the heartfelt advice to continue to love and respect your parents.
Remember your teachers. Fashion and control your life with the great joy you feel in your hearts this evening. And accept perseverance as a part of your life.
As you venture forward and meet life's challenges, be sustained by the loving support of the 'ohana you experienced at our school. Allow your education and our spirit to be the catalyst for your continued growth, always passing our vision of work, honesty and integrity to others wherever you go and whatever you do.
The entire school community asks for God's special blessings on you and your families. May your journey be filled with goodness, joy, love and happiness. Our fondest aloha to each of you and your families.
