(Transcript of the speech given by Dr. Anne Marie Delaney as the guest speaker in the Academic Honors Award Ceremony for the 2016 Fall Semester of Keiser University Latin American Campus, on September 29, 2016.)
Good morning,
Mr. Anderson, President of Keiser University Latin American Campus; Mr. Arróliga, Dean of Academics; Ms. Granja, Dean of Students; Father Robert Rindos, University Chaplen; Esteemed Faculty; Dedicated Staff; Honored Students; Cherished Parents; Family and Friends,
I am genuinely honored to speak with you today as we celebrate the academic achievement of so many of our students. Antes de todo, me gustaría dar una bienvenida especial a todos los padres de familia y familiares presentes. Su presencia aquí el día de hoy es un símbolo de su apoyo constante e incondicional que les dan a sus hijos a diario. And for those students whose parents or family could not be here today for whatever reason, don’t worry, you have your Keiser family sitting right over here, who also support you unconditionally today and every day.
One of the things that I ask each student on the first day of class is what grade they want to earn for the semester. What do you think most say? Yes, naturally, everyone wants an “A”. This “A” said by so many students is one way to measure Academic Excellence. The key, as you all know, is successfully fulfilling all of the course work in order to achieve that “A”. Of course, the students on the Dean’s and President’s Lists have discovered the means to do that. But, if you are a student not receiving an award today, please do not fill discouraged. The key is to not give up. Some of my favorite stories of perseverance that lead to academic excellence are students who have failed a class of mine but yet earn an “A” when they retake the course for the second time. Perseverance and tenacity are crucial elements to academic excellence and success.
I remember one time in particular when I was studying for my masters in England. I was in the middle of preparing for final exams. I had notes, articles, books and cases in piles all over the floor of my tiny, tiny studio apartment as I tried to make sense of International Economic Law in particular. I was frustrated, irritated, exhausted, homesick and ready to give up. When you feel like that, to whom is one of your first calls? Of course, your mom! This story predates Whatsapp, Skype and Facetime; so, I picked up my telephone and, notwithstanding the long-distance phone call fees to Pittsburgh, I called none other than my sweet, kindhearted mother. After I explained to her what was — in my mind at least — my profound life struggle, like any child I was looking for her to sympathize and listen and try to calm me down with empathetic sweet words of encouragement. Boy, was I in for a shock. It wasn’t anything like “Oh, poor thing, I know you can do it.” “You are smart, you’ll get it.” She said, “Annie, suck it up!” I was stunned! That was it? That was the best she could offer?! Between you and me, I was a little hurt and disappointed that that was all she could say. But now, looking back on that conversation and those exams, despite what I thought in the moment, she gave me the best advice and I still carry it with me to this day. She knew that I had to keep working and focus; she knew that the issue at hand was more a matter of resolve and tenacity rather than anything scholastic; she knew the key was to never give up.
I think that is the case for many of our students. If you didn’t have the basic level of intelligence and capability to be academically successful here at Keiser, you would not have been admitted in the first place. What will be an issue during your academic life, however, is your determination, your resolve and your perseverance. So, during the late nights, early mornings, group projects, complicated topics or whatever challenge, the key is to keep trying and don’t giveup, no matter how difficult things may seem at time.
And, if you feel like you need an additional push when you find yourself in a situation like I found myself, I will gladly give you my mom’s telephone number.
“It is possible, that many times in our fast-paced world, crammed full of things that we misguidedly hail as important [ … ] we lose appreciation for what is truly valuable. We forget to be thankful for the opportunities that have been given to us or the privileges we have earned.”
It is possible, that many times in our fast-paced world, crammed full of things that we misguidedly hail as important (facebook, snapchat, that brand new cat video on youtube), we lose appreciation for what is truly valuable. We forget to be thankful for the opportunities that have been given to us or the privileges we have earned. Coming from the United States, where education is not a right guaranteed by the Constitution, I believe your status as a student here at Keiser should be an opportunity that you should, indeed, be thankful for. Even in Nicaragua, where the right to public education is guaranteed by the Nicaraguan Constitution, your right to be here at Keiser is one of privilege, not entitlement. This is something that you should appreciate and be thankful for and not be flippant about. In my classes, and I imagine in the classes of all the professors here today, we believe it is our duty to challenge you to do your best. There are many, if not most, students who rise to that challenge: they complete assignments on time in a conscientious manner; they attend class; they participate; they follow directions and the get the most out of their classes and their academic experience. By doing so, they evidence their appreciation for their spot in class and their privileged position to be enrolled in Keiser and they pay homage to their family support and validate the sacrifice of the cost of the tuition.
Unfortunately, there are times in which students do not show up for class or do not complete assignments or fail to respect their classmates in a group project. I have seen this happen. Admittedly, this lackadaisical and careless attitude is disappointing to a professor. I, on occasion, have even denied students the opportunity to sit in on classes when they repeatedly fail to do homework in preparation of the lecture. Why do I do this? I do this so that the students who did put forth effort, who did rise to the challenge, who did appreciate their privilege to be in our classrooms are not hindered by those who don’t. Why is the failure of a student to do work so upsetting to me personally? The answer is simple: I think of the young people who would give anything to be enrolled here at Keiser; but, for economic or academic reasons, they cannot. And, to me, when one of our students is apathetic to their studies it is no more than a demonstration of their mere lack of appreciation for their privilege to a higher education at this institution. And, it only deepens the regret of the unfortunate reality of those who may never have this privilege. So, please, our dear students, never fail to appreciate and give thanks for the blessing of your status as a student here. Consider those who will never have the opportunity that you have. Let us honor them by not wasting our time in the classroom or taking for granted this privilege.
When we truly think about academic excellence, we measure it by a particular standard. In the case of these students who we celebrate today, the level of academic excellence applied is a specific GPA requirement between 3.6 and 4.0. We congratulate you on that success, as it is not to be undermined. Surely, last semester had its challenges and, clearly, you overcame them — even if you did so without an “encouraging” phone call from my mom. With that said, it would be erroneous to assume that those challenges were limited to only academic ones. We all have non-academic issues to face. What becomes key is figuring out it how to achieve and maintain academic excellence while dealing with family issues, financial issues, friend issues, etc. This is not an easy task. Unfortunately, these life-related struggles will not disappear after graduation and knowing how to deal with them will be central to your professional excellence as well. So, to those of you being recognized today for your academic achievements, we applaud you even more so, if you have attained this success in the face of non-academic challenges.
Many of you have taken on the role as parents to siblings, you work outside of school to maintain yourselves and your families, you have supported your parents during their own challenges, you have risen to the challenges of parenthood yourselves or you have even struggled with addiction or depression. We cannot pretend that these trials of life don’t exist or that our dear students are immune to them. Rather, what we endeavor to do is arm you with the tools to confront these obstacles, to cope with them and to overcome them. As they arise, all we can do is to try our best to balance our personal responsibilities with our scholastic and professional ones.
I am the first to admit, that it is hard. During my first month of law school at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, my father became gravely ill. He was in a coma for over a month and his doctors were not sure if he would survive. Reasonably, in order to be with him and my family, I missed one week of classes. While most of my professors were understanding, Professor Barker, my Civil Procedure professor, took a different approach. When I went to talk to him in his office, he looked at me and said, “A week of classes? Well, I cannot see how you can recover from that. You should consider leaving the program immediately.” I could not believe this was the response he gave! And, for once in my life, I was completely and utterly speechless. With all of the non-academic issues that I had at the time, the last thing I needed was this additional stress and worry of dropping out of law school. Despite Professor Barker’s advice, I stayed in school. My level of academic excellence was not at the level to which I had become accustomed to in undergraduate school; but, with everything that I dealt with those three years — working a part-time job, coping with the disabilities of my father, helping my mother — somehow, someway, by the grace of God, I graduated. Looking back, graduating from law school was one of the most challenging obstacles — academic or otherwise — I have overcome in my life. And, even though I didn’t graduate Magna Cum Laude, I was academically successful because I was able to find the balance between my academic obligations and my family responsibilities.
So, to those students who struggle with personal difficulties, do your best to find a balance. Know that, although you may not be on the Dean’s or President’s List every semester, and may even redefine what academic success means, your achievements are still worth recognizing and still worth honoring!
So, I take one last opportunity to congratulate our honored students today. There is no doubt that they have acquired a balance between personal life and academics, that they have persevered the challenges of their courses and that they have a true appreciation for their position as students at Keiser University. We are all very proud of you.
Congratulations.
