{"id":1963,"date":"2019-12-06T04:06:03","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T04:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/delaneysilva.com\/blog\/?p=1963"},"modified":"2019-12-09T19:51:36","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T19:51:36","slug":"the-key-to-excellence-perseverance-balance-and-appreciation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/delaneysilva.com\/blog\/the-key-to-excellence-perseverance-balance-and-appreciation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Key to Excellence: Perseverance, Balance and Appreciation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(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.)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good morning,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Anderson, President of Keiser University Latin American Campus; \nMr. Arr\u00f3liga, Dean of Academics; Ms. Granja, Dean of Students; Father \nRobert Rindos, University Chaplen; Esteemed Faculty; Dedicated Staff; \nHonored Students; Cherished Parents; Family and Friends,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 gustar\u00eda dar una bienvenida especial a todos los padres de familia y familiares presentes. Su presencia aqu\u00ed el d\u00eda de hoy es un s\u00edmbolo de su apoyo constante e incondicional que les dan a sus hijos a diario<\/em>. And for those students whose parents or family could not be here today for whatever reason, don\u2019t worry, you have your Keiser family sitting right over here, who also support you unconditionally today and every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cA\u201d. This \u201cA\u201d 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 \u201cA\u201d. Of course, the students on the Dean\u2019s and President\u2019s 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 \u201cA\u201d when they retake the course for the second time. Perseverance and tenacity are crucial elements to academic excellence and success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2014 in my mind at least \u2014 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\u2019t anything like \u201cOh, poor thing, I know you can do it.\u201d \u201cYou are smart, you\u2019ll get it.\u201d She said, \u201cAnnie, suck it up!\u201d I was stunned! That was it? That was the best she could offer?!<\/em> 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<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think that is the case for many of our students. If you didn\u2019t have\n the basic level of intelligence and capability to be academically \nsuccessful here at Keiser, you would not have been admitted in the first\n place.  What will be an issue during your academic life, however, is \nyour determination, your resolve and your perseverance. So, during the \nlate nights, early mornings, group projects, complicated topics or \nwhatever challenge, the key is to keep trying and don\u2019t giveup, no \nmatter how difficult things may seem at time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, if you feel like you need an additional push when you find \nyourself in a situation like I found myself, I will gladly give you my \nmom\u2019s telephone number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It is possible, that many times in our fast-paced world, crammed full\n of things that we misguidedly hail as important (facebook, snapchat, \nthat brand new cat video on youtube), we lose appreciation for what is \ntruly valuable. We forget to be thankful for the opportunities that have\n been given to us or the privileges we have earned. Coming from the \nUnited States, where education is not a right guaranteed by the \nConstitution, I believe your status as a student here at Keiser should \nbe an opportunity that you should, indeed, be thankful for. Even in \nNicaragua, where the right to public education is guaranteed by the \nNicaraguan Constitution, your right to be here at Keiser is one of \nprivilege, not entitlement. This is something that you should appreciate\n and be thankful for and not be flippant about. In my classes, and I \nimagine in the classes of all the professors here today, we believe it \nis our duty to challenge you to do your best. There are many, if not \nmost, students who rise to that challenge: they complete assignments on \ntime in a conscientious manner; they attend class; they participate; \nthey follow directions and the get the most out of their classes and \ntheir academic experience. By doing so, they evidence their appreciation\n for their spot in class and their privileged position to be enrolled in\n Keiser and they pay homage to their family support and validate the \nsacrifice of the cost of the tuition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, there are times in which students do not show up for \nclass or do not complete assignments or fail to respect their classmates\n in a group project. I have seen this happen. Admittedly, this \nlackadaisical and careless attitude is disappointing to a professor. I, \non occasion, have even denied students the opportunity to sit in on \nclasses when they repeatedly fail to do homework in preparation of the \nlecture. Why do I do this? I do this so that the students who did put \nforth effort, who did rise to the challenge, who did appreciate their \nprivilege to be in our classrooms are not hindered by those who don\u2019t. \nWhy is the failure of a student to do work so upsetting to me \npersonally? The answer is simple: I think of the young people who would \ngive anything to be enrolled here at Keiser; but, for economic or \nacademic reasons, they cannot.  And, to me, when one of our students is \napathetic to their studies it is no more than a demonstration of their \nmere lack of appreciation for their privilege to a higher education at \nthis institution. And, it only deepens the regret of the unfortunate \nreality of those who may never have this privilege. So, please, our dear\n students, never fail to appreciate and give thanks for the blessing of \nyour status as a student here. Consider those who will never have the \nopportunity that you have. Let us honor them by not wasting our time in \nthe classroom or taking for granted this privilege.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we truly think about academic excellence, we measure it by a \nparticular standard. In the case of these students who we celebrate \ntoday, the level of academic excellence applied is a specific GPA \nrequirement between 3.6 and 4.0. We congratulate you on that success, as\n it is not to be undermined. Surely, last semester had its challenges \nand, clearly, you overcame them \u2014 even if you did so without an \n\u201cencouraging\u201d phone call from my mom. With that said, it would be \nerroneous to assume that those challenges were limited to only academic \nones. We all have non-academic issues to face.  What becomes key is \nfiguring out it how to achieve and maintain academic excellence while \ndealing with family issues, financial issues, friend issues, etc. This \nis not an easy task. Unfortunately, these life-related struggles will \nnot disappear after graduation and knowing how to deal with them will be\n central to your professional excellence as well. So, to those of you \nbeing recognized today for your academic achievements, we applaud you \neven more so, if you have attained this success in the face of \nnon-academic challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of you have taken on the role as parents to siblings, you work \noutside of school to maintain yourselves and your families, you have \nsupported your parents during their own challenges, you have risen to \nthe challenges of parenthood yourselves or you have even struggled with \naddiction or depression. We cannot pretend that these trials of life \ndon\u2019t exist or that our dear students are immune to them. Rather, what \nwe endeavor to do is arm you with the tools to confront these obstacles,\n to cope with them and to overcome them. As they arise, all we can do is\n to try our best to balance our personal responsibilities with our \nscholastic and professional ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am the first to admit, that it is<\/em> hard. During my first \nmonth of law school at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, my father \nbecame gravely ill. He was in a coma for over a month and his doctors \nwere not sure if he would survive. Reasonably, in order to be with him \nand my family, I missed one week of classes.  While most of my \nprofessors were understanding, Professor Barker, my Civil Procedure \nprofessor, took a different approach. When I went to talk to him in his \noffice, he looked at me and said, \u201cA week of classes?  Well, I cannot \nsee how you can recover from that. You should consider leaving the \nprogram immediately.\u201d  I could not believe this was the response he gave!<\/em>\n And, for once in my life, I was completely and utterly speechless. With\n all of the non-academic issues that I had at the time, the last<\/em>\n thing I needed was this additional stress and worry of dropping out of \nlaw school. Despite Professor Barker\u2019s advice, I stayed in school. My \nlevel of academic excellence was not at the level to which I had become \naccustomed to in undergraduate school; but, with everything that I dealt\n with those three years \u2014 working a part-time job, coping with the \ndisabilities of my father, helping my mother \u2014 somehow, someway, by the \ngrace of God, I graduated. Looking back, graduating from law school was \none of the most challenging obstacles \u2014 academic or otherwise \u2014 I have \novercome in my life. And, even though I didn\u2019t graduate Magna Cum Laude<\/em>,\n I was academically successful because I was able to find the balance \nbetween my academic obligations and my family responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, to those students who struggle with personal difficulties, do \nyour best to find a balance. Know that, although you may not be on the \nDean\u2019s or President\u2019s List every semester, and may even redefine what \nacademic success means, your achievements are still worth recognizing \nand still worth honoring!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I take one last opportunity to congratulate our honored students \ntoday. There is no doubt that they have acquired a balance between \npersonal life and academics, that they have persevered the challenges of\n their courses and that they have a true appreciation for their position\n as students at Keiser University. We are all very proud of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congratulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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