"Finishing the Race"

The word promenade was derived from the Latin prefix "pro" which means forward and "minere" which means "to drive."

Therefore if we combine these two words, it would mean that promenade means driving forward. However, due to linguistic evolution, it came to the point where it simply means "to take a walk."

Whatever the meaning is, it gives us two perspectives to ponder on.

If we take a walk-  two things that happen. First, we leave our starting point and second, it is inevitable that we lead to a certain direction.
For the juniors, you are now leaving your precious year of being juniors and certainly next year, you will be the next leaders of this institution. Being the higher class takes a lot of responsibility. But I hope that you will not fail the expectations of your teachers, schoolmates and especially your parents.

For the seniors, as you leave your Alma mater, however great the challenges that awaits you, I am confident that you can pursue your tertiary education.

Nonetheless, what binds us both for the school year 2009-2010 is that we made a progress and that we are heading towards something.

Studying is never easy, and will never be. But with the kind of education that you had with yourt mentors, there is no reason for you not to succeed.

Success is never a piece of cake. It must be worked out. As such, each of you must have his/her own strategic plan in finishing your course or studies, if you will.

Look at Manny Pacquiao. He did not became a greatest boxer without his perseverance and rigid training. Likewise, do not expect that the world will make an engineer or doctor, or lawyer, or teacher, out of you with no sweat.

As such let me give you some points for you to ponder upon.

First, "know what you want"- knowing what you want is the opening for success. Because you cannot star if you do not know where to begin. Knowing what you want makes you start easily thus, saving you time, efforts, and resources. In the same way, you cannot finish something unless you know what you want to finish. It is not possible to start from nothing and finished something, "with flying colors." The point is, and as the always say if you know what you want, seventy five percent of your success is guaranteed."

Second, "never lost your goal"- putting our goal in mind would aid us easily to success. Our goal will serve as our north star that will guide us in our journey. If we lost our goal we will be going nowhere. Therefore, make some simple strategies to reach that goal. The point is, if we know what we want, our goal will serve as our map. And if we lost our map, then it follows that we are lost. I hope that your dreams or goals will never die.

Third, "never forget to pray"- when storms of life comes knocking at our door, the only one that can be our lighthouse for us not to be lost is God. Therefore, if you experience difficulties never forget to pray.

At the end, be like a tree; be open to the possibilities of the boundless ether and at the same time be rooted in the darkness of the earth. By doing so, you will be grounded on this place where free spirits rise and fall.

May God bless us all!

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Delivered at Atok national High School during the Juniors- Seniors Prom 2009-2010.
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