2018 GCI Valedictory Service Speech

As You Journey Forward Into An Unknown World

Well, you did it. You all accomplished one of the major early milestones of your lives: Secondary school graduation. This is a major step in the journey of your lives, one that should be recognized for its immense significance. It is an act not only of personal commitment, but also one of pride. You all worked hard to get to this day, and your work did not go to waste. A secondary school certificate is a wonderful tool in this world, one that opens many doors of opportunity for anyone who is lucky enough to have one.

But graduation is not an end goal in itself; it is instead a part of the larger journey of life. Wherever your future takes you, let it take you somewhere. Life is a journey, and all accomplishments you achieve during its course should be taken as starting points for further achievements. Your graduation should serve as such a launching point, projecting you to wherever your futures are meant to take you, whether you land yourselves a career, take up a trade, or continue your education at University or Vocational/technical School.

But before you can begin to reach for the stars, there is one more personal milestone that you all need to reach. Most people who graduate from secondary school experience only one graduation—that from high school. But you all have one more shortly ahead of you. You’ve already shown your commitment to personal growth through making it to this ceremony today, but soon, all of you will experience another ceremony when you graduate from your programs. As I said before, life is a journey— you don’t stop growing once you get your SSCE. Life is about growing, and being in your programs gives each of you new opportunities to continue growing and to learn new skills that you will carry for the rest of your lives.

And you don’t have to stop there! This graduation has already shown you how capable you all are of accomplishing your goals when you commit yourselves to them. I hope all of you here today can take this personal accomplishment as an example of how anything is truly possible when you put your minds to it. As you all continue in your lives, take each new problem on with confidence, knowing that you have achieved great heights and are equipped with the necessary tools to tackle your futures.

The road that lies ahead won’t be easy. There will be obstacles and missed exits, potholes and roadblocks. There will be times when each of you will feel like you cannot possibly go on. There will be times when each of you will think he is alone, a back against the wall. But you are not alone—you are all in this journey together. You’ve made it this far—why should you back out now? Nothing worthwhile is easy, and that includes making the most out of your futures. But that doesn’t mean you give up on yourselves. You should keep pushing, because I know you can achieve your dreams, and because you are worth it.

From this day forward, make each decision with your best interests in mind. Believe in yourselves so that you may reach your goals and fulfill your dreams. Be the best that you can be so that you may fill your lives and the lives of those closest to you with happiness and with pride. You’ve already taken the first step by making it to this ceremony today—now, it’s time to take the next steps in the journey of your lives as you build your futures.

Oyamakin S. Oluwafemi Ph.D
Chairman GCIOBA 1991 January Set
Dept of Statistics, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
+2348055441106, fm_oyamakin@yahoo.com