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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of
Labor Elaine L. Chao
Wingate University Commencement Address
Wingate,
North Carolina
Saturday, May 8, 2004
Thank you, Dr. [Jerry] McGee [President, Wingate
University].
Graduates, parents, family members and friends, faculty and
administrators—I am delighted to join you today for the 108th commencement
of Wingate University—270 graduates strong!
I want to commend Dr. McGee and the faculty who are a big part of what
makes this university great. This year’s graduating class earned more 4.0
GPAs than any Wingate class in history! Congratulations!
As you, graduates, stand on the threshold of a new life, you should be
confident of the opportunities in America’s 21st century workforce.
You are fortunate to be entering a world that offers you an
unprecedented variety of opportunities to realize your dreams.
Only a few decades ago, employees and workers spent their entire lives
working inflexible hours with one or two organizations.
Today, all that has changed. More and more people work away from the
office, with flexible working arrangements.
And the average 34-year-old will have changed jobs nine times over the
course of his or her career.
Despite some of the headlines about the economy in some papers, and even
though some parts of the state have faced difficult transitions, the fact
remains that there are many growth sectors of robust growth that are creating
new job opportunities.
Our economy has seen 8 straight months of job creation, creating more
than 1.1 million new jobs since August 2003.
The unemployment rate today is 5.6 percent, which—although higher
than we’d like it to be—is lower than the average unemployment rate
of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Even though we want to keep on strengthening the economy, America is the
envy of the world as we compare our employment rate with the permanent
unemployment rate of 9 percent in Germany and 12 percent in France!
Our growing recovery is a tribute to the dynamism of the American
economy, which is constantly evolving and producing new ideas, new jobs, and
new opportunities.
Providing opportunity has a special resonance with me personally because
I came to America as an immigrant from Asia when I was 8 years old.
My parents left everything familiar behind so they can give their
children the freedom and opportunity that America offers.
Our initial years in this country were very difficult. We didn’t
speak the language, didn’t understand the culture and traditions of this
country.
We had no family or friends in this new country. Even as our English
improved, we couldn’t understand a lot of English colloquialisms. For
example:
- A teacher once said to an acquaintance: My car is parked in the
driveway. I will drive you home on the parkway. I was very confused: How could
you drive on a parkway and park in a driveway?
- To learn the alphabet and English, my sisters and I watched a lot of
television. For a long time, I could never figure out why Relief is spelled
ROLAIDS!
- Once a friend asked someone for help and the person replied: Fat
Chance! He thanked him. It wasn’t until months later that I realized that
it meant: No way! Where I came from, “fat” is always equated with
“good.”
Yet, we survived and thrived through the generous help of newly found
friends and neighbors. I will always remember the many kindnesses of strangers
to a young immigrant family new to these shores.
As I look back upon a career, which has spanned the nonprofit,
for-profit and government sectors, I have a few observations, which I hope I
may share with you.
First, in the old country where my parents grew up, there were only a
few paths to success. But in America, there are many ways to achieve your
dreams. Each person is free to create his or her own path—to take what he
or she has learned and apply it to personal goals and unique talents.
That’s the real meaning of the word “free” in “free
enterprise”.
Second, education is important. Just by graduating today, you are
already getting off to a great start. Eighty percent of all new jobs require
some kind of postsecondary education or training. And historically, college
graduates earn twice as much over their lifetimes as workers who stopped with a
high school diploma.
But learning new things doesn’t stop when you leave the campus. Our
economy is changing rapidly. Old industries are evolving, and new ones are
emerging every day. In this environment, it is crucial to continually update
your skills and knowledge base. That means developing a commitment to lifelong
learning.
Three, don’t be afraid to fail. In America, few mistakes are fatal.
So if things don’t go right, pick yourself up and try again. Our country
values and rewards persistence.
Fourth, true success isn’t just about progressing in your career;
it’s also about helping others. No other country in the world has such a
wonderful tradition of helping others unconnected by blood or marriage as
America.
The Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville, during his tour of America in the
1830s, noted that Americans were unique in their fervor to form self-help
groups to address common community problems. Little has changed since then in
terms of America’s capacity for compassion—except that it has grown
stronger.
As you embark on your next adventure in life, I hope that you will
remember to give back to your community.
President George W. Bush created the USA Freedom Corps to provide
meaningful opportunities for Americans to serve their neighbors.
He has asked all Americans to dedicate at least two years or 4,000 hours
over their lives in service to others.
Through this or other acts of service, you will be adding to the
millions of acts of kindness and generosity that are strengthening our country,
one heart and one soul at a time.
Some people claim that America is the strongest nation because it has
the mightiest army. But the President has said that America is great because of
the compassion and generosity of its people. It is the character of the
American people that makes our nation such a force for good in the world.
Giving back to others is a way to earn the freedoms we enjoy. Our
country is currently in a war against terrorism. We have fellow Americans in
harm’s way. I am reminded of the movie, “Saving Private Ryan,”
which tells the story of a group of soldiers in World War II who made the
ultimate sacrifice to rescue a Private Ryan.
Toward the end of the movie, Captain Miller, who led the mission, is
dying. His final words to Private Ryan were: “Earn it.”
Years later, an old Private Ryan returns to the grave of Captain Miller
with his family and says, “Have I been good enough?” I have worked
hard to earn it!
Private Ryan remembered that others had sacrificed so he could live in
freedom.
Today, men and women in uniform, whom we will never meet, are making the
ultimate sacrifice to defend our nation and spread the cause of freedom.
So, that we would have freedom, opportunity and security in our
homeland.
The best way to repay them and generations before them is to earn
it.
Our free enterprise system allows us to live in freedom where
opportunities are abundant to those who dream and never give up.
As you make your way in life, remember to cultivate a grateful heart, to
thank the people at home who made sacrifices for you, to share with others and
to give back to your community.
Then, you will truly know what it means to have life, liberty and
happiness.
Thank you. God bless you all!
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