WSU 2016 Graduation Speech
Chancellor of Walter Sisulu University, Ambassador Sheila Sisulu
Vice-Chancellor of WalterSisulu University, Professor Rob Midgley
Government Dignitaries from National, Provincial and Local Government
Invited guests from the business sector
Community leaders
Members of the media
Proud Parents and families of graduands
Members of staff
Students
Graduands
Let me start by thanking the Vice Chancellor for that very gracious introduction. It is my exquisite delight to stand before you at such an auspicious graduation ceremony. We are, today, three days before Mother’s Day thus I salute all mothers here present and elsewhere. There is a song with lyrics that go like; we are here because of our grandmother’s prayers and our grandfather’s dreams. That song resonates in my spirit because I know that to be true for me that I stand where I stand because of the prayers and dreams of my grandparents and parents especially my mother iHlubikazi, Radebe, Mashwabada, Ngelengele, Ndlebentlezombini. May everyday be a Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers.
In preparing this address I tried to recall the occasion of my own first graduation from the University of Transkei some 28 years ago now and admit that my capacity to listen to speeches was very thin due to the excitement, so trust me, I know you do not want me to deliver a long speech today and I endeavor not to be long.
Today is the culmination of what I’m sure has been a challenging and hopefully also a very rewarding experience. I am sure that you are feeling a great range of emotions, relief that you’ve made it, pride in your abilities, a sense of reward in the recognition of your qualification and perhaps also a sense of excitement, trepidation and expectation as you think ahead to the next leg of your journey and what adventures and opportunities that it will bring.
Let me start with a phrase, which I haven’t been able to find the source of, but which resonates with me. It says:
The sea of knowledge knows no boundaries.
That phrase reminds me that learning does not begin or end with a university education.
To graduate in your chosen field is a wonderful achievement you should be very proud of yourselves for accomplishing this goal. Congratulations on persevering and getting to this day, but, as I’m sure you’ve been told many times; this is just the beginning. Education is a privilege and should not be thought of as ending when you leave the University. Hopefully you’ll continue the education process for the rest of your lives. As cliché as it may sound, graduation marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
Standing here, I feel your desire; I feel your yearning to do well in the world. I know that you must all be excited to get your hands on your degrees and run out into the world but hang on a bit; I have to arm you about the realities in the world out there. Life out there is not as rosy as it seems.The world won’t always see you in those hoods and gowns. They won’t know how hard you worked and how much you sacrificed to make it to this day -- the countless hours you spent studying to get this degree/diploma, Instead they will make assumptions about who they think you are based on their limited notion of the world. As you graduate, you have great expectations of a better and comfortable life, getting decent jobsor running lucrative businesses but the reality is that out there you will be exposed to different tough situations. You will face trials and tribulations and your character, courage and attitude will determine your altitude. You will experience failures in your life, but it is what you do during those valleys that will determine the heights of your peak. You will at times feel frustrated as society will also have expectations on you as graduates that will be hard to meet.
My prayer is that I be a vessel so that the words will flow through me to you in such a way that when times get tough you remember these words and realise that after every thunderstorm there is a rainbow, after the darkest hour is the crack of dawn.
Today, I want it to be very clear that the feelings of frustration and despair that we face in life should not be an excuse to just throw up our hands and give up.Not an excuse to feel sorry for ourselves and throw ourselves in crime and or too much alcohol. They are not an excuse to lose hope. To succumb to feelings of despair and anger only means that in the end, we lose.
You will face failures from time to time, it is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all- in which case, you fail by default, so said JK Rowling
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.And if you rise above the noise and the pressures that surround you, if you stay true to who you are and where you come from, if you have faith in God’s plan for you (Rick Warren), then you will keep fulfilling your duty to people, live a purposeful life and push for the never failing miracle of progress. As the years pass, you will feel the bumps smooth off. You will take part in that “never-failing miracle” of progress.And you will be flying through.
Our history provides us with a better story, a better blueprint for how we can overcome. It teaches us that when we pull ourselves out of those lowest emotional depths, and we channel our frustrations into positive actions and organizing and banding together -- then we can build ourselves and our communities up. We can take on those deep-rooted challenges, and together we can overcome anything that stands in our way.
My favourite animal is the turtle. The reason is that in order for the turtle to move, it has to stick its neck out. There are going to be times in your life when you are going to have to stick your neck out. There will be challenges and instead of hiding in a shell, you have to go out and meet them.In life you make the small decisions with your head and the big decisions with your heart. Believe you me, I have personally gone through such times and instead of hiding in a shell, I held my head high and met those challenges head on hence I am standing here to share life experiences with you today.
Jeff Bezos once said, and I quote, “Cleverness is a gift. Kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy. Choices can be hard”. For the most important decisions in your life, trust your intuition, and then work with everything you have, to prove it right, so said Tim Cook.
Success is like a mountain that keeps growing ahead of you as you hike. Success is to live your life with integrity and to not give in to peer pressure to try to be somebody you are not. You must have some vision for your life even if you do not know the plan; you have to have a direction in which you choose to go.
You’ve got the knowledge and the skills honed here on this hallowed campus. You’ve got families up in the stands who will support you every step of the way. And most of all, you’ve got yourselves -- and all of the heart, and grit, and smarts that got you to this day.
Your crown has been paid for, put it on your head and wear it. You are going to walk out of here with the crown that has been paid for, not only by your years in WSU, but paid for by the sweat, tears and blood of your parents and hard earned taxes of people you do not even know through NSFAS. Today, you fulfil the dreams of those parents who said I might not have gotten there but my grandchild or child will one day walk across the stage of the educated. Please do not forget your grandparents, parents and siblings when days are bright. The best wat to thank them is to always maintain a conduct that makes them proud.
Just four parting shorts I would have failed if I did not share with you: My name is Zine meaning four girls in one.
- Firstly, knowing who you are and what you want in life is imperative. Be at the driver’s seat of your life, if you are not, life will drive you. Do not just be successful in the world but yearn to fulfil the highest truest expression of yourself as a human being.
- Secondly, always place yourselves at a position to serve. We live in a world where people want to collect riches and material possession for fame; all those things do not last. Greatness is determined by service. The real truth is that service and significance is what lasts. Such servant leaders as the great tataRolihlahla Mandela come to mind as the significance of their service will last forever. Ophray Winfrey believes that service and significance equals success.
- Thirdly, always do the right thing, be always excellent and let excellence be your brand. When you are excellent, you stand out even when nobody is watching. Make the right choices, all of you here have a potential for enormous success. You will meet resistance as people who do the right things are most unpopular, mostly in our country, do right anyway. Surround yourselves with good people. Be in the company of people you aspire to be like.
- Fourthly, be incorruptible. Corruption is dishonest actions that destroy people’s trust. It is the impairment of integrity. Be honest and trustworthy always.
So, graduands, that’s what I want for all of you. I want you all to stay true to the most real, most sincere, most authentic parts of yourselves. I want you to ask those basic questions: Who do you want to be? What inspires you? How do you want to give back? And then I want you to take a deep breath and trust yourselves to chart your own course and make your mark on the world and leave a legacy your siblings would be proud of.
Go, therefore, and make your beautiful dent in the country and the world, and as you do so come down on the side of boldness. If you err, may it be for too much audacity, and not too little. For you really are enough, you have untold strenghts and resources inside. You have your glorious self, so said Sue Monk Kidd.
God bless you, abundantly. I can’t wait to see how high you soar.I love you all.I am Very proud of you.
To the leadership of the University, it has, indeed been such a humbling experience, my gratitude for the confidence in me to usher such fine graduands into the world. I am aware that some may still be furthering their studies; hopefully, this speech will motivate all to excel in whatever field of life remembering that service and significance equals success.
I thank you.