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Remarks Delivered by
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Agnes Scott College Commencement
Decatur, Georgia
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Thank you, President [Mary Brown] Bullock [President, Agnes Scott College], for that very kind introduction.
President Bullock, faculty, administration staff, parents and graduates, I'm delighted to join you for the 117th commencement of Agnes Scott College.
To the parents in the audience, let me be the first to welcome your daughters to America's workforce. To the graduating seniors — congratulations, and I've got good news for you.
A recent independent survey reports that U.S. college graduates are facing the best job market since 2001!
The demand for workers is especially high in the business, computer, engineering, education and health-care fields. Other growing sectors include aerospace, biotechnology, energy, nanotechnology, financial services and homeland security.
America has experienced 32 months of uninterrupted growth, creating approximately 5.3 million net new jobs since August 2003. That's more jobs created than Europe and Japan combined. And the national unemployment rate, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced last week, remains low at 4.7 percent. This is well below the 5.7 percent average unemployment rate of the decade of the 1990s. And right here in Georgia, the unemployment rate is even lower, at 4.5 percent.
You'll be interested to know that the majority of the new jobs being created require postsecondary education. By definition, they are higher skilled and pay higher wages.
The world today is changing rapidly, with new opportunities being created for you. In fact, the dynamism and flexibility of our economy are unique in the world. They are the heart of our nation's competitive advantage, along with the transparency, democracy and rule of law that form the foundations of our way of life.
And as women graduates, the opportunities open to you are virtually limitless.
In 1948, women were about one-third of the U.S. workforce. Today, women are nearly half the workforce. And we're not stuck in the bottom half. Women are increasingly assuming top management positions in business, and their participation in the professions is exploding.
Women entrepreneurs are strengthening our economy with more than 10 million small businesses. In fact, women-owned businesses are growing at twice the rate of businesses owned by men. That's important because nearly two-thirds of the new jobs in our economy are being created by small and medium sized businesses.
So women are a significant part of the economic strength of our country. Our voices are being heard everywhere, including the highest levels of government.
During the past five years, we have seen:
- The first woman appointed U.S. Secretary of Interior in our nation's history.
- The first woman appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in our nation's history.
- The first African American woman Secretary of State.
- And, as you have heard, the first Asian American woman ever named to the Cabinet.
- And for the first time in more than 20 years, a woman is once again serving as Secretary of Education.
I'm especially proud of the fact that half of our senior leadership team at the Department of Labor is women, the best record, I believe, of any Cabinet department!
You know, at the beginning of my career, my family could never have dreamed that I would be where I am today. As a young immigrant to this country, I spoke no English, and my family and I had very modest expectations.
We came here on board a cargo ship. My father could only afford passage for one, so he came to America first. It took him three long years before he saved enough money to bring my mother and my two sisters and me to America.
Those early years were difficult, as we transitioned to a new culture, a new language, and a new country. At first our family of five lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Queens, New York. My father held three jobs. Money was very tight. My family couldn't afford to give us the things that other children took for granted. I remember vividly the hot summer nights in New York City, sitting outside our apartment building with my sisters and hearing the jingle of the ice cream truck that circled throughout our neighborhood. My sisters and I would salivate over the prospect of a Mr. Softee ice cream. We would save our money and, once in a while, we would buy one ice cream cone to share among the three of us. To this day, it's the best ice cream I have ever tasted.
We were sustained by the love of my parents, their determination to build a better life, and their faith in the basic decency of the American people. Our lifelines to mainstream America included church and community organizations. They gave us very practical advice — how to use public transportation, how to access the library, how to register for school, where to shop. And they provided us with something even more important — hope that life would get better and that we could survive in our new country.
My goal when I graduated from college was to get a job and earn enough money to get my own apartment! You are so much more advantaged than I was at your age. As you start your career, I hope you will also consider ways to contribute and serve your community.
As former President and CEO of the United Way of America and Director of the Peace Corps, I've traveled throughout the world and seen firsthand how volunteers can make a real difference in other people's lives. Everywhere I went as Peace Corps Director, even to the most remote regions of the world, people knew about America. To so many who've never been to America, our country stands for hope and opportunity. We are lucky to live in a country where there are so many opportunities.
So let me say I hope that you will volunteer and contribute to your community after you graduate. Helping others will be one of the most fulfilling things you will do in life.
Our country is unique in its spirit of volunteerism. It is in the act of giving from stranger to stranger, unconnected by blood or marriage, that the bonds of community are strengthened. And by helping others, you are contributing also to the character of our country, following in a national tradition that defines us as a generous and charitable people, indeed, as Americans. Throughout history, the destiny of our country has always been determined by the willingness of its citizens to a serve a cause greater than themselves.
It is impossible to predict how many lives you will touch along the way, and the contributions you will make to your communities and to our country. So let me say I hope whatever you choose to do, you will love what you are doing. Because if you are passionate about what you do, no matter what you choose to do, there will be no limit to what you can achieve.
May God bless you. And may God bless America.
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