Ambassador Spratlen's Remarks at the American University of Central Asia Commencement

June 4, 2012

Ambassador Spratlen:  Саламатсыздарбы! Доброе утро! Good morning.  It is wonderful to be here this morning.  The first word I would like to say is congratulations to all of the graduates of the American University of Central Asia of 2012.

President Wachtel, American University of Central Asia Board Members, representatives of academic partner Bard College, parents, faculty, friends, and most of all the 202 people who will receive their degrees today, welcome.

I very much appreciate the opportunity to be with you this morning because last year’s graduation, at that time I was only able to appear on video.  So it’s a great pleasure to stand before you personally on this wonderful occasion.

You, our graduates, have really accomplished something very special.  You have earned a degree from one of the most prestigious institutions in the region and it is like a calling card because it happens to be the only university in Central Asia whose degrees carry accreditation in the United States of America.

I will tell you, I’m going to be up here for a little while so you don’t have to clap after every sentence, but you’re welcome to if you’d like to.  [Laughter].

I’d like to first of all just note that for a student to graduate from the American University of Central Asia is very special because students are graduating in a language that is not your own.  The standard of excellence that you have set and your dedication speaks to something very very special that will point you in a very special direction for your future, and it will set you apart from your peers.

As I thought about my remarks today I thought I would start with my own graduation, but it occurred in 1976.  That was a yaer when the Soviet Union was in full flower.  No one could imagine a country like the Kyrgyz Republic as an independent state, nor could they imagine that I would be standing here as the United States Ambassador in 2012.

So as you begin on your journey, know that you cannot imagine what the future holds.

But I just want to take inspiration from one life experience that I had to talk to you today about four things that I think are important.  That is a marathon that I ran in 1994.

I talk about it because you’re graduating in a year of the Olympics when a local marathon was run.  Also this is the first year in which there’s been an international marathon in your country around Lake Issyk-Kul just last week.  That was an initiative of my colleague Shin Maruo, the Japanese Ambassador.

Running is a sport that I really cannot call my own I don’t have a runner’s body, limbs light and muscular, but I do like to run and I decided that I wanted to meet that challenge. So it was not easy.  I prepared for almost a year on my own.  I bought special shoes.  I read special books.  I tried to prepare as much as I could.  I was very excited when the starting gun went off for the race.  I was in the back of the pack that very hot day in San Diego, California, but I felt ready.

Things were going fine for the first six or seven miles.  But about at the halfway point, at 20 kilometers, it seemed to get really hot and the pavement felt harder and harder with every step under my feet.  I had to slow down and one of the great volunteers then approached me with a paper cup of water, asking whether I shouldn’t leave the race because it was so hot.  She could also see that I had a slight limp.  But I waved her off with the water and I kept going.

At kilometer 32 I slowed from a jog to a walk, but I was determined to finish those last ten kilometers.  Finally, five and a half hours after the beginning I crossed, or should I say staggered, across the finish line.  I was so tired that my father and two of my nephews had to carry me to the car.  My right hip throbbed with pain and I had to walk on crutches for weeks afterwards.

Why am I telling you about this what seems like a terrible race?  I’m telling you because I set my goal, I ran my race, and I finished.  With all the challenge and the risks, that race was a crowning personal achievement of which I’m still very very proud.  It made me feel confident, it helped me know I was strong and capable. It taught me not to be afraid to take risks and to make honest mistakes.  And it taught me that I could persevere through challenging times.

So I think it shows that a marathon is not a sprint.  It’s a long race of 42.19 kilometers.  As you think about your college degree, in a way it’s kind of the same thing.  The long road of preparation began when you started to learn English.  You read, you wrote, you studied, you practiced, you took and you passed tests.  And at the end, here you are.  Today, commencement.  You finished your race.

Let me just tell you four things that I think I learned from my race that I hope you will take with you.  The first lesson is that a great race is not just action. It’s not just putting one foot in front of the other.  It actually begins with the dream, the thought.  That comes before anything is actually done.  You are fortunate because this university has taught you how to dream, how to prepare, and how to plan.  That is what has set you in good stead for every day for the rest of your life.

The second lesson is that no one runs completely alone.  A long race takes a community.  My marathon race was great because of the organizers, planners and volunteers who helped make that race happen.  Your wonderful educational success also required community.  Your academic achievement came from your efforts, but who helped you?  That whole community is seated in this room.  Your professors, who are seated in the front taught you; the librarians and tutors coached and guided you; the administration tracked your credits; and your parents and siblings cheered and funded you; and university leadership and the board sitting behind it inspired you.

Please look around carefully as you leave this hall and remember the community of people who helped you get here, and when you leave, think about giving back to honor this whole process.

This past year I was very fortunate to receive a bonus for my work.  But I decided I didn’t want to keep that money.  I gave it all away.  And most of it I gave to my undergraduate college, Wellesley College, in Massachusetts.  I passed the funds on in honor of all the people who helped me achieve my goals, and in honor of all of the dreams of the young women who are there now trying to achieve their goals.  I know that giving is one of the values of this university.  I cannot tell you how many times I heard about the spirit of giving, of volunteerism of students and alumni here.

So as you leave, continue to give.  Volunteer for your community and find ways to give back to make this institution and your society stronger.

The third lesson I learned from my marathon, even though it doesn’t sound like it from my performance, is to be excellent.  I certainly did the best job that day that I could do.  This institution is one of those that has given you the gift of freedom of expression, critical inspiration and academic integrity.  All the values and tools you need to be excellent.  Your reward for that is not just your degree, but a powerful and independent mind which grants you a lifelong dividend from your investment of intellectual energy over these years at AUCA.

I would argue that that value of academic experience, especially if you let it grow and develop, could shower more value on you than all of the gold in Kyrgyzstan.

My final lesson is to put your heart in Kyrgyzstan.  Many people will envy you for the choices before you. Your English is fluent, you’re sharp critical thinkers, you’re open, tolerant, young, energetic, and free of burdens like desks.  But you are coming of age and starting your new life at a very interesting time in this wonderful country.  The path of democracy has really just restarted.  The country remains economically an under-performer, and the social situation still must be completely resolved.

So think about the gifts that you can give as you develop your professional life and think about how you can contribute to the success of your country.

As President Obama said recently at his commencement address at Barnard College in New York, don’t wait for the person next to you to be the first to speak up for what’s right because maybe, just maybe, they’re waiting for you.  So work for Kyrgyzstan and work also for the partnership between our two countries which your very degree represents.

Two days ago I joined President Wachtel, board members, faculty, students, and AUCA supporters as we buried a time capsule for the groundbreaking of the new AUCA campus.  At that event President Wachtel shared history -- remember I said dreams come first -- for AUCA in 50 years.  He envisions a university that is bigger and stronger and serves not only the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia but also the world.  What a powerful dream.  And it’s an example of how the United States has made a long term commitment to your country’s development, to this institution’s success, and to your future.

At the groundbreaking I said that I hoped that some of you will come back with children and grandchildren in 50 years to open the time capsule that we made.  By then the sun will be setting on the marathon of your professional life.  You will have decided, I hope, to be independent, to be strong, and to be excellent.  You will have decided to stand up for what is right.  You will have decided to contribute to your communities, to love your families and fight for your own country’s well-being and prosperity as well as the same for neighbors and the world.  In short, you will have run your own race. 

As I close I just want to share my dream for all of you.  My dream for you is that your race I this life will be swift and full of joy, health, success and beauty.  I hope that you will take all the strength that you have developed over these years you have been here and just help it grow from strength to strength.

So go out and win all your races with boldness, passion, a strong mind and love.  And then give back to the strong wonderful circle and help it keep growing. 

Once again, congratulations on a great beginning.

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