Secretary Ray LaHood

University of Guam Commencement

Mangilao, Guam

Sunday May 27, 2012

• Hafa Adai (HAFA DAY)!
• It’s a pleasure to celebrate this momentous day with all of you.
• A lot you might be asking yourselves, “Why would the U.S. Secretary of Transportation travel 18 and a half hours to Guam for a commencement speech?” 
• Well, there are a few reasons.
• First, I knew President Underwood when he served in Congress, and I have always admired his work.
• When he invited me to speak, I had to say yes.
• Also, Guam is an important part of our country,
• And all of you matter in how you will contribute to this island or wherever you end up.
• And of course, I really wanted to see the Outrigger Resort.
• Earning your college degree is an important milestone.
• You have taken your last exams.
• You wrote your final papers.
• And you’re done with the late night study sessions.
• Congratulations Class of 2012—you did it! (Applause)
• You own this education for life.
• No one can take that away from you. Savor this moment.
• Your education is a public investment.
• It’s a down-payment on your future contributions to society—both your local community and the global public.
• I want you to remember this: You are here because someone—probably a lot of people—believe in you.
• Please join me in thanking the people who made possible this transformative journey:
• President Robert A. Underwood
• The University Board of Regents (SEATED ON STAGE)
• The UOG faculty who guided you to the finish line.
• Your parents, your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives.
• Your coaches, tutors, church leaders, neighbors—all of them helped you become the person you are today.
• Please, let them know how much you care about them.
• I also want to acknowledge a few people who are in the audience:
• Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (BORDAYO),
• Governor Calvo,
• And Speaker Judi Won Pat (POT).
• Thank you for supporting the class of 2012.
• I remember much about my own graduation day in December, 1971. 
• I remember how proud my parents were. 
• I remember the joy, gratitude, and exhaustion. 
• I also remember the anxiety and fear over the unknown.
• Don’t worry; you are going to be fine.
• For me, my degree became a key that unlocked countless doors,
• Many of them unexpected, as a teacher, as a public servant, as an elected official,
• And as a member of President Obama’s cabinet. 
• And I guarantee you, in December, 1971, not one person – including myself – would have ever dreamed that I’d be a cabinet secretary. 
• Trust me, your potential is limitless. 
• You are part of a long tradition of excellence and big thinking.
• This year, the University of Guam celebrated its 60th anniversary.
• Indeed, much has happened in that 60 years.
• Standing here with all of you, I am reminded of America’s “greatest generation” and the challenges they faced.
• Through World War II, that generation came together in the face of unthinkable atrocities.
• The people living in Guam were not spared these sorrows.
• Many of you know better than I, the scars of war inflicted upon this island.
• But, the people of Guam did not wallow.
• They did not give up their vision for the future.
• When the Territorial College of Guam was established, your forbearers made a promise.
• They promised to think big and to do big things.
• Of course, they took small steps at first. 
• They built elephant Quonset huts on a high school campus and enrolled 200 students.
• At first, it was a modest teacher training school,
• But with each year, the vision grew
• Today, the University of Guam offers 34 undergraduate degrees, 15 graduate degrees and one 2-year nursing program.
• UOG has given out over 13,000 diplomas.
• And it is the largest education institutional in Micronesia.
• Government leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators got their start right here.
• That’s a big thing.
• Today, you will leave this campus and embark on a new adventure.
• Some of you are joining the workforce for the first time.
• And some of you are starting a second or third or even fourth career.
• Some of you live with your parents. And some of you have families of your own.
• No matter where you fit—I have a challenge for you.
• You can think of it as a call to action.
• Each of you has the potential to be a leader and have an impact on this world.
• You are the foundation, the backbone, of everything that happens in Guam and much of this region.
• I want each of you to tap into the spirit of this island and think big.
• Create a vision for the future—a vision for your community.
• And work hard to realize that vision.
• But how do you think big?
• How do you give back to your community?
• Well, I have some advice for you.
• You can’t do anything alone.
• Teamwork and collaboration is key to accomplishing your goals.
• And civility—respecting your peers—will ensure you have friends to lend you a hand along the way
• You are all about to climb a ladder.
• As you do, you’ll realize that it’s the people who climb with you—not the top of the ladder—that will mean the most to you.
• Surround yourself with people who inspire you and learn from them.
• Talk to people who disagree with you and allow them to challenge you.
• Be flexible and learn to compromise.
• I would like to think that I came into this world knowing all of these things.
• The truth is—I learned these lessons over many years as a public servant in Washington.  
• A lot of you know what’s going in Washington right now.
• You know about the partisan arguing and the gridlock.
• I’ll be honest. Politics has never been for the faint of heart. 
• And serious debate – a vigorous back and forth – is what makes our democracy work.
• Although it sometimes seems impossible for people with legitimate but reconcilable differences to hash things out, it isn’t always that way.
• I’ve been a Republican all my life: when I served in the Illinois legislature, when I worked for members of Congress, and when I served in Congress.
• And I understand that we find ourselves in an age of acrimony. 
• People sometimes ask me, “Why would you -- a life-long Republican -- sign up to be part of a Democratic administration?”
• Well, I’ll tell you why:
• Because I’m an American.  I believe in America. 
• And I believe the opportunity to serve in this administration can help serve the American people. 
• Pure and simple.  Not Republican people or Democratic people. 
• But the American people. 
• That’s why.
• I accepted President Obama’s invitation to serve our country in spite of whatever differences he and I might have had on specific issues. 
• President Obama and I share the conviction that the common good is more important than political gain.
• We share commitments to listening and learning, to treating people fairly and respectfully. 
• We share a capacity to cross party lines without surrendering our principles.
• We recognize that others might have valid, understandable points of view that simply are based on different experiences.   
• After all, everyone’s entitled to his or her own opinion.
• The way I see it, President Obama didn’t ask me to switch from one side to the other. 
• He asked me to help solve problems. 
• He asked me to join a team that’s saying “enough.” 
• Enough of politics as a zero-sum game, in which nobody can find room to negotiate, and in which I win only if you lose. 
• Enough of disagreement yielding distrust rather than dialogue. 
• Enough of all the shouting that drowns out the real objective:
• Serving the people who sent us to Washington in the first place.
• I say all this not because it makes President Obama or me all that exceptional. 
• I say it to remind you of something you already know.
• Public service—giving back to our community—is something that all of us can do.
• And public service is the key to accomplishing big things.
• In my job, as the Secretary of Transportation, I run a department that builds bridges between the people who need jobs and the jobs that need to be done.
• Sometimes, that means literally building a bridge—or a highway or a bike path.  
• Each of these projects has a big impact on the communities surrounding them.
• And the sum of all of the projects is even bigger.
• You can’t accomplish big ideas without reaching out to your neighbor.
• Civility and teamwork is truly the easiest—frankly, the only—path to success.
• In reflecting on your experience here at the University of Guam, I think you’ll draw the same conclusions.
• I think you’ll see that because you studied together,
• Because you volunteered together,
• And because you mourned the loss of your peer, A.J. Morales, together–
• You came to know each other beyond the differences.
• You’ve also learned the importance of giving back.
• Whether it is the marketing class who established a new computer lab at a local school,
• The theater students who raised funds for local women and children,
• Or the Americorps members who tutored your peers,
• You are already practicing a life of service.
• You also know how to make an impact.
• I am very impressed by UOG’s Center for Island Sustainability and the “UOG Green” initiatives taking place here on campus.
• When I see the solar panels and the recycling bins,
• I see a generation of people who care about the world around them.  
• When you organize the clean-up of a local park or educate middle school students on sustainability,
• You are creating a powerful effect.
• Your actions ripple through the community and produce long-lasting improvements.
• As you move forward from UOG, I want you to continue to give back.
• At my job, I focus my energy on investing in projects that will make a real-life difference for Americans.
• Ultimately, transportation is about giving Americans choices.
• We will always need to maintain our highways and roads for cars and trucks to drive on.
• But, we also need a tool box of transportation options that help Americans save gas and commuting time.
• In a word, we need “liveablility.”
• And that’s why we are working to make communities walkable, bikeable, safe and sustainable.
• In fact, the Obama Administration has invested $2.6 billion in 172 projects around the country to accomplish this goal.
• But, we need innovative ideas to make liveability a reality.
• We need young minds to come up with the bold ideas of the future—
• The big ideas that solve problems.
• We need innovators devoted to serving their community.
• During your years at UOG, you gained the skills necessary to think big and to accomplish big things.
• You have the tools. Now you need to create the vision. (Pause)
• I’ll be honest—I don’t remember my college commencement speaker.
• And four decades from now, you may not remember me either. That’s fine.
• But don’t forget this message:  “Let each of you regard one another as more important than himself (Philippians 2:3).”
• Our differences matter. 
• But our ability to find common ground—
• Our ability to negotiate with civility and respect – matters more. 
• It’s how we get the big things done.
• Our country’s future depends on it.
• And graduates, looking out at you,
• I’m more confident about that future than ever –
• Precisely because it is in your hands.
• University of Guam Class of 2012, I have one final thing to say to you:
• BIBA (BEEBA) U-O-G! (Pump fist or raise hand in the sky. Students will respond with Biba and applause.)
• Congratulations and God Speed.