 of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, and success fields. We survived Tropical Storm Matthew. We survived the World On Come. We survived Zika. We changed two governments, one here in St. Russia and one in the United States of America. Even changed our school principal. Class of 2016, such a memorable class. Her excellency, Dempelet-Louisie, please allow me to adopt the protocol already established, and wish everyone a pleasant good morning, a special good morning to us, the civic ambassadors in the words of Dr. Gail Rigabert, graduate of the Department of Health Science, the Division of Teacher Education and Educational Administration, the Division of Agriculture, and the Division of Arts, Science, and General Studies. Not know me, but I'm Renita from the Division of Arts, Science, and General Studies. Though you may not have seen me, apart from on social media, we attended the Arthur Lewis Community College together. Now, before I go anywhere, please allow clearly apologize for delaying your graduation ceremony further. And delaying the most exciting and most memorable part of our graduation ceremony, self-fist, with the certificate. Today is a special day in all our lives. And as I look around and I see so many budding academics, athletes, artists, leaders, team players, so many persons that have inspired me, it is truly humbling to have been chosen as your valedictorian. The Arthur Lewis Community College, named in honor of one of St. Pusher's most accomplished sons, has given us all a solid foundation on which to build. And for that solid foundation, we, the graduates, thank the faculty and staff of SALCC. Round of applause for our faculty and staff. At SALCC, the faculty helped us align with our passion, whether it was delivering safe and effective healthcare through the Department of Health Science, or promoting healthier food choices through the Division of Agriculture. Seeking knowledge through the Division of Arts, Science, and General Studies, or imparting knowledge through the Division of Teacher Education and Educational Administration. Civic Ambassadors, remember that. For all of us, all division, SALCC was not just a journey of academic growth, but a journey of personal growth as well. We grew in our uniqueness as individuals, and we grew as a group of St. Lucians preparing to contribute to the community. And as we transition into the next stage in our life, post-SALCC, let's keep in mind our school sport, pursuit of excellence, pursuit of excellence. We all have different talents, just waiting to be put into worthy pursuit, so that we can add value to the lives around. Whatever we choose to pursue, we must give it our best effort. And aim to be outstanding, pursue excellence in all that do. Now much has been said at graduations, such as these, and much more can be said regarding our education thus far. Dr. Rigabat talked about core competencies for jobs that have not yet come on the scene. Our education can improve our socioeconomic background and alleviate poverty. But today, I prefer to focus on how our educational experience at SALCC has shaped our character. For it is said that education is responsible for the formation of character, and it should initiate positive change in behavior and attitude. Therefore, the real value of our education does not lie in what qualification or title we finally achieve. The real value of our education lies in the type of person we are transformed into, our character, how we treat others on a daily basis and how we reflect love, respect, and kindness. Color one student at SALCC unknowingly taught me the importance of showing love. Now I'm not a big fan of hugs. I don't often greet people with a hug and it feels awkward for me to get a greeting with a hug. I always thought a handshake and a smile would suffice. I've watched one of my friends give hug after hug, a huge load of hugs. And I have come to admire her because I've learned that sometimes a handshake and a smile don't suffice because while they came from the best of intentions, they didn't embrace anyone and they didn't say what a hug can say. A hug can say, I'm sorry, I appreciate you, I understand, I care, thank that friend for showing me that we need more hugs to embrace people, to show people we care and to reflect love, respect, and kindness. Many adults have advised me that in life, 75% or even more of our success is attributed not to our academic or technical competence but to our interpersonal skills, how we respect others and how we deal with other people. Because wherever life takes us, one thing is for sure, we will have to interact with new people, people of varying cultural backgrounds, people of varying education levels, people with different needs. And at the end of the day, it will no longer be our parents, our friends, our teachers, but complete strangers. And it is our ability to respect these people and deal effectively that will contribute to our success and by extension, our happiness. We can all agree that our country is facing troubling times. There are so many problems it has become frustrating, depressing, even frightening to listen to the news. We've often heard it said that as youth, we are the future of St. Lucia, the civic ambassadors. One sure way of us having an impact is to embrace kindness and to seize every opportunity to reflect love, respect, and kindness. By being the first to acknowledge and greet people, hold in the door for a stranger, or offering some words of encouragement for the cashier at the end of a long checkout line. SuperJ would be better for it. Massey stores, Massey stores, sorry. There's no quick fix to our country's problems. But whatever we learn to do, we learn by actually doing it. So I urge you to start today, not tomorrow, not the day after that. Today, endeavor to put a smile on someone's face. And throughout your day, embrace love, respect, and kindness. Because in a few years, we will look back at all we've done, all we've said, and the people we've met. But a lasting memory will be the love, respect, and kindness that we have experienced from teachers and students alike, and how it contributed positively to our experience. The lesson here is that three things we all crave in life, love, friendship, and happiness, love, friendship, and happiness, are achieved when we give it to others. Let's think of it. To have a friend, you must first be a friend. As they say, the best vitamin for friendship is B1. I hope you guys remember that and embody it every day. To be loved, we must love. Happiness is something we feel when we radiate it to others. So in all that you do, embrace love, respect, and kindness. At this moment, I would like to thank everyone. Parents, come on, parents. Teachers, well-wishers, everyone who has contributed to our success. Fellow graduates, congratulations again. And I wish you the very best. As we go through life, let our character show our education by embracing love, respect, and kindness. Love, thank you. Wait, wait, wait. Now we can go take our graduation selfies.