 The master's class of 2018 has elected Juan Jaime Castilla to speak on their behalf. Juan earned his undergraduate degree at Texas State University where he graduated as the top student in his Honors College cohort. He completed his MPP internship in Detroit last summer as a public policy fellow with United Way for Southeastern Michigan. While at Michigan, Juan has served as a board representative of the U of M Latino Alumni Association and as a Rackham professional development leader. This past year, Juan served as the elected student representative on the Ford School's Executive Committee, a small group of faculty who set policy and helped make key decisions for the school. He's represented his fellow students extremely well on that committee and it's been a pleasure to work with and to get to know such an outstanding student leader. Juan, it's an honor to welcome you to the podium. So before I begin, I got to give a quick shout out to Rodrigo, Luz, and Marble. Thank you. You're awesome. And to the immigrant community, the undocumented DACA students out there, don't quit, don't stop, keep going. I believe in you and your dreams. So I would like to dedicate this speech to my mentor who passed away two days before I first arrived to Ann Arbor. Thank you, Dr. Toyar. I hope you are proud. On behalf of the graduating class, I would like to give thanks to the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy for helping us navigate the complexities of graduate school. A shout out to my friends and peers. Thank you for entrusting me with this role. I am honored. A special thanks to my mentors for their never-ending support. A special shout out to all the parents of us 40s for all that you have done. Un saludo a mi familia y a todos quienes nos ayudaron a llegar aquí, gracias. On a day such as this, many of us might be asking, why are we here? What drove us to pursue policy school? What sense does it make that individuals from all over the world will all come together as cohorts for a degree in policy? Is it the University of Michigan, or perhaps it's a top-ranking program at the Ford School? I believe, however, it's a sense of a great purpose that we see for ourselves that brought us all here, powered by a burning desire for change. This drive to create change has pushed us to come to Ann Arbor to learn the skills necessary to do our part. While the weather has tried its best to scare many of us away, we are still here because we believe in our vision for a better tomorrow. Each of us at the Ford School, at some point in our lives, has encountered a moment where we realized that we wanted to do more, to be helpful in some area or become a voice for those who may need one. You see, these moments are not always some spectacular instance filled with sparkle or random light that shines out of the sky like in the movies. No, sometimes these are moments filled with anger, perhaps tears and sadness, or happy reflections of a fulfilling experience. For me, it's a mixture of all of this. So, how did I end up here? I started working as a landscaper at the age of six for my father who was eager to start his own business. During summer vacations, my hometown of Austin, Texas saw me work in Monday through Saturday from five a.m. to late evenings. For 12 years, I did just that. And from the work I learned, both discipline and to respect everyone's work. With time, I also observed one thing that has stayed with me. No matter whether my clients were making 45K or a million a year, they all saw me the same, just a landscaping kit. For me, however, I saw them distinctly based on their income levels, their lifestyle and the manner in which they approached life. This taught me that in life, people are all in different places. After seeing this for so long, I also began to see myself from that lens. Working in landscaping taught me many things, how to communicate, how to see a project to the end, and how to appreciate the little things in life. This experience would help me surpass the upcoming obstacles in school. From that, I somehow managed to get into college, met great friends and amazing mentors. But as a first-gen student, I realized that my path seemed different for everyone else. This, like my landscaping days, got me thinking, why are things like this for us? What I came to realize is that so many students are impacted by a lack of resources and guidance. And so during college, I worked for Upward Bound, which is where I discovered my reason for even considering policy school. What I liked about the high school students with whom I worked is that they often kept it real with me. One particular student who was a focused athlete and always engaged with the community, always wanted to learn something new, stopped me in the hallway and asked me the following. Mr. Juan, do you really think that I can make it to college? I could not lie, his face demanded an honest answer. Listen, I said, if someone like me, who had little guidance and direction, with little to no resources, and who is not the smartest, can make it, then yes, you will make it. For me, these students are a big part of why I am here at the Ford School. I want to be the change that will give high school students, like those I met at Upward Bound, the ability to be college graduates. As you reflect on your time here at the Ford School, I asked two things of you. One, remember there are time together was more than answering the three questions. What are your policy interests? Where are you entering this summer? And what are you doing after graduation? Two, hold on to that reason they got you here. Your purpose is strong enough to get you through your next step in life. Each of you has a different reason or story, but that same reason brought us together to prepare ourselves to take on the challenges facing our world. And remember, we are in it together. We are, as Jackson Boss would say, the Ford Fam. Thank you, y vamos azul.