 and a privilege to address such a dignified gathering here today, all under the umbrella of celebrating success. This is truly an auspicious occasion, not only for us, the graduating class, and those of you witnessing the ceremony, but also those who would have liked to be here, but for various reasons could not be here in person. Congratulations are in order. I am J.B. Philip, valedictorian of class of 2017. For me in particular, today is a dream come true. A college education has always been my dream. So you can imagine my disappointment when I was denied entry into this college upon completion of my secondary education. But I did not give up on my dream, not at all. My failure fueled my ambition and determination. It took me four long years of hard labor to overcome the myriad of hurdles that came my way. And voila, today I stand before you as valedictorian, giving proof of what unwavering faith and perseverance can be. So with great pride and pleasure, we class of 2017 borrow a verse from one of the letters of St. Paul to say, we have fought the good fight, we have finished the race, and most importantly, we have kept the faith. While today is a landmark occasion in which we should rightly celebrate, we could not have arrived here alone. My fellow graduates, join me in extending profound gratitude and appreciation to all those who gave us this life-changing opportunity. My fellow graduates, may I invite you to place your hand on the person next to you. Now don't get too emotional there, okay? Unclose your eyes for a while, and as we were advised to do in business class, do a SWAT analysis, try to reminisce, create your own unique memories of the Sa'a Falou's Community College experience that we will take away with us. I can see some of you smiling, some frowning, some grinning, some nodding as the experiences come back to mind. Some uplifting, some transformational, some mesmerizing, some amazing, some utterly shocking. Then offer a silent prayer of gratitude and thanks to those who are missed, your family, the entire Sa'a Falou's Community College staff and administration, the library, the canteen, the ground staff, your teachers, considering what they are paid, you cannot thank them enough. Your friends, sharing workloads, secrets, lunch breaks, the makeups, the breakups, now open your eyes, certain that you are overwhelmed by the magnitude of your experiences. Charles Dickens, do come in from a different era, something that was perfect in his quote, when he said, I could, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope. We had everything before us, we had nothing before us, unquote. Permit me to take a few minutes to pay special tribute to the Southern Compass, still the illegitimate child of which I am a product. Whether it be scholarship, commitment, the staff at the Southern Compass are amazing. Some of the full-time lecturers have their unique personalities. For example, Mr. Ogis is like a tube of toothpaste, if you press his buttons, you would see his true color. Mr. Cereie, our walking calculator, knows every X and every Y that Mr. Math has. Ms. Isaac, our English perfectionist, who smiles says the opposite of what she means. Ms. Popo, though so spoken, is hard on the cases. All of those seeds of knowledge and skills have helped who we are, who we will become, long live the staff of the Southern Compass. On a more serious note, there is no other local education institution that I know of that opens its doors at 7 a.m., only the Southern Compass. I vividly remember the confusion in my mind when I saw a 7 a.m. on my schedule as a new student. This must be an error, I thought, until the secretary confirmed that it was indeed correct. But how does my brain begin to think at that ungodly hour when the rest of the nation is fast asleep? But we, the students, adjusted almost immediately and students as far as souffle is easily adapted. I cannot conclude without making a plea for better in the Southern division. One need that should be given priority is facilities for more of what you call extracurricular activities, but I see as enrichment programs for students with an eight hour break between classes. Students need more positive avenues to expend their overwhelming energy. Right now, some are the mercy of uptown liquor store and Sunday beach. The consequences that we are all too familiar with. My second plea goes to the many business houses out there to do more than turning down applications from graduates because they lack experience. Get involved in the business of education by offering apprenticeship opportunities so that students can marry, work, and school. I am now benefiting from a work study experience as an employer at a very prestigious financial institution. And now some final words to you, my colleagues. Our society today is inundated with some very frightening sounds and sights and that are presented to us in the papers on our television, on our popular talk shows as the norm. But I have come to realize that there are some outstanding people out here doing some phenomenal things that we can hardly hear about. It is our time to join them. In you, I see great potential to do great things. In you fellow graduates, I see problem solvers, healers, thinkers, doers. I see our own Usain Bolt, our next Darren Sermi, or even our own Bob Marley. He has talented and courageous individuals who are all ready to take off and make this a better place for you and for me and our children to come. And I am both humble and thankful to be a small part of the movers and shakers. Are you in or are you out? I urge you to trust in your abilities and the unimaginable will become not only imaginable but achievable. Thank you and I wish us all a healthy, safe and happy future. Ladies and gentlemen.