WEBVTT

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Trumpets play

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Welcome to Western Oregon University's 163rd commencement.

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Trumpets play

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Pomp and Circumstance plays

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And now, singing the National Anthem is class

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of 2020 graduate Julia Fruit.

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Featuring ASL interpreter class of 2020

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graduate Natile Mederios.

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O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,

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What so proudly we hail'd

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at the twilight's last gleaming,

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Whose broad stripes and bright stars

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through the perilous fight

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O'er the ramparts we watch'd

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were so gallantly streaming?

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And the rocket's red glare,

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the bombs bursting in air,

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Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,

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O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

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O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

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Good morning, graduates and families and welcome to 

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the 163rd Western Oregon University Commencement Exercises.

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Thank you all for joining us in this new groundbreaking format.

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I truly appreciate your participation today.

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And I want to underscore that nothing about our current circumstances

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diminishes your achievements.

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Indeed, hard work and perseverance is even more laudable given the

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challenging conclusion to the academic year. It's been a rough few months,

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but you've all show the resilience that the entire WOU community has come to expect of our

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students and our graduates.

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Some of you may know that I'm an economist by training.

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Economists are professional analyzers. They evaluate facts without allowing opinion,

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emotion or personal bias to enter the equation.

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They form suggestions based upon the evidence and

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the inherent social cost of any scenario. It can be a very idealistic view of the world.

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But it can be frustrating as well.

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Because an economist's best-case reality

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is not how the real world works.

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It's not how the university works.

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Our world is complicated and we make

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many decisions based upon opinion, emotion and personal bias. Factors outside our control,

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such as a pandemic can throw a wrench into our so-called best possible outcomes.

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Plans must be adjusted for this new reality. Flexibility in the face of adversity is required.

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In the end, though, adaptability and flexibility are essential skills your time at Western

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has given you.

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It will be invaluable in your careers and your personal lives.

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And it will be invaluable in your communities as you participate as a global citizen.

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I commend all of you who are participating in our virtual Commencement exercises today for

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your flexibility and dedication to your education '" both the education you gained in the

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classroom and the self-realization

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you gained through personal growth.

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If I were to put on my economist's hat once again, I'd say the best possible outcome of a

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WOU education is sitting in the

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virtual audience before me.

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You've made it to Commencement Day, and I am certain your future will contain many more

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achievements worth celebrating.

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Finally, I'd like to recognize five Wolves who, like you, continue to make us proud.

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from Western many years ago,

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They graduated with their degrees

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but they still support our students and our community in so many different ways.

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Our Golden Wolves, who graduated 50 years ago, are Donna Hamor, Mike Holland,

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Our Alumni Award of Excellence winner

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Bob Landwehr and Sandy Sanford.

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for 2020 is Michael Morgan.

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We've created a separate video honoring these five and all the accomplishments they've

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Commencement days.

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celebrated since their own

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in the sidebar on

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That tribute is available

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this virtual commencement web page.

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Betty Komp, the chair of the Western Oregon

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Now, I'd like to cede the microphone to

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University Board of Trustees,

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who will share a few words.

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Good morning 2020 graduates.

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On behalf of the Western Oregon University Board of Trustees,

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I want to share our deepest congratulations

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on reaching your goal of obtaining a degree.

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The board's truly impressed and proud at the perseverance that's brought you to this moment

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in time, and what a moment it is.

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The challenges you've faced

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in these recent months

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prepared you for whatever life brings.

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Success at all levels is in your hands.

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Congratulations. Throughout your journey,

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you were supported by communities.

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Your community of friends and family,

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your community of WOU and staff,

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and your community of

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neighbors and hometowns.

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We're limited in our ability

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to be with you in person today,

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but that does not diminish our joy and pride

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in sharing this day of celebration with you.

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Again, the Western Oregon Board of Trustees offers its congratulations to you.

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We look forward to seeing what you accomplish as Wolves in the world.

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Hello everyone, can I get a sco' Wolves?

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Sco' Wolves!

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First and foremost, congratulations to the class of 2020. Thank you to all our friends, family,

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faculty, staff, and everyone else

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who helped us get here.

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Like many of you, I decided to come to WOU

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because it was affordable, close to home,

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and small in size.

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Little did I know I would be embedded into this diverse, tight knit community I now call home.

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My wonderful journey at WOU started with building forever friendships with my freshman

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hallmates playing Sardines, which is like inverted hide-and-go-seek,

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on countless Saturdays at midnight.

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I was involved in many things;

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I thoroughly enjoyed having my days filled,

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not just with rigorous academics.

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Aside from school related activities,

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I spent my time hanging out with friends.

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From spontaneous road trips with my Honors' Crew to having BBQs with my Hawai'i family to

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living and travelling with my best bud Ming. All the opportunities at WOU allowed me to further

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develop myself as a student, person and leader, and find a job directly related to my

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future all while having fun and making memories. Though my days were packed,

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my stress relievers - like club sports and intramurals - kept me balanced and on track.

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What were some of your stress relievers? Whatever comes to mind,

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carry them with you because life is bound to get tough again, but you will always be

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stronger than anything life throws at you. As a full time student working a few jobs,

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participating in organizations, and somehow getting 7-8 hours of sleep almost every night,

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college taught me that time is abundant.

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music

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Some of you may be thinking, "Is she nuts?"

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or "Wow, we must have different clocks!"

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and see all the things you've done,

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But really, when you take a look back

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you'll notice how much

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you can fit into each day.

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College also taught me to

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never let an opportunity go by.

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It may not come again.

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It may not be in the time or in the form

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you were hoping for, but if you

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from it that will help you later in life.

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you're bound to gain something

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No one person or small group of people can speak on behalf of an entire graduating class.

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at WOU. Whether you worked 3 jobs,

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We've each had our own unique journey

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participated in organizations, or had a family

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to take care of, WOU played a huge role.

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It served as a home, an outlet,

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or a sea of opportunity for us.

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I surveyed some of my classmates and asked, What 5 words come to mind when you think

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has WOU made on you?

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about WOU? and, What impact

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our collective class as a whole.

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I want this speech to embody

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What do you think the most common word to come to mind was? COMMUNITY!

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Some other recurring words included supportive, growth, affordable, diversity,

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and opportunity. Every response was distinct, but they all implied WOU providing

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opportunities for discovery as a student and person in addition to forming incomparable

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relationships and connections

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with other students, faculty, and staff.

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As for my favorite response? Squirrels! Even though it reminded me of my unsuccessful

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attempt to capture Chester the squirrel,

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my first failure of many in college.

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I'm sure we've all had our fair share of failures, adversity may have been the force that brought

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you to this point - becoming college graduates at this very moment.

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The time has come to use what we've learned from our successes and failures coupled with

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our adventures and experiences to make a difference!

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Let's give a big THANK YOU to WOU for providing a journey packed full of experiences

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that make you who you are. Now, it's time to celebrate your accomplishments and where

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you are headed.

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Sco' Wolves!

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Al ser una estudiante bilingue y bicultural,

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tengo el privilegio de dar parte

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de mi discurso hoy en mi idioma nativo.

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Primero quiero decir que el estar aqu' presentando a la clase del 2020

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son un gran honor y representa los sacrificios

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que mis padres han hecho

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por mi y mis hermanos.

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Este reconocimiento demuestra

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que con la perseverancia, optimismo

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y un sistema de apoyo,

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uno puede alcanzar sus metas.

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En la universidad, los sistemas de apoyo

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son de gran ayuda para los estudiantes.

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Especialmente para los estudiantes

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de primera generacion.

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La oficina de programas para

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estudiantes multiculturales

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y el programa de enriquecimiento estudiantil

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empodero a muchos estudiantes

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incluyendome a mi,

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y nos guiaron a llegar a donde

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estamos hoy, nuestra graduaci'n.

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Otra gran ayuda que tuve en la

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universidad fue mi hermana Susana,

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quien tambien se esta

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graduando hoy con nosotros.

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El tener a mi hermana en esta

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experiencia de nuestras vidas

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ha hecho una gran diferencia

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porque me apoyo con mis estudios.

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Mi hermana, mis padres, Jesus y Erendira,

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mi hermano Alexander, mis amigos cercanos,

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y hasta mi perro Sparky formaron

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parte de este gran y largo camino.

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Quien te apoyo a ti?

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Toma unos momentos para

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pensar en esas personas que

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con su apoyo incondicional,

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hicieron que hoy te graduaras.

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Me gusta pensar que nuestra

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universidad, siendo tan peque'ita,

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puede ofrecer grandes oportunidades.

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Mis posiciones de liderazgo

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en la escuela me ensenaron

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que la representacion en las

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posiciones de liderazgo es importante

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porque empodera a los estudiantes que tradicionalmente tienen baja representaci'n.

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para los estudiantes indocumentados

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El club the Unidos es un recurso

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y estudiantes con familias con gran

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variedad de estatus migratorios.

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En este club aprendi que, para salir adelante,

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la perseverancia es la cura de la incertidumbre.

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Sin embargo, debemos ensenarnos a acostumbrarnos a la incertidumbre;

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porque la verdad es que la incertidumbre

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esta en todos nosotros.

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Debemos reconocer esto

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especialmente en estos tiempos

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en los que nos enfrentamos

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a una pandemia global.

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Es la manera en que decidimos

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pelear contra la incertidumbre

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la cual nos ayuda a todos a

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perseverar y salir adelante.

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En mi caso, los sonadores han sido

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una inspiracion para aprender

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que significa salir adelante y

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mantenernos perseverantes:

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Con ello aprendiendo a permitir

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que la adversidad nos empodere

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y ayude a convertirnos en personas

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que hacen un mundo mejor

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para quienes pasan por lo mismo hoy.

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Soy una comunidad.

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No soy algo de lo que se deben avergonzar.

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Soy algo de lo que deben estar orgullosos.

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Mi perseverancia. Mis sacrificios.

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Mi habilidad de soportar una vida

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de incertidumbre y de dolor.

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De deshumanizacion: De racismo.

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Le agradezco a los aliados.

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Ellos me motivan a continuar.

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El movimiento me reconoce.

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Me humaniza. Me ve. Me valora. Esa es la luz.

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Esta universidad ha sido la luz

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para muchos so'adores.

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Como Alma Pacheco, a quien conoci en mi primer ano y me motivo a involucrarme.

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Ella era la Presidenta del Gobierno

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Estudiantil en la Western

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y me dio una tarjeta de contacto, la cual

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he conservado hasta el d'a de hoy.

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Alma me abri' los ojos y la puerta

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a muchas oportunidades.

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Por ello, sent' la obligaci'n de

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honrar y continuar su legado

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apoyando a los estudiantes tradicionalmente con escasa representacion en las instituciones.

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Entonces, a traves de mis posiciones

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de liderazgo en la escuela,

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decidi desarrollar un proyecto para

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crear un centro para Dreamers

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en la universidad.

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Cual es tu legado?

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Quiero que pienses en el legado

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que tu est's dejando hoy

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y en los estudiantes que continuaran

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el trabajo que tu has hecho.

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En el futuro, voy a continuar

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aprendiendo c'mo puedo abogar

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por los estudiantes con baja representaci'n

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en el sistema de educacion

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y crear leyes que apoyen a todos lo estudiantes y asegurar la equidad.

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en la universidad de Western Oregon!

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Atraves de mis experiencias,

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aprendi que mi comunidad,

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la comunidad Latinx, no esta

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representada en lugares importantes

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y me di cuenta que una ley puede tener un impacto grande en las vidas de las personas

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y esto es a lo que quiero dedicar mi vida:

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el crear acceso para las personas.

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Maya Angelou dijo, "Haz lo mejor

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que puedas hasta que sepas mas.

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Para cuando sepas mas,

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hacerlo aun mejor."

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Todos tenemos expectativas de nosotros y

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de lo que debemos hacer con nuestras vidas.

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Los reto a que salgan de la mentalidad que tienen que tener toda su vida planeada.

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En su lugar, aprende a tomar riesgos y

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a sentirse bien en situaciones

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incomodas e inciertas.

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Ahi es donde ocurre el desarrollo personal.

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Aprende a tomar saltos de fe

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que te lleguen m's

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cerca a la persona en la que te

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quieres convertir y a pasar tu legado

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a generaciones que lleguen detras de ti.

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Entonces, clase del 2020, cual sera tu legado?

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This award is truly an honor. It means the sacrifices my parents have

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made were worth it. This award means that with resilience,

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optimism and a support system, one can accomplish their goals. In college,

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support systems are crucial for students. Departments such as the Multicultural Student

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Services and Programs office and the Student Enrichment Program helped empower and

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guide me and many other underrepresented students to where we are today.

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Another support system I had throughout my time at WOU was my sister Susana,

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who is graduating with us today.

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Not many people get to experience college with their sibling,

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but having her support made all the difference. I could confide in her,

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she would bring me coffee during my evening class,

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and would stay up late to study with me at the library.

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My family, my close friends and my dog Sparky were my support system.

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Who was there for you? Think about the people who with small gestures and unconditional

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support made college possible for you. I like to think of WOU as a small school with big

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opportunities. My leadership roles taught me that you can help create an inclusive

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community. They taught me that empowering underrepresented students is important.

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And that representation in leadership positions is crucial because it helps empower others to

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step up. Unidos Club, a support system for undocumented students and students with

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mixed status families, taught me that resilience is a cure to uncertainty.

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However, we must all teach ourselves to be comfortable with the feeling of uncertainty.

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Because the truth is uncertainty is in ALL of us. Especially in the midst of a global pandemic.

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But how we choose to fight the uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty is how we become

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resilient. Dreamers taught me what resilience is: learning to allow adversity to empower

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and shape you so you can make the world a better place for people who went through the

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difficulties you went through. Listen to these words of a Dreamer's struggle:

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My resilience. My resourcefulness. My sacrifice.

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My courage to withstand the agony that is a life of uncertainty and pain. Of dehumanization.

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Of racism. I thank the allies. They keep me going. The movement recognizes me.

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Humanizes me. Values me. Sees me. That is the light.

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WOU has been the light for many Dreamers.

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During my first year, I met a Dreamer named Alma Pacheco.

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We met at the WUC and she encouraged me to get involved on campus as she handed me her

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ASWOU President contact card.

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I've kept it to this day. Alma's outstretched hand opened doors of opportunity to me.

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Alma's legacy was to support underrepresented students and I felt compelled

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to continue that legacy through my campus involvement and through my proposal for a

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Dream Center at WOU, which received the Maurice Undergraduate Initiative Prize.

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What is your legacy?

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I want you to think about the legacy you are leaving behind today and the students who will

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continue the work you have begun.

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As for the future, I want to continue learning how I can advocate for underrepresented

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students in education and I'm excited to do so as a Master's student at WOU.

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I want to create policies that support all students and ensure equity.

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Through my experiences, I've learned that my community, the Latinx community,

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is not represented in spaces that are crucial.

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I realized that one policy can have a major impact on people's lives.

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That is what I would like to do moving forward:

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create access for people. Maya Angelou said, "Do the best you can until you know better.

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Then when you know better, do better."

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We all have expectations of what we want to do with our lives.

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But, I challenge you to get out of the mindset that you need to have your life figured out.

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Instead, learn to take leaps of faith that get you closer to the person you want to become,

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to the legacy you want to leave behind. So, class of 2020, what will be your legacy?

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It is an honor to be speaking on behalf of the OHSU Monmouth Nursing Class of 2020.

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Graduating from OHSU's rigorous nursing program was not easy.

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Not to mention the fact that we are graduating virtually and unlike any other graduation in

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WOU or OHSU history. Like all of you, those of us in the nursing program have overcome

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many hurdles and obstacles and have fought long and hard to be here today.

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From that CPR sim that left us sore for days, to the long and overly caffeinated nights studying

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for exams and writing papers to quickly adapting to the sudden changes that the

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COVID pandemic brings.

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When we envisioned our senior year, I am not sure this is what we had in mind.

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We were excited for our newfound independence and to finally put our education

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into practice.

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We looked forward to practicum and to finally start feeling like nurses.

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We had all worked incredibly hard to have that clinical experience.

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Some days it felt like the pandemic swept our chance to further develop as nurses.

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Nonetheless, we adapted to the online curriculum and managed to find the positives in

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the wondrous and sometimes frustrating vSim's as prep for the NCLEX and experience for

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pediatric, and labor and delivery patients. COVID has taught me that we are resilient.

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We made it through nursing school, we are surviving a pandemic,

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and we have what it takes to become amazing nurses.

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I know that with our strong foundation in nursing education

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the rest of the hands-on skills will follow.

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Nursing school was the foundation of our careers,

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and now the real learning can begin as we take on our first nursing jobs and

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develop into the nurses we dreamed of becoming.

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When someone asks what is it like to be in nursing school and our response is that we

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consumed enough coffee to give a horse a myocardial infarction, but don't worry,

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we also learned the acronym to treat it. MONAB, if you're wondering.

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Oh, yes we also cried almost every term. That leaves people wondering,

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was nursing school worth it? And to that, the answer is YES!

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We spent hundreds of hours helping to provide holistic patient care.

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We recognize that caring for a patient and making them better is physical, mental, social,

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societal, economical and so much more.

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We may go home from a shift not sure if their health improved,

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but we will know that we made a difference.

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Nursing is about the little victories, whether titrating someone off oxygen or making

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someone laugh. That is what nursing is about and what makes nursing school worth it.

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I would like to end this speech by recognizing those who have supported us throughout this

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journey. It has been heartwarming to see the community pulling together to support us by

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sewing masks and cheering on the healthcare workers.

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These community actions make us excited to be joining the nursing profession.

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Thank you, amazing, hardworking, and talented nursing family,

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for supporting one another throughout the program and the pandemic.

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And thank you to our nursing faculty and mentors for guiding us from novices to

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competent nursing professionals. Finally, a huge thank you to our loved ones who

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supported us and endured our many episodes of crying,

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self-diagnosed stress overload and delirium caused by lack of sleep.

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On a final note, I'll leave you with a quote from Adlai Stevenson. "When you leave here today,

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don't forget why you came." Thank you.

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To my fellow Class of 2020 Graduates, friends and family,

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and the rest of the WOU Community, I am honored to share today with you,

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even if it is not in-person on a beautiful June day in Monmouth.

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This has not been a traditional year, and certainly not a traditional graduation.

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The past few months have been understandably focused on the COVID-19

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pandemic: the lives lost, and lives changed. People have lost their jobs,

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and the wisdom of social distancing for public health has also led to stress in how we as

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people interact and connect with those we care about. It affected today's celebration,

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as we are unable to participate in a traditional commencement.

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That might also be lucky for you, because giving this speech in-person might have led me

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to pass out from stage fright. 2020 might have changed things.

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But change does not always have to be an obstacle or continued fear that limits us.

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Previous generations have been looked up to by those who followed,

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not because of what they did when things were easy,

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but when terrible events tested their resolve.

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I have never publicly shared the following part of my life,

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but it seems like 2020 has put us in situations where sharing more of ourselves can

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help shed light on others. When I was 17, I had a severe injury to my neck and back which

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caused continued neurological damage and a depleted immune system that led me to slowly

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withdraw from people over the years. It changed me, but not for the better.

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It took my amazing family and doctors to help me eventually stabilize my condition,

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and while I will never regain my former strength and energy,

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I am able to have a life again with the people I love.

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Life did not 'return to normal', and I am thankful for that.

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Going through years of pain and eventual recovery led me to value

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things and people more.

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Learning how to say no means that when I say yes it is because I am invested,

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it matters.

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Not being able to rely on my body has meant that I must work harder for everything I do.

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But this has also meant that everything I accomplish means more to me,

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because it was hard. Ellen DeGeneres once said

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because I found what the most important thing is."

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The most important thing is to be true to yourself.

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There are times that I wonder what would have happened if some of my dreams had not ended

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because of my body betraying me.

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Those old dreams died but losing them helped me to become a better me,

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and to dream new dreams.

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Confucius said, 'Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

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I got back up again, over and over, and I pushed myself to become better.

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I met Kelley, my amazing best friend, and married her two years ago,

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and we had our son Luke at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. I went back to school.

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Earned my associates, my bachelor's, and now my master's degree.

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Each one was a battle, and each one meant more to me because of what I went through to

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get here. Somehow, I was selected to speak with all of you today.

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You have all gone through battles and overcome them. COVID-19 has changed us,

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and yet you are still here. You are a better "you" for going through all of this.

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We have lost people and dreams during this darkness,

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but the darkness is when your best comes out. It is not when things are easy that we have the

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chance to see you at your most compassionate, creative, your best self.

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It is when things are difficult that we need you to be your best.

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To the Class of 2020, and all those celebrating with us, you are resilient.

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I am honored to celebrate today with you as we

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become better versions of ourselves.

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And now I have the honor of welcoming WOU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

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Rob Winningham to the podium for the conferral of degrees.

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Thank you, Joshua.

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Normally at this part of the Commencement exercises, we'd begin announcing graduate

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names as they walk across the stage to receive their degrees.

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Instead, I invite you to explore the graduation cards available on this webpage.

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They contain personal statements and photos from all of our participants today.

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You can view your own cards as well as those for friends and classmates,

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and you may even want to view all of them.

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I am struck by how each graduate represents a long and life changing journey,

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culminating in this success that they will benefit from for the rest of their life.

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And, I am also struck by how that success can in turn affect future generations.

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I know I'll enjoy reading through each graduation card, as will President Fuller,

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whom I invite to take the microphone once more.

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Thank you Provost Winningham, and congratulations again, graduates!

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Your WOU degrees are one of the first stepping stones on your path to future success.

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Now, I think it's time we make it official - please move your tassel from the right side of your cap

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to the left side, symbolizing this important evolution from student to graduate.

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Music

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Though learning should be a life-long endeavor, today you have earned a break.

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Enjoy your celebrations with your families, friends or quarantine-mates.

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And remember, we are wolves. Wolves are resilient and smart. Wolves are leaders.

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This is your time to lead and prosper. Congratulations class of 2020.

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Clapping

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Thanks for watching this virtual ceremony of Western Oregon's 163rd commencement.

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Share your photos, video clips,

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and congratulatory messages using the hashtag WOUgrad.

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Music til end of video