Going Beyond the Limits - A Valedictory Address
Successful individuals do not stay in their comfort zones; they test their limits and go beyond them.
Let's be inspired with the words of Jaehong Kim, class valedictorian of Batch 2016, who recently got admissions in Singapore Management University with full scholarship.
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Delivered during the 2016 Commencement Exercises
Good afternoon everyone.
First of all, I would like to welcome and thank all the graduates, faculty, and guests for being here, especially my family who came from Korea. My fellow graduates, you have been working hard for the past few years in MIT International school, and I really appreciate you guys. Also, I warmly thank all the people who consistently helped me get through and stand here in front as a representative of the class of 2016.
It’s been four years since I first came to MITIS, and one of my greatest difficulties was language. When I saw some teachers and students who excelled in English, especially in speaking, I actually asked myself “When will I be like them?” Even last year, I could not imagine myself finishing all the stressful exams such as TOEFL and SAT and college application. What I eventually understood while studying and preparing for school and university admission was that I needed to know what I like, what I dislike, what I can do well, and what I cannot do well. I discovered what my strengths and weaknesses are, because I started to do and explore many things. And I have discovered a lot of weaknesses within myself rather than strengths. I found out a bunch of subjects that I am not interested in. I found out that I am not really good at concentrating and studying even for 30 minutes. I also found out that I have a huge problem in expressing my ideas to other people.
From then, I decided to do something. I tried to transform all my weaknesses into strengths. However, I was not able to do so. Additionally, I believe that I would never be able to do so in the future. You may wonder why I am not saying something positive, things like “I have finally overcome every difficulty, and I’m a great person right now.” Indeed, the more I tried to improve myself, the more I realized that I have many more weaknesses and that there are a lot of things that I needed to overcome. Although I got relatively higher scores in some standardized examinations, I feel that I am just a beginner and that I am too far from the level of proficiency. I am now able to concentrate on studying for five hours without rest, but I still feel that I am not good at concentrating. I am now able to prepare and deliver a speech, but I feel that I am still not good at expressing my ideas. I believe that I still have many things to learn and achieve. What changed within myself was that before, I was a person who always needed help in almost everything. But now, I am a person who can help other people because of my experiences and strengths.
My fellow graduates, I guess we know that we all have limits. We would eventually realize this when we go to college and meet more people. But let’s try to go beyond those limits. You might say “Oh, I cannot be such a great person because I am not smart,” or “I will always fail in this subject because I am not good at concentrating.” However, if you let your current limitations define you, you will not be able to grow and develop as individuals. Revisit your roots; identify your strengths, maximize your potential, and do something to get one step closer to achieving your dreams. Don’t worry about failing, because you can try again until you finally succeed. And as you pursue your goals with unwavering determination, you can constantly reinvent yourselves with unlimited possibilities.
Again, I would like to thank all of you for being here. I hope my speech didn’t make you sleep. And let us not forget a group of words that we have heard a million times – STRIPES: solidarity, truth, respect, integrity, perseverance, excellence, and service. Congratulations graduates, and thank you.
