SHANAY BENTON, 2003 Graduate
| Watch Video: Today we are celebrating a once in a lifetime achievement, but the achievements do not end here. Each individual in this room has a dream that they want to fulfill. | |
| First and foremost, I would like to say congratulations to the three graduates. I know this has been a long journey or it seems like it has been, but hey, this is only the beginning. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. You have taken several steps to be where you are today. You will encounter many more obstacles in life but the most important thing to do is never give up. No matter what may come your way, no matter who offers you doubt, no matter how many times you fall, never give up. | |
| I am here to tell you that it’s not easy, and if it was, I don’t think that we would appreciate it as much. During my college experience, I had to face financial problems, I had to take the risk of sitting out a semester, but I didn’t let those things stop me. If you have the willpower and self motivation you will never give up. Just like a rainbow, you have the treasure at the end. |  |
| Tuskegee University had the honor of having Congressman James E. Clyburn speak at our graduation on May 11, 2008. What inspired me most was that he had run three times and lost. His friend said, “Well, this is the third strike and you are out.” Congressman Clyburn said, “That is a baseball rule; life should not be played by those rules." | |
| I would also like to thank CYD for believing in us and giving us the necessary tools to reach and achieve our goals. One of the graduates today, Quanisha Guthrie, is my niece. I knew that she wanted more out of life and I knew the best, I mean the best, source to help her make her dream a reality was Create Your Dreams. I thank them so much for giving me a chance; now I was able to give her the same opportunity to reach her goal. The only way that we can ever move forward is to help someone along the way. | |
| I challenge you to set attainable goals, to lead by example, to make the right decisions, to reach back to help someone else, and to be the best at everything you do in life. I live my life by these two quotes, “PUSH- Pray Until Something Happens” and “When you want what you never had, you must do what you’ve never done.” | |
| Ok back to my treasure, I am a proud graduate of Tuskegee University with a degree in Elementary Education. I graduated with cum laude honors. I was awarded the Winfred Wood Davis Memorial Outstanding Future Teacher Award. I continue to be part of extracurricular activites such NAACP, SNEA (Student National Education Association, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. And, I have achieved one of my biggest dream thus far, I will be teaching 2nd grade at William Boyd Elementary School, where Create Your Dreams was founded and where I attended elementary school. Watch Video | |
