COMMENCEMENT SPEECH
BY DR. LEONEL FERNÁNDEZ
FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
LEHMAN COLLEGE, MAY 31, 2002

Honorable Ricardo Fernandez, President of Lehman College,
Distinguished faculty and staff,
Families,
Distinguished guests,
Graduate class of 2002,
Dear friends:

Over twenty years ago, I was a frequent visitor to this prestigious institution of higher learning. Back then, I had a friend who was taking a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and he used to invite me to come with him to some of his classes. I was delighted to do so and truly enjoyed it. I even considered the possibility of making a transfer from my Alma Mater in the Dominican Republic to Lehman College.

Of course, it never occurred to me that at some point in the future I would be receiving a degree and would have the honor of delivering the commencement speech, as I am doing today, even though I never got to register here, nor went through the stressful experience and anxiety of preparing classes or taking exams at this highly regarded educational center.

As you can see, I am a truly lucky guy!

Now, I would like to thank the authorities of Lehman College for having considered me so highly and treated me so generously. And for having made into reality, without even suspecting it, an unfulfilled desire I cherished over two decades ago.

Thank you, President Ricardo Fernández, for such an honor and distinction.

But, look at all of you! In order to be here you have had to go through long hours of hard work and dedication. You have spent numerous sleepless nights reading lots of books and writing many reports. You have earned your degrees with strong will and perseverance.

Some of you even had to risk your jobs in order to attend classes. Or discard valuable opportunities to earn some additional income. Others, and here I refer in particular to the brave lady students of Lehman College, had to go through the pain of leaving their children with other people in order to be able to continue their education. You have all sacrificed a lot.

In order to be able to receive today, here, in the presence of all of us, your degree in Lehman College, you have had to contribute with much more than just long hours of learning.

You have accomplished your goals of acquiring knowledge and skills that will help you face the challenges of the future, and I sincerely congratulate you on that. Don't you feel proud about it? I think you should.

Like many of you, I am of Dominican and Hispanic origin. And just like you, I have struggled from my humble beginnings to uplift myself through knowledge and hard work. All through my lifetime, my strongest motivation has always been the desire to help transform our impoverished communities and our country into a more modern, prosperous and dignified place to live. And this, dear friends, I believe, is a mission you will be embracing as you leave this campus.

While I was campaigning for the presidency in the Dominican Republic, back in 1996, I had a slogan I used to repeat frequently. It said: "Let's transform the Dominican Republic into a little New York". And that has been my dream.

I spent my childhood in this city and I have never forgotten what makes the Big Apple what it is: the best place in the world! Huge skyscrapers, long bridges, underwater tunnels, beautiful parks, fancy shops, successful businesses, art galleries, fabulous museums, great theatres, bustling streets, people from all over the world, noisy subways and tasty pizzas - that's New York.

And let me tell you what I have always felt about the Bronx: it's the World Series, it's Yankee Stadium!

Nobody and nothing can take away the soul of New York. Nothing could ever destroy the courage and the sense of solidarity of its inhabitants, the optimism and the entrepreneurial spirit of its citizens.

Recently this wonderful city has gone through some very tragic experiences. And there are still threats hanging in the air. Tall towers have crumbled, many hard working people perished, numerous families have suffered.

All of us who feel part of this great metropolis know very well that nothing can ever diminish its greatness and nothing can detain its vibrant prosperity. I would like to express my most sincere feelings of friendship and support to all its citizens and congratulate all of you on having worked towards making New York into a true example of how people of different origins, cultures, languages and traditions can build together, side by side, a productive society with strong values and great achievements.

It was in this diverse atmosphere of New York that I first learned the values of democracy, tolerance, justice and fairness, and I will always be grateful for it.

And it was here that, as a child, I first heard these beautiful words that still move me in a powerful way: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-"

When I returned to the Dominican Republic, in my teenage years, I quickly grasped the difference between the two settings. New York, a prosperous and fast moving place, and the Dominican Republic, still an underdeveloped country, plagued with poverty, illiteracy and lack of opportunities.

It was at that time that my dream began to take hold. First, as an emotional reaction, as a reluctance to accept our national reality. Later, it turned into an irresistible urge to do something about it.

If during my presidential term, I was actually able to fulfill at least a part of that dream, it is largely due to the experience I gained while living in New York and the reference it created for me to look upon.

Now I have another dream. It has to do with all of you, and particularly it is the dream of young and well educated Dominicans and Latinos working towards their nations' and communities' social and economic development. Learning how to transfer their knowledge, experiences and skills for the benefit of their peoples.

In order to obtain these goals, our youth in the Dominican and the Latino community must be like you: educated.

As you know, this is not always the case. And one of our main challenges is to create the opportunity and the proper environment to make this happen.

Right now, though, the statistics are still gloomy.

The Hispanic community is growing at an unprecedented rate. By the year 2050, it is expected that 1 out of every 4 Americans will be Hispanic. As an example, right now, in California, Latinos represent 30 percent of the population and by 2020 are projected to outnumber non-Hispanic whites in that State.

Unfortunately, up till now, our so important minority has not been able to convert its physical presence into a real economic, political and social force. One of the main missing elements for such a transformation and one of the biggest possibilities for this important change lies precisely in the area of education.

Many Hispanic youths leave school before getting a high school diploma and the undergraduate degree attainment level among Hispanics is still below other groups.

In the last twenty years, the Latino youth has increased the number of associate and bachelor degrees earned, but their percentage in general terms is still very low.

In graduate education, the situation is even worse. While non-Hispanic whites represent 81 % of the students enrolled, and blacks 8 %, the Hispanic community constitutes a meager 5 %.

Generally speaking, the education gap between Latinos and non-Latinos grows wider with the higher level of education.

And it is very clearly and directly reflected in the fact that the Latino population has a lower median per capita income than Whites or Blacks.

What is missing? What can be done?

First of all, awareness. The full awareness of how important it is for our young boys and girls to get good quality education that will enable them to look for better jobs, qualify for higher positions and prosper further in decent living conditions.

If we as families, as parents, fully embrace the education of our sons and daughters as a number one priority, we are making the biggest contribution to the future success in their personal lives as well as in our whole communities. If our youngsters can feel how important it is to us that they excel at what they learn and what they do, they will receive the so needed encouragement that sometimes is the only missing element for them to succeed.

We can create an extremely valuable support environment for our young people. Families, organized communities, peer support groups, adult role models, mentors - they all can play a crucial role in our youth's decisions, preferences and orientation.

We all have in our lives memories of that significant person, or even a number of them, who told us the right thing at the right moment, and it changed all our lives. For the better. Can't you remember a neighbor, a family member, a successful adult, a teacher or simply a friend, who knew how to help you develop the best in you and encouraged you to go into the world and embrace its opportunities?

Imagine if you could have the whole network of people like that, people who are at your side while making life decisions, helping you face challenges and trust your own abilities!

Of course, the role of the appropriate financial support for studies cannot be neglected. The lack of resources can sometimes be an insurmountable obstacle.

But the essential fact that we always have to keep in mind is that education empowers. It empowers people, it empowers whole communities, it empowers nations. Without education we are left behind, we remain in the backyard, we are discarded as outdated machines that lie forgotten.

The World is moving forward at an incredible speed. New scientific discoveries question or deny our well established truths on a daily basis. Each time a new working position is open, new skills are added to its list of requirements. Permanent, life long learning is not an intellectual yearning restricted to a selective group of particularly brainy individuals. It is a necessity, common to each and every person who wishes to live a fruitful life.

Now, at the same time, luckily, the World is full of opportunities. Being open to them and learning how to tap into them, is a very important starting point.

We live within the so-called "knowledge economy" that is building a "global knowledge society". Knowledge itself is the most important asset, the highest value, the dearest possession a person, a community or a nation can have.

Only ten years ago, there were not more than 50 sites on the internet. Today, there are more than 350 million.

The information is being produced at an unbelievable pace. It is interconnected, it is being exchanged, enriched and modified every single moment. The experts say that by 2010 the amount of the information produced in the world will double every 72 hours. Sincerely, our minds are not even able to grasp the scope of this prediction.

Ours is the World of microchips, a weightless world. We are right in the eye of the information technology revolution. And we are faced with inevitable challenges.

The only way forward for us is to face them, work through them and convert them in our victories and success stories.

Now, let me tell you something on a very personal level. Very confidentially.

About six years ago, when I was elected president, I did not have one sole gray hair on my head. Look at me now - very soon, my hair will be as white as snow.

As I look back, it means only one thing - experience. All kinds of experiences: pleasant and unpleasant; nice moments, sad moments; wonderful days, lonesome days; excitement and desperation; hope and disappointment; achievements and losses.

All this perhaps entitles me to give you some advice.

Life is a long winding road, as one of the old time Beatles songs says. And it is a bumpy one. It is a road of permanent change, constant learning and self improvement.

Sometimes you will feel as if you were gliding in the air, walking over the clouds, almost touching the stars, just to find yourselves a few moments later driving down a dirt road, covered with mud, jumping over potholes, with your head bumping against the top of the vehicle.

That's life and you are here to deal with it. You are here to learn from it, teach others what you have learned and make this tiny, but very special contribution to your family, your community, your nation and the World.

This is the very best thing you can ask for and the most you can do.

A modern leader is a person who has his head above the clouds, his eyes fixed in the stars and his feet firmly on the ground.

I wish you all good luck. God bless you.

Thank you very much.