The audience had the privilege of hearing one of our very own residents give the commencement speech. Buddy Boe was the speaker at the Spring Graduation of South Central Technical College and his words really say it all.

Here is a short excerpt of his message to the graduates.

“Building communities from the River to the Gulf”… this school system’s slogan … let’s unpack that for a second.

Those of you from South Louisiana … come from generations of doers, makers and celebrators. We build. We do the tough jobs other regions don’t want to do. We make the things most people don’t even know they use on a daily basis. And we party hard because we work hard. We’re a region of diverse immigrant groups that came here over time and under different flags of various nations and empires to start a life in a very rough area, ravaged by storms and hurricanes, in 98-degree heat, 150 percent humidity, while having to fight off mosquitoes bigger than our dogs.

But the product of those generations of work is a region with a zest for life unmatched around the globe, a sense of community that rallies around its members in need, and a resilient economy that gets knocked down over and over again but always gets back up.

You are part of that cycle now. You’re a part of it with every patient you treat, every process you streamline and correct, and every piece of equipment you fix that keeps this region from the River to the Gulf working, growing and living. “

U s… We … the region. Our communities. Your job is to make the world a better place for all of us. We are all in this together. One thing I’ve learned in life is that if we are going to succeed it won’t be because we did it alone. We did it with the help of everyone we meet in life, you too … your professor, your parent, your partner and your classmates.

Life is about relationships … so constantly work to grow your network, expand your circle.”

Another graduation ceremony behind us, 125 new certified, diploma or degreed citizens ready and fully prepared to continue to build and shape our region for our future and future of those to follow.

Graduation Day is filled with so many emotions of relief, happiness, anticipation and even some sadness at the end of something. By far it is one of my most favorite days of the year as I watch students become graduates. It is with a great deal of pride I send one final message to our graduates. Go out and be what you were meant to be, and be GREAT at it.”

Penelope Freeman is Campus Dean for South Central Louisiana Technical College. She is at the Reserve Campus. Email her at penelopefreeman@ scl.edu.