Text 2613, 236 rader
Skriven 2006-05-11 23:33:14 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0605115) for Thu, 2006 May 11
====================================================
===========================================================================
President Bush Delivers Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Commencement Address
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 11, 2006

President Bush Delivers Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Commencement Address
Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Biloxi, Mississippi


˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Education

2:29 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. President Lott; members of the
faculty, staff and administration; distinguished guests; family, friends,
and, most importantly of all, the graduating class of Mississippi Gulf
Coast Community College. (Applause.)

This afternoon, we celebrate commencement in a stadium that is still under
repair, near streets lined with temporary housing, in a region where too
many lives have been shattered -- and there has never been a more hopeful
day to graduate in the state of Mississippi. (Applause.)

I am proud to stand before some of the most determined students at college
or university in America. (Applause.) Over these past nine months you have
shown a resilience more powerful than any storm. You continued your studies
in classrooms with crumbling walls. You lost homes, and slept in tents near
campus to finish courses. You cleared debris during the day and you went to
class at night. You worked past exhaustion to catch up. By your
determination to reach this day, you have sent a message to our nation and
the world: Mississippi is coming back, and it's going to be better than
ever before. (Applause.)

You have sent a message and I came with a message of my own: This nation
honors your dedication. We're inspired by your optimism, and we'll help
this great state of Mississippi rebuild. (Applause.)

I'm honored to be the first sitting President to address a community
college commencement. (Applause.) Recognizing this is a grand occasion, I
wanted some tips from the best speaker I know -- so I went to the First
Lady, Laura. (Laughter.) I asked her what I should talk about, and she
said, "You ought to talk about 15 minutes." (Laughter.) Listen, I've
learned her advice is worth taking. She sends her best to you all.
(Applause.)

Today I want to share a few thoughts on the history you've seen this year
-- and the history you will make once you leave this fine college. For some
of you, graduation day has been a long time in the making. Many of you have
large responsibilities beyond school, such as jobs and families to care
for, and none of those roles are part-time. Others here are taking a first
step toward further education at one of Mississippi's fine universities.
And on this special afternoon, some of you are fulfilling the dreams of
generations by becoming the first person in your family to graduate from
college.

This college is also part of a strong military community -- (applause) --
and it's obvious some of you have earned your degree while serving your
nation in uniform. (Applause.) And I'm proud to be your Commander-in-Chief.
(Applause.) There are also military family members in the graduating class,
including the Levens family of Long Beach. Margaret Levens and her son,
Matt, are getting their degrees -- (applause) -- and they're both carrying
pictures of a loved one who they remember today. Earlier this year, Donnie
Levens, Margaret's son and Matt's brother, was killed in a helicopter crash
while his Marine unit was fighting terrorists near the Horn of Africa.
Margaret says Donnie's courage inspired her to complete her studies. She
said: "I've never been a quitter. Donnie was never a quitter either. He had
a job to do and he did it well. And I am graduating for him today."
(Applause.) America honors the service of Donnie Levens -- and we honor the
strength and the sacrifice of our military families. (Applause.)

This day of accomplishment would not be possible without the faculty and
the staff and the administration of this college. They reopened this school
just 17 days after the worst natural disaster in American history struck
your campus and your state. All who work at this college have dedicated
themselves to this school's stated mission of making "a positive difference
in people's lives every day." You have fulfilled that mission, and so much
more. Your students will always remember your unselfish service in an hour
of need -- and the United States of America is grateful for your service.
(Applause.)

This is my 10th visit to Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina hit. I've seen
firsthand the devastation in Gulfport and Gautier, Poplarville and
Pascagoula, and Pass Christian, Bay Saint Louis and Biloxi. This was the
first city in your state I visited after the storm. I remember walking down
the street with your fine Mayor through a neighborhood where every house
had been destroyed. I remember sitting on a doorstep that was surrounded by
boards. I remember looking in the eyes of people who were stunned and
saddened, longing for all they had lost.

I remember something else, too -- a quiet, unyielding determination to
clear the wreckage and build anew. People who saw their own houses
flattened rose to the aid of neighbors. One group of men tied themselves
with a rope, dove into a flooded street, and pulled 20 others to safety.
Churches and congregations gave to their limit of their resources, and then
found a way to give more. Thousands lost their homes, their cars, and their
businesses -- but not their faith in the future. (Applause.) Across this
state, a powerful spirit has emerged: a Mississippi spirit that sees hope
in adversity, and possibility in pain -- and summons a strength that wind
and water can never take away. (Applause.)

And that Mississippi spirit is embodied by your great Governor, Haley
Barbour. (Applause.) Haley spoke for the state when he said: "People aren't
leaving. They're hitching up their britches and rebuilding Mississippi."
(Applause.) That Mississippi spirit is carried to Washington by your superb
United States Senators, Trent Lott and Thad Cochran -- (applause) -- and by
an outstanding congressional delegation. And the Mississippi spirit is
sustained daily by your mayors and county officials and local leaders. And
many of those leaders are here today. And I appreciate your service -- and
you can count on a steady partner in my administration. (Applause.)

Over the past nine months, we have seen what the Mississippi spirit can
achieve: The population of coastal Mississippi has returned almost all the
way to full strength. Every school district that closed after the hurricane
has reopened. More than 90 percent of the debris has been cleared. Highways
and bridges are being repaired. Homeowners are rebuilding, with the help
from the state and the federal government. There are more jobs available in
Mississippi today than before the storm -- and the resurgence of this great
state has only begun. (Applause.)

The renewal of the Gulf Coast is one of the largest rebuilding efforts the
world has ever seen -- and all of you will play a leading role. Your
experience at this college has prepared you to shape the future of your
state. I ask you to rise to the challenge of a generation: Apply your skill
and your knowledge, your compassion and your character, and help write a
hopeful new chapter in the history of the Gulf Coast.

A hopeful future for the Gulf Coast will require your skill and your
knowledge. The destruction left by Katrina reaches beyond anything we could
have imagined. Rebuilding will create an immediate need for workers with a
wide range of skills. I appreciate how this college responded, by offering
courses in carpentry and plumbing and electrical and dry-wall, and other
skills in high demand. Federal funds allowed students to complete these
courses for free, and many have moved straight into good jobs with
Mississippi companies. When it comes to rebuilding this state, there is no
question "if," it is a matter of "when." Mississippi will rebuild, and you
will be the ones to rebuild it. (Applause.)

Ultimately, rebuilding this region will require more than the
reconstruction of building and bridges that were destroyed. A renewal of
the Gulf Coast will also require creativity and innovation and enterprise
in every aspect of society. The growth and vitality of the Gulf Coast will
come from people who open new stores, design new urban plans, create new
jobs, teach children, and care for the sick. The key to unlocking these
opportunities is knowledge -- and millions who want to gain new knowledge
come to community colleges just like the one you're graduating from. In the
Gulf Coast and beyond, community colleges are the centers of hope and the
gateways to social mobility. At any stage in life, you can come to a
community college, and you can learn something new, and you can put
yourself on a course to realize your dreams.

The Class of 2006 is filled with people determined to use their knowledge
to revitalize the Gulf Coast. It's full of people determined to realize
dreams. Today I met Tracy Malosh, and she's graduating with a degree in
nursing. Tracy was born nearby at Keesler Air Force Base, and she has lived
in this part of the country her whole life. She married her high school
sweetheart, Charles, 13 years ago, and they have three children who, by the
way, are proudly watching their mom graduate today. After Tracy's son
Trevor was born with a heart condition, she decided to come to this college
to become a pediatric nurse. When Hurricane Katrina hit, Tracy's family
lost everything they owned, but she kept coming to class. She was
determined. Her family is now looking for a new home in the area. Today
Tracy gets a degree and she's planning to work in pediatrics at a local
hospital. And here is what she said: "I can't even begin to describe to you
how good it feels to finish this. I always knew I'd go back to school, but
I never knew I'd face the difficulties that I did -- and I conquered this."

Tracy's story is a clear lesson -- it's never too late to get a fresh start
in life. And people all over the Gulf Coast are following her lead. Out of
the devastation of Katrina will come great opportunities to get a fresh
start in life. And for many in this great state, the road to a brighter
future will run through a community college.

A hopeful future for the Gulf Coast will require your compassion and your
character. Our whole nation has been moved by the outpouring of kindness
and decency shown by the people of this great state. Neighbors have joined
forces to care for the weak and the vulnerable. Strangers have come
together to help each other cope. Now you must work to sustain the
compassion inspired by this storm long after the damage has been cleared
away. I urge you to take the same determination you brought to rebuilding
schools, and use it to ensure that every school provides a good education.
Use that same bravery it takes to rescue people from water to rescue
communities from poverty. My hope is that one day Americans will look back
at the rebuilding of Mississippi and say that your work added not only to
the prosperity of our country, but also to the character as our nation.
(Applause.)

Earlier today, I met one of your classmates who represents the character
necessary for the Gulf Coast to succeed. Kendrick Kennedy grew up here in
Biloxi. He's a proud graduate of Biloxi High. At age 30, an illness caused
Kendrick to go blind, and eventually he lost his job. So he decided to come
to this college. He recorded each of his lectures on tape, and House
scanned his books into a computer program provided by the school that reads
them aloud. When the hurricane hit, Kendrick opened his home to family
members in need, and he returned to school as soon as possible. Today, this
good man is graduating at the top of his class, and he hopes to attend law
school one day. (Applause.) Here is what Kendrick said: "I'd be dawgoned if
I was going to let Hurricane Katrina stop me." (Laughter and applause.) "I
thought, 'you started school when you were blind and you can overcome this
hurricane.'" Kendrick is right -- and today we honor his inspiring example.
(Applause.)

That same optimism is present in many of the graduates today, and so many
others across the Gulf Coast. And optimism is justified. There is going to
be a day when communities across Mississippi sparkle with new homes, and
businesses bustle with customers, and this college is filled with more
students than ever before. I plan to return one day to the Biloxi
neighborhood I visited on my first trip, and see beautiful homes with
children playing in the yards. (Applause.) Across this entire region
devastated by the storm, new vitality will emerge from the rubble and
cities from Mobile to Biloxi to New Orleans will be whole again.

It's going to take time for that vision to be realized, and it will demand
the skill and knowledge and character of all of you. Yet you can leave this
college with confidence in your future, and with certainty that you're not
going to work alone. In these trying months, we have been aided by a Power
that lightens our struggles, reveals our hidden strength, and helps conquer
all suffering and loss. We can never know God's plan, but we can trust in
His wisdom and in His grace. And we can be certain that with His help, the
great state of Mississippi will rise again. (Applause.)

Congratulations to the Class of 2006. May God bless you, and may God bless
the United States of America. (Applause.)

END 2:50 P.M. CDT

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060511-5.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)