Graduation Speech

Good evening everyone and thank you all for being here.

My name is Dominique Lewis, and I am so proud to be here tonight. I am a student at the El Rio Learning Center, and I am also an AmeriCorps member, part of student leadership council and ambassador for adult education.

But before any of these accomplishments, I was a negative person; negative towards anything and everything I did.I had given up on getting my GED at 19, and enrolled in a phlebotomy program where I earned my best grades ever. I ended up finishing the program and graduating, but I couldn’t get my certificate because I still hadn’t passed my GED. I knew I needed it for everything I wanted to accomplish and settling for any job wasn’t in my plans. I wanted more for myself, and knew I deserved it. So, I signed up for a GED orientation again. I didn’t think I was capable of getting my GED because I did poorly in school. I thought it would turn out the same. I was always putting myself down and thinking I was running out of time. I didn’t believe in myself. I was always discrediting myself and not doing enough self-praising. I hated school and math especially. I tried many times to take the GED test years before. Even though I passed the other tests, I always failed my math. I was dreading coming back to take math classes at El Rio and was thinking, “Coming back to get an education was ridiculous.”

I started at low level of math and I thought it was going to be impossible to get into the higher levels. But I ended up reaching the higher level and found myself in Katy Brown’s class. I was quiet and didn’t really speak up much, didn’t ask questions, and hardly showed up. But every time I came back, Katy welcomed me with open arms. She saw something in me at that time that I couldn’t see in myself. I’m very grateful she believed in me. She later wrote a letter of recommendation for me to become an AmeriCorps member.

Since joining AmeriCorps I’ve become more positive about myself and my achievements. I’m not afraid to speak in front of a room full of people without freaking out. I’ve become an ambassador for adult education. I’ve shared my story before public officials, at meetings, press conferences, and now here with you tonight.

I will continue to be a voice for other people who are in adult education, a voice for those in my community who are in need, and to inspire others who are still in my place or were in my place.

For the future, I plan to continue my education, go to community college and transfer to a university for my bachelor’s degree.

So to all of you out there who are in the same position, or want to go back to school, my advice to you would be to stay positive about who you are and what you can do. More importantly, believe that you can achieve more than you give yourself credit for. Don’t give in to your failures. Be determined to persevere in any challenges that you come across. A lot of people can believe in you and encourage you, but it’s up to you to encourage yourself and to get things done for your future.

Before ending this I’d like to say thank you to my family, for always sticking with me no matter what path I chose, for not telling me how to do get things done but for allowing me to figure it out on my own.

Thank you to my AmeriCorps team for all the encouragement and support you have given me and continue to give me. Thank you all so much.

And congratulations to all the students up here with me and to the future students who are continuing and will be up here soon.