Graduation Speech

Good evening everyone my name is Linda Langston before I began I would like everyone to take a second to look at the people surrounding you, we all come from different backgrounds, different homes, we all have different stories; but what we share is unforgettable. We all came back with the same goal and that was to peruse our education. Mario Andretti said “Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” I would like to congratulate everyone here tonight on all their success and am honored to be here today to share a little bit about myself.

I am one of six children that grew up in a single parent household. Even though I am not the oldest I have always played the role, my mom worked long hours sometimes holding down three jobs at a time to support my siblings and me. As I got older I understood her struggle to pay the bills so I took on a part time job to help ease some of her stress and worries. Before I knew it I was not getting home till 2am. The struggle to hold down a job and go to school became overwhelming. My senior year I got pregnant and I left school to find a full time job. The decision to leave was not easy education was very important to me, and I had so many people that looked up to me for guidance I felt like I was failing and letting everyone down. But my grades and attendance had begun to suffer and being pregnant I thought at the time that having a job would benefit me more.

I always tried to make time to go back to school but life was always so busy it seemed like I never had time to squeeze it in. In 2011 I had an accident while at work it earned me a trip to the ICU due to an allergic reaction from medication I stopped breathing. I can recall my mom holding my hand and telling me that I had to wake up that it wasn’t my time yet. For me this was a hard wakeup call because my mom had already passed away. I knew that at that moment life was to short and I wanted to DO! something with MINE! not just work at a job that had little meaning and little pay. I had to receive 6 surgeries so needless to say I had a lot of down time to think about what I wanted to do. As parents we always say we want the best for our children, now it was time for me to want the best for myself and to achieve that I knew I needed an education. I made a goal to finish school before my daughter graduated high school she was already a senior so I knew I had to hurry if I wanted to reach my goal.

A friend of mine told me about GED classes at Pima Community College so I went with her to sign up, however she was not able to make it to the orientation. I was so scared to go by myself. I tried to make up so many reasons why I shouldn’t go it was my birthday and I didn’t want to sit alone. I went as far as checking my tire pressure hoping that the air was low but having new tires and a full tank of gas I ran out of excuses. As I sat there I recall being so scared I had been out of school for so long the fear of failing became overwhelming and then all of a sudden I remembered I didn’t bring a pencil I took this as a sign yep there was my one excuse that I needed as I sat there searching for the quickest way out one of the staff members started handing out pencils. (REALLY) Ok I told myself let’s do this.

I attended classes at El Pueblo Learning Center and then soon after transferred over to the Desert Vista Campus where I became part of the IBEST/BHS program. I had to say that this probably was one of the scariest things I had decided to do it meant that I would be taking college courses while working on my GED. I remember every time I would go take a test I would stand in front of the bathroom mirror and tell myself “ all I can do is what I can do if I don’t pass that does not mean I will never pass it just means I haven’t passed yet.” After each test came the wonderful calm waiting for the test scores ( OK so maybe it was more like nail biting, pacing back and forth) My eyes always lite up with joy and amazement when I would see the words passed.

Going back to school was by far one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Since walking through those doors I have earned my GED, completed the IBEST program, earned a certificate in behavioral health services, maintained of 4.0 GPA, made the National Honor Society, and has had the pleasure of becoming an Adult Education Ambassador. I have meet so many wonderful people that have inspired and encouraged me to keep going forward in life.

My journey is just beginning my new goal is to work towards my master’s degree in Social Work. I will be returning to take classes at Pima Community College in the spring where my lovely daughter and my sister Amy will be joining me.

I am so blessed to have such a strong loving family that has always been there for me. My daughter is my inspiration to keep bettering myself, I am so proud of her she is an international baccalaureate and honor student. I am so thankful that she understands the importance of what an education can do for you. I can’t wait to see her graduate on the 25th. My sisters Trish and Amy remind me to take time to enjoy life, and my wonderful brothers Arthur and Phillip remind me to stay focused on what I want. My husband that has always supported me and stood by me reminds me to take things one step at a time. More than anyone I want to thank my mom she reminds me every day to stay strong, be true to myself and never give up and I know that she is looking down on me today and is proud.