I would like to share a quote by Karin Ravin. He once said, “Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”

And that’s what you should focus on. The responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have for yourself. Every single of you has something you are good at. Each of you has something to offer. And it’s your responsibility to discover what it is. That’s the opportunity that education can provide.

And remember that isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. But what you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you are learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in future. That’s why I encourage each of you to set your own goals for your own future and to do everything you can to meet them. Whatever you resolve to do, commit to it and work really hard on it.

Most successful people in the world are the ones who had the most failures. For example, JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Micheal Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over again, that’s why I succeed.”

I want to encourage even those of you who haven’t lived up to their expectations. Do not let your failures define you. But let them teach you. Let your failures show you what to do differently next time. My advice is, even if you fail. Even if you feel like you are discouraged and other people have given up on you. Don’t give up on yourself.