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<\/p>\nDr. Lawrence F. Camacho is the commissioner of Education and state superintendent of the CNMI Public School System. This is his keynote speech in the recent Northern Marianas College School of Education Passing of the Torch ceremony.<\/p>\n
Eleanor Rooselvelt once said: \u201cThe Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hafa adai yan tirowami to all of you, president Deleon Guerrero; vice president Eliptico; dean Cepeda; director Merar, faculty, staff, Board of Regents, distinguished guests, family, and of course to the graduates of NMC\u2019s School of Education\u2026Biba and congratulations to all of you!<\/p>\n
I want to start by thanking the college for inviting me to be the keynote speaker at today\u2019s \u201cpassing of the torch\u201d ceremony. It is an honor, a privilege, and such a great opportunity for me to engage this fine group of professionals who are set to embark on yet another chapter of their personal and professional story. I\u2019ll get to the story-telling part in a moment\u2026because I also want to say that days like this remind us of a kind of celebration, experienced by three families\u2026<\/p>\n
First family is the family who made you the person that you are today: parents, grandparents, teachers, relatives, and so on.<\/p>\n
The second family celebrating is your own immediate family today who continue to support you in every possible way\u2014you have achieved this degree because of them.<\/p>\n
The third family is your Proa family. The college is your third family that is celebrating with you\u2014celebrating this thing in academia\u2026. we call student success.<\/p>\n
But moving forward. I want to remind you of your critical role in life\u2026and that is\u2026the role of authorship\u2026as in, you \u2026are only the person who could best author your own story. Think about that for a minute.<\/p>\n
Who would have thought that the decisions you made a long time ago during your formative years, would be the entries you figuratively made into the chapters of your story\u2026but those years that have gone by\u2026and here you are now.<\/p>\n
So, my job today, is to give some advice and context on certain things you might want to consider as you move forth in your illustrious journey and this story that you are the best author for\u2026The decisions you made all these years have brought you to this point in your life, correct? In other words, you have climbed this mountain of knowledge by way of your professors and those who guided you to this point\u2026and what\u2019s fascinating is that you made the climb in the manner you decided to\u2026and on the path you decided to follow\u2026<\/p>\n
Like many of you, I too was born and raised on this beautiful island of Saipan, and I still have vivid memories of my formative years\u2014growing up in the \u201970s and \u201980s in that little village of San Roque to the north. Believe it or not, I still remember all of my elementary school teachers, and principals. In my heart, I still have some of those unforgettable moments I had as a young Chamorro kid\u2014whose formation was enriched, guided, and encouraged by mom, dad, teachers, uncles, and aunts, grandma, and especially my grandfather, Gregorio T. Camacho\u2014an influential figure in my life who now has his name inscribed in one of the elementary schools I now lead as commissioner of Education\u2014literally the person who picked up my report cards from the school where today, I can say, my picture and his photo co-exist in the principal\u2019s office\u2026<\/p>\n
Two things my Grandpa taught me\u2014don\u2019t talk unless you know what you are talking about and get educated!<\/p>\n
So you know, my formative years also included my educational experiences at Hopwood Jr. High and at Marianas High School, where I met my \u201chigh school sweetheart\u201d who continues to be my source of inspiration and guiding light\u2026my wife, Gina. Right after high school, Gina and I left the island with our newborn son\u2013to attend Pasadena City College where I received my associates degree. Enter, my transformative years\u2026<\/p>\n
Upon returning to Saipan with just the two-year degree from PCC, I decided to once again pick up my family (by this time, Gina and I had all of our three kids\u2014who by the way have grown up and are now quite successful in their own professions). We moved to Guam and I obtained my bachelor\u2019s degree at the University of Guam.<\/p>\n
Upon graduation, I picked up my family once again\u2013to join the ranks in regular army as a young commissioned officer\u2014which opened many doors for me and my family\u2026advancing through the ranks with operational and career broadening experiences, deploying twice into combat, leaving my family for more than 12 months at a time, and being assigned overseas\u2014 these experiences elevated my passion for leadership and this phenomenon called \u201cservice to a cause greater than self.\u201d<\/p>\n
In my transformative years, I developed to be this lifelong learner\u2014the best part is that even with three master\u2019s degrees and a doctorate\u2026along with vast military education\u2026I learned a great deal about myself, about my surroundings, about other societies that existed outside of the United States\u2026about education or lack thereof, especially in those countries destroyed from war\u2026<\/p>\n
But that was my story\u2026which I reflect on every so often; although, not as often as I dream about the future and more importantly as I relish in the present\u2026in other words, I look back into the past like I do when I look into the rearview mirror of my car\u2014just enough to realize what is behind me and to make sure that my blind spot is clear when I decide to switch lanes as I continue down my journey.<\/p>\n
What does this mean? This means I get clarity when I look instead into the windshield that is in front of me\u2014the broader view\u2026this clear path ahead\u2026and so I argue that we should view our story in this way\u2026in other words, reflecting on your past is a good thing\u2026but what\u2019s better is when you relish in the moment and make adjustments so you can get after your big dreams\u2026<\/p>\n
OK, so, I gave you a glimpse of two sections and a couple of chapters out of my story\u2026my formative and transformative years\u2026but this is your moment\u2026 and so, I challenge you to think about your journey\u2026what\u2019s ahead of you\u2026and how you will set the course in your own personal story\u2026<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, here you are already setting the course with your collegiate experience here at NMC\u2026You see, everyone has their reasons for seeking higher education\u2026I\u2019ve had mine and you got yours\u2026but do we know the foundations of higher education?<\/p>\n
I would argue that this concept dates back to the ancient Greek period when Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and other philosophers were roaming around Greece\u2026this was the time when humanity\u2019s intellectual capacity was on the rise\u2026 during that period, there were many questions, debates\u2026so much reasoning\u2026and the search for truth\u2026about the many things in life, the universe, and so many other nuances\u2026There was a lot of Sophias floating around the atmosphere. Sophia is the Greek word for wisdom, knowledge, and the search for truth\u2026There were also the Sophists\u2013people in the corner who took a little bit of Sophia, cleverly spun them around, and fooled people so they could reach the top of the republic\u2019s leadership scheme.<\/p>\n
Philo is the Greek word for \u201cthe love of, or the desire to have more of.\u201d So, on the other spectrum you had these kinds of people who challenged the Sophists\u2013when you combine Philo with Sophia, you get these people\u2014the philosophers. In the midst of all this, Socrates proclaimed that democracy was a bad system for society\u2026because if the Sophists were good at fooling the people, they would be so popular and reach the top\u2013then they would have a corrupt government. Plato agreed with Socrates, his teacher, but he offered a different perspective\u2026stating that if philosopher kings were created, democracy would flourish because philosopher kings would have received a higher level of Sophia\u2013what he really meant was this idea of higher education\u2026<\/p>\n
So he created the academy\u2013the safe space for philosophers to come and reason, debate, discover, search for truth, research\u2026enter, the birth of higher education\u2013the safe space in which you, ladies and gentlemen had benefited from as graduates of NMC.<\/p>\n
So, you made the right call and went after that higher education, right? Indeed, another good entry into your story\u2026crafting this chapter based on your valued educational experiences here at NMC\u2026eventually earning the degree\u2013the validation of your achievement\u2026and of your hard work and dedication to your growth as an educator\u2026<\/p>\n
So, in front of us, we have CNMI\u2019s future\u2026CNMI\u2019s newest group of educators! I filled with excitement\u2026but from one educator to another, I sincerely hope you are motivated, ready, and willing\u2026to share your newfound knowledge with the rest of the world\u2026to share this new version of you, this leader, the soon to be solver of the many problems we have, and the designer of our Commonwealth\u2019s future\u2026I can already see the contributions you will make\u2026<\/p>\n
But I ask that you please understand your role in those chapters of the new you \u2026 understand your purpose\u2026know your \u201cwhy\u201d and then allow yourself to flourish\u2026knowing that you still have all the support network you can get when you need it most. But I ask that you go out and move mountains \u2026the torch is now passed on to you!<\/p>\n
What I really like about your generation is that you have redefined the meaning of success\u2026where it no longer means the accumulation of wealth and possession\u2026.rather, it has evolved\u2026to be this\u2026sense of accomplishment and sense of purpose\u2026 of self-worth, and of merit and how you fit in this ecosystem we operate, live, and play in\u2026and as you move forward to realize success, I want to give you a simple advice through a story I learned from Master Shing He Yi whose presentation I came across when I was watching TedXTalk one day\u2026<\/p>\n
The story goes\u2026there was a young man who had a rather large-sized mountain in front of him that he wanted to climb\u2026but he had no sense of direction\u2026nor did he have the visualization about this adventure he knew he had to pursue\u2026so he wondered what would be like to climb that mountain and what would he see if he reached the peak of the mountain\u2026so when the day came, he started his journey, and on the way, he met the first traveler and asked, \u201chow did you get up what mountain and what did you see at the top?\u201d<\/p>\n
Accordingly, the traveler shared his path and described what he saw from the top. But the man thought\u2026goodness! The way the traveler described his journey sounds very exhausting\u2026so he decided to find a different way to climb\u2026and as he continued to walk at the foot of the mountain, he met the next traveler who had also just returned from reaching the top of the mountain\u2026So the man asked this second traveler, \u201chow did you climb up that mountain and what did you see at the top?\u201d The traveler shared his story\u2026but the man was still not determined on which direction to take, and asked 30 more people who came down from reaching the top of the mountain\u2026and when he finished talking to all of them, he thought to himself\u2026 \u201cnow that so many people have shared with me the paths they took, and especially what they saw from the top, I do not need to climb anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
How unfortunate that this man never went on that journey\u2026To conclude this story, each individual needs to find his\/her most suitable way to climb that mountain, second, there is the possibility for so much information to be shared with just words\u2026and description\u2026but it is impossible, as Master Shing explains, to share the experience of clarity that you get when you are standing on that peak by yourself\u2026<\/p>\n
Clarity, he explains means to see more clear and you see more clear, everything becomes more apparent and then you somehow get it\u2026with clarity, you have great visualization of the truth\u2026you realize Philo and you gain Sophia\u2026and when you see more clear, perhaps you will not be fooled by the sophists\u2026because seeing clearly means you can distinguish for yourself which is the proper direction to take and which decisions to make in order to reach your goals and aspirations\u2026your destination.<\/p>\n
Ladies and gentlemen, you have gone on this journey here at NMC\u2026and you have received so much knowledge and wisdom\u2026you made that decision and you crafted this chapter\u2026with the help of this institution, you have transformer yourself\u2026and since you are about to close this chapter and open a new page for your next one\u2026I want to ask\u2026<\/p>\n
What does your next chapter look like? How will you climb another mountain? What decisions will you make to transfer your own knowledge of the mountain you just climbed\u2026how will inspire others who are also curious about your journey, or the paths made by others on the mountains that stood in front of them?<\/p>\n
How will you pass the torch that has been passed on to you? This idea of passing the torch is a time-honored tradition in making sure that important lessons learned in the profession are advanced\u2026and today, is an opportunity for you to transfer the knowledge you gained to the many kids you will be charged with\u2026to guide them in their formative years\u2026<\/p>\n
Here’s my challenge to you \u2026<\/p>\n
Be the servant leader who guides and encourages those you are charged with as an educator\u2026to understand not only the path you have taken, but to enable them to find within their own curiosity the meaning of life, and why their own authorship is important\u2026but even more so, for them to see clearly how to discover their own direction and path to take\u2026as they travel to reach the peak so they can find their own clarity\u2026I ask that you guide them to be good authors of their own story by being the exemplar educators. Turn them into lifelong learners!<\/p>\n
In closing\u2026I urge you to never forget your past\u2026just do not dwell on it\u2026rather, embrace and appreciate your present\u2014this moment of your life, and dream big\u2026let\u2019s dream for our students\u2026at the end of the day I urge you to please make sure to guide forth the next generation\u2014those who will be like you, educated, professionals, problem-solvers, and designers of our Commonwealth\u2019s future!<\/p>\n
As we say in PSS: Students First, Educators Always!<\/p>\n
I wish you all the best, biba, congratulations, and thank you!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho is the commissioner of Education and state superintendent of the CNMI Public School System. This is his keynote speech in the recent Northern Marianas College School of Education Passing of the Torch ceremony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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