Good morning.
It is an absolute pleasure to be able to address you, the Graduating Class of 2025, on this momentous day in your lives. This is the third graduation that I have attended in as many weeks. But, let me assure you that the significance of these occasions has not been diminished in the least by the fact that I have had the immense good fortune of having spoken at them over the last three (3) weeks. In fact, the significance of each successive graduation ceremony that I have attended over this period has only grown from graduation to graduation. Consequently, the pride and excitement that I feel today are overwhelming, and are the culmination of all of the pride and all of the joy that I have felt at each graduation ceremony that I have attended recently.
My dear students, today you celebrate a truly significant milestone, arrived at after years of dedication and discipline, study and preparation. I extend my warmest congratulations to each and every one of you. Like Julius Caesar, you came, you saw, and you conquered, and now, you stand ready to take the next step on your life’s journey.
Parents, guardians, relatives and other supporters, I want to say that this is also your celebration. Your sacrifices, support and love helped carry your daughters through their most formative years. You encouraged, championed and prayed them through every circumstance and challenge. Thank you for all you have done to help bring them to this day.
I also take this opportunity to acknowledge and to congratulate the dedicated staff and administration of Holy Faith Convent, Penal. Your dedication and commitment to nurturing the academic, spiritual and personal development of your young charges are nothing short of inspirational. Through your efforts, you are helping to shape a generation of capable, well-rounded, confident, self-possessed leaders—women who are grounded in faith, committed to service and prepared to make meaningful contributions to society. For me, there can be no more important, no more noble, and no more sacred undertaking – and our nation is deeply indebted to all of you for having remained committed to its success.
How fitting it is, then, that the theme of this year’s Graduation is: “Guided by God, Geared for Greatness.”
When I reflect on this theme, I am reminded of one of the passages in the Bible which I find so comforting and powerful, Jeremiah 29: 11, which says, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
What a wonderful assurance that God is always guiding us towards better and better things. Even when life feels uncertain, or when the path ahead seems unclear, you can rest assured that God is not uncertain about your future. His plan was already in motion, crafted with care and intention, long before you ever set foot inside the gates of Holy Faith Convent. And it is a plan designed not just to get you by, but to help you flourish, grow and fulfil your greatest potential.
To be guided by God is a tremendous gift. When we learn how to unlock that gift, it completely transforms the way we approach every decision, every challenge and every crossroads in our lives. Luckily for us, another Bible passage tells us what the key is to unlock that gift: Proverbs 3: 5–6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
To be guided by God means trusting Him even when the way forward isn’t easy or obvious. It means knowing that we do not need to have all the answers, all of the time. It means surrendering our own plans and choosing to follow His direction, even when it takes us down paths we did not expect. When we do that, He promises to direct our paths. Sometimes, those paths are longer and more difficult than we would have chosen for ourselves. But in the end, they lead us to exactly where we are meant to be. And there is great comfort in that.
Take my own life, for example. Whenever I speak to students – whether they visit me at The President’s House, or whether I visit them at their schools – someone will inevitably ask, “Did you ever think that you would be President?” And the honest answer is: No. Being President was not something that I had ever thought of being. It is not something that I had ever planned for myself. It wasn’t a childhood dream; it wasn’t part of my career ambition. But – and this is the important thing – it was clearly a part of God’s plan for my life.
My own path to being President has been anything but a straight one. Yes, there have been moments of success, joy and fulfilment in my life. But along the way, there have also been seasons of great sorrow, disappointment and uncertainty. There were times when I did not understand what God was doing, or why certain things were happening. But, with time and with perspective, I look back at my life now and I understand that every experience – the ups and the downs, the highs and the lows – these were all part of the process of God leading me to where I am now. And what continues to anchor me is the deep assurance that God has been guiding me all along, just as He is guiding you today, and that He will continue to guide me long after I am no longer President.
And how does God guide you? He guides you through your parents and the other adults in your life whom you trust – like your teachers, and your older relatives. He also guides you through your friends. Now – you can’t choose who your parents are; and you don’t really get to choose who your teachers are, or who your older relatives are. But, when it comes to friends, you get to make the choice of who they will be, and of whom you prefer not to have as friends. I am sure that you are all familiar with the saying “God helps those who help themselves”. Well, one of the most important ways that we help ourselves, and help God to help us, is in the choice of our friends.
As I said at one of the graduations I attended recently – there are far too many stories of young people being led astray, by other young persons they thought were their friends, and ending up in all sorts of serious trouble. Some of these stories have tragic endings. So, you need to be very, very careful about the friends you choose. Your parents, and the adults in your lives whom you trust, don’t want you to end up in trouble. They want you to always be Geared for Greatness. So, it is up to you to choose who your friends are. And when you make those choices, you need to choose, as your friends, people who will keep you Geared for Greatness.
As you leave this wonderful school, and as you grow older under God’s Guidance, you will come to have a better understanding of what “greatness” really is. The world will offer you many versions of greatness – academic achievement, money, popularity, or social media followers and “likes”. Having attended as wonderful a school as this one, and having just finished pouring your sweat and tears into your CSEC and CAPE exams, you may be tempted to think that true “greatness” is academic excellence alone.
But our versions of greatness often fall short of what God tells us true greatness really is. In Mark 10:43–44, Jesus tells His disciples: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” It is one of the most profound lessons in the Bible about humility, compassion, and the willingness to serve. It seems to me that true greatness has less to do with status, achievement and popularity, and more to do with values such as humility, compassion, and a willingness to serve. And it seems to me that the watchwords of this school—Hospitality, Friendliness And Courtesy—reflect those very values, and that they point not to status and outward measures of success, but to character and inner purpose. With these values embodied by your school’s watchwords, it is clear to me that you, the girls in maroon and white, have been prepared well to live and lead lives of true greatness.
So, whatever your results might be at your CSEC and CAPE exams – whether you did or you didn’t do quite as well as you had hoped – know that the true measure of your worth lies not in examination results, but rather in the person whom you are becoming. Know that true greatness lies in making a positive impact on the world; in demonstrating kindness and compassion; and in living a life of purpose and meaning. It involves consistently striving for excellence in character, service, and integrity, rather than focusing solely on personal achievement. It lies in allowing God to Guide you.
This world can be a complicated place, especially for young women. Society’s norms and the world’s expectations of us females are constantly shifting. Social pressures can be overwhelming. As a female, it can be difficult to know who you are or what to stand for. The answer, my dear students, lies in the theme of your Graduation. The answer to all of the confusion and the uncertainty swirling all around us is to allow yourselves to be Guided by God, and, in doing so, to be Geared for Greatness.
As you prepare to take your next step – whether it be to enter Form Six, University, or the world of work – I encourage you Gear yourselves for Greatness by building upon the foundations of faith and wisdom that were so carefully laid here by your school and by your teachers. Carry the values that you have learned at this school, wherever you go. Let them shape how you study, how you treat others and how you respond to difficulties and challenges. Bring those values into every classroom, workplace, relationship and environment in your lives.
I know only too well that it won’t always be easy. I can tell you from personal experience that there will be moments when others will try to dim your light, diminish your contributions and cast doubt on your ability and on your character. In those moments, I urge you to stand in the greatness to which God has called you. I urge you to stand for what is right, even when it costs you popularity and fame.
If I had allowed the narrow expectations of the world and of others define me, if I had allowed people’s cruelty and negativity to get the better of me, I would not be here speaking to you today. I chose to rise above that: so can you.
I hope and I pray that each of you will find that courage to rise above the negativity and the noise of this world. I hope and I pray that you will stand firm in your faith and upon the values that have been nurtured in you at this school, and that in doing so you will prove, not only that Trinidad and Tobago is a country of promise, but also, that through young women like you, it can become a truly extraordinary nation.
And so, my dear Graduating Class of 2025, I leave you with the words of your foundress, Margaret Aylward, “Under God it began; through God it has grown.” These words encapsulate the spirit and journey of Holy Faith Convent, Penal and they apply to you, too. Your journey here began under God. You have grown through God. And with Him, you will achieve greatness in its truest form. I look forward to the incredible things I know you will do.
Congratulations once again.
Thank you.
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