Good morning.
What an honour and privilege it is to be here with all of you today.
Today my heart is absolutely bursting with joy and appreciation. I want to begin by thanking each and every one of you for the tremendous honour of being inducted into the Grant Memorial Presbyterian Wall of Fame. It is truly special and uplifting to be recognised by the very school in which I spent my most formative years. This is a moment I will treasure for many years to come.
When I look out at all of you, I do not simply see students sitting in neat rows. I see a younger version of myself. I see curiosity. I see energy. And, if I am honest, I see a few faces that look exactly like the kind of student I used to be here.
Now, I must tell you a secret. When I was a student at this very school, I was not always the quietest child in the classroom. In fact, I was often the one talking when I should have been listening. Some of my teachers may remember that I was playful, full of jokes, and sometimes a little too eager to chat with the person next to me. More than once, I heard words like: “Settle down.” “Stop talking.” “Focus on your work.”
At the time, I thought my teachers were being very strict. But now, many years later, I realize something important: they were not scolding me because they were annoyed. They were correcting me because they believed in me. They knew that the same energy I used for chatting and laughing could be used for learning, for thinking, and for building a future. And slowly, but surely, I began to take their advice. I began to focus more on my schoolwork. I began to understand the power of education.
That change did not happen overnight. But it laid a foundation for everything that came later in my life. And many years later, something that would have seemed almost impossible to that talkative little student sitting in these classrooms actually happened. I became the President of our beloved country, Trinidad and Tobago.
Now imagine that for a moment. A child who once sat in your very classrooms; a student who sometimes needed reminding to focus; a girl from this very school… one day became President.
That story is not about me alone. It is about what is possible for every single one of you sitting here today. Yesterday, we celebrated International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme was “Give to Gain.” It is a very powerful idea. It reminds us that the greatest rewards in life do not come from what we take, but from what we give.
We give our effort. We give our discipline. We give our kindness. We give our talents to help others.
And in return, we gain knowledge. We gain respect. We gain opportunities.
And we gain the chance to make our country better.
In Trinidad and Tobago today, girls have something very special: there are no barriers to their education. Girls can attend school. Girls can study science, law, medicine, engineering, literature, or anything they choose. Girls can lead businesses. Girls can lead communities. Girls can lead the nation. Today, we have a female Prime Minister and a female Leader of the Opposition. And of course, girls can become President.
But this message is not only for the girls here today. It is for the boys as well. Because the future of Trinidad and Tobago depends on all of you working together. A strong nation is not built by boys alone. It is not built by girls alone. It is built when boys and girls grow up respecting each other, supporting each other, and working side by side to make their country stronger.
Now I must also tell you something else about being President. Some people think it is all about ceremony, beautiful buildings, and important events. They think it is glamorous. But the truth is something much deeper. Being President is not about glamour. It is about service. It is about giving your time, your wisdom, and your energy to the people of your country. It is about remembering that leadership is not about being above others, but about serving others. That is the true meaning of “Give to Gain.”
When you give your best effort in school today, you gain knowledge for tomorrow. When you give respect to your teachers, you gain wisdom. When you give kindness to your classmates, you gain friendship. And when you grow up and give your talents to your country, you gain the pride of knowing that you helped build something bigger than yourself.
One day, some of you will become teachers. Some of you will become doctors. Some will become engineers, artists, scientists, or entrepreneurs. Some of you may even stand where I stand today and serve this nation at the highest level. And when that day comes, I hope you will remember something simple. Your journey did not begin in a grand office. It began in a classroom. It began in a school just like this one. It began with teachers who believed in you. And it began the moment you decided to focus, work hard, and give your best.
So, to the girls here today, I say: dream boldly. There is no limit to what you can achieve. And to the boys, I say: stand proudly beside the girls of your generation, because together you will shape the future of this nation. And to all of you, I say this: Work hard. Be curious. Be kind. Serve others. Because when you give your best to your country, you gain the chance to help build a brighter Trinidad and Tobago for everyone. And, as your President, that is all that I want – for all of us to come together and help build a better Trinidad and Tobago.
Thank you for listening. Thank you for the tremendous honour of being inducted into the Grant Memorial Presbyterian Wall of Fame. And may your journey from these classrooms take you farther than you can ever imagine.
See full album of the event below:
