Graduation 2006 Student Speaker
Frances Lai
Photo by Monica Davey
Frances Lai is pictured delivering her speech at the
May 27, 2006 graduation ceremony at Masonic
Center, San Francisco.
I had a dream!
Music, particularly being a classical singer, has always
been my passion, but I never had a chance to study it in
an academic setting. I chose chemistry when I was in
college in order to be better prepared to make a living,
but after 25 years, I suddenly woke up and thought, “It’s not too late!” I told my friends, “May be I’ll go
back to school and pursue a degree in music. They stared at me saying “Are you serious?” I said, “Yes,
I’m serious. I’m going to pursue my dream!” That was two years ago.
I was working full time as a chemist such that I could only take night classes close to work. so I enrolled
at City College in the Fall of 2004
I immediately felt the vibrancy of the community in this community college. We are students of all ages
and come from all walks of life. We are younger ones who have come to City College straight out of high
school and believe that getting an education with hard and honest work can lead to a better life. We are
older students who were pursuing a certificate or degree program for a better career or change in career.
Many of us were attending classes at night on top of a full-time job. Many times, after parking, running up
the slope of the reservoir with them gave me a sense of inspiration. Being among a bunch of students
climbing that slope for a purpose is so symbolic of what we were doing at City College . We were on a
journey, working hard as we take advantage of our opportunities, and we were connected in this journey.
We wouldn’t be sitting here today if it weren’t for this journey.
While graduation is our goal, we must recall our journey that for many of us was so bittersweet. Many of
us had to overcome challenges far beyond the classroom: challenges of balancing family responsibilities,
child care, financial obligations as well as physical challenges. Today, despite these difficulties, we pulled
through and we are proud of it . At the same time, we owe a large part to all the faculty and staff at City
College , the student advisors, mentors, our fellow students, and many more, including the custodians
who keep our grounds clean and say words of encouragement to us now and then. I’m sure we all relate
to pressure at midterms and finals. I was practicing piano for my midterm recital one day, and the
custodian Mario was cleaning up and locking up. He said “Oh, keep playing. Don’t worry.” I told him I was
nervous about the recital the following week. He said “Oh, you’ll get an A.” I felt a surge of confidence
within me from his support. He was the only one who had said that to me so far. The following week I did
get an A. No matter where we go, we will find hierarchy and even class distinction, but life experiences
like this teach me that every person is important and is a partner in our journey. Last but not least, we
owe it to our families who supported us through our journey and are here today to share in our
celebration.
City College has given us an opportunity to enrich our lives, both personally and professionally. Armed
with technical skills and life skills we have been endowed with, we now go forth to become productive and
proud citizens. Some of us have earned the Associate degree in a Career and Technical Education
Program You are ready to join the work force as skilled professionals to serve the community. The rest of
us may be going onto 4-year colleges for a bachelor’s degree. As the motto of our College says “The truth
shall make you free”, There is no end to the truth we can seek and there is no end to new knowledge that
we can acquire. Many highly accomplished people excelled not only in one area, but multiple areas.
Einstein was a violinist, Debbie Thomas was a Stanford medical student while figure skating for Olympics
gold, and Leonardo da Vinci was both a great artist and a great scientist. The well of knowledge is
bottomless and there is no limit on the number of degrees we can get in our lives.
Looking back, we have taken a rewarding journey together with the community of City College Today
our dream comes true. As we walk through the ceremony, we will leave tears of joy on the trail, as we feel
how our lives have been enriched by the City College community, and with diploma in hand, we are better
prepared to face future challenges and serve our global community.
Cheers to the class of 2006!