Adam D'Antonio - Valedictorian - Class of 2004
C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University
Valedictory Address - May 9, 2004

Adam D'Antonio, Valedictorian of the C.W. Post Class of 2004, graduates summa cum laude with a perfect 4.0 grade point average and a bachelor of fine arts degree in public relations. D'Antonio, a 22-year-old native of Locust Valley, New York, is a member of C.W. Post's nationally renowned Honors Program, is president of Kappa Theta Epsilon (the cooperative education honor society), treasurer of the C.W. Post Public Relations Club, and an executive member of the National Collegiate Honors Council-a position held by only six students in the country. He has also served as two-term president of the Honors Program and has been a member of the Peer Mentor Program for three years.

His valedictory speech follows:

Good morning faculty, administrators, board of trustees, honored guests, family members and of course, the C.W. Post graduating class of 2004.

I am so honored to be standing here on behalf of 2,500 graduates who have spent many hours in the classrooms, laboratories and studios working toward this triumphant moment in our lives. We all know that college is not an easy endeavor: innovation, creativity and determination have brought us here today. Some of you might be surprised to know just how much time you've actually spent in the classroom. Based on 129 credits per person, at 825 minutes per credit, we have spent a collective 4.4 million hours in class. More importantly, none of us could have accomplished this task without the help of at least someone along the way- whether it is from our parents, family, professors, spouses or friends.

After 4.4 million hours, the big question is, "what are we going to do with all the time we have invested in this endeavor?" Following years of hard work and sacrifice, we have arrived at the day when we are given a diploma and told to go out in the world with the intent to make it a better place. After all, the word, "commencement" literally means, "beginning." Why not begin by greeting each day as an opportunity to make life better for those around us and those we have yet to meet.

I'm sure most of us have already picked out a spot to hang our diplomas- a prominent area above a desk or on a wall where it will be noticeable to all who walk by. While we've certainly earned that right and its place in the American dream of higher education, should we allow a piece of paper to represent all we have accomplished and earned during our time at C.W. Post? Anyone can go to a printer and have his or her name printed on a certificate. What really matters, is how we utilize the knowledge and experience our diplomas embody.

I believe each of us is born with the potential to achieve great things. Accomplishments however, cannot be attained without personal desire and inner drive. Looking into the crowd, I see talented, intelligent and ambitious people whom I've come to know and admire. I see future doctors, lawyers, business executives, politicians, musicians, scientists, teachers and media professionals - I see the talent and hope of the 21st Century. I see young men and women with the courage and ability to face the demands of our world, head-on with the determination and bravery to make society a better place for our generation and future ones.

Today, more than ever, society continues to be faced with social injustice, corporate misconduct and the deterioration of respect for others. In a time when people are often judged based on outward appearances and how they ultimately contribute to the "bottom line," it is my honor to represent a class with the potential to make the world a more compassionate and ethical place.

If you don't believe you can make a difference in our world, consider this example: There are 2,500 of us graduating today. If we each use our education to help at least one person every day, by the end of just one year, we would have impacted the lives of nearly 1 million people. Multiply that number by years of practice in our respective professions and the possibilities are innumerable.

Since today is such a special moment for both mothers and graduates, I thought I would recite an old saying, which seems appropriate in honor of Mothers' Day and Commencement. "We give our children two things in life. One is roots, the other is wings." Like our families, which have given us roots to come home to when our wings need to rest, C.W. Post has given us a solid foundation upon which to grow and succeed. Our diplomas may be a symbol of our wings, but we must never forget to touch the ground once in a while in order to help others fly with us.

I wish you all the best of luck in everything you do. Congratulations.

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