the same even though this speech it be listened to in by jing. the world has changed but largely stayed the same. the rules. number one, life is incredibly precious, and it passes by far too quickly. so during your time here, use all of your unique god-given talents to serve one another as that will be the true measure by which your will be judged. follow the golden rule. number two, this is a great state and a great nation made up of very good people who work daily to get remarkable things done. our future success depends directly on your personal commitment and involvement to keep it that way. and number three, if you work hard, if you dream big if you're honest, if you pursue opportunity, you can still be anything you want to be in the united states of america, the greatest country on earth.

[ cheers and applause ] so let me now explore those rooms in some detail. first, life is precious. serve one another. last year i went to blacksburg for the funeral of a virginia tech police officer, killaled in lint of duty. you may have heard his story. i visited with his wife tina, his fife children, his brother, his sisters, his parents. they were devastated. but even in those darkest hours, they knew that the officer gave his wife dwhoog he loved doing, and that was to serve the students at virginia tech. he was military veteran who had served in iraq, and he died making a routine traffic stop on campus in virginia tech. his brother darius asked me to read something at memorial

service for him and he wrote these words. he said derek worked and lived his life to serve other whose were in need. i would say to you, we need more derek crouses in virginia. another remarkable story of a virginian. heath calhoun. heath followed in his family's tradition and joined the army. eventually went off to serve in iraq with the 101st airborne division. while on patrol his hum vip was hit by a rocket pro pepped grenade. he lost both of his legs below the knee. i met him at the governor's mansion a couple years ago and he told about the months of recovery and what he thought would be a prospect of life in a wheelchair. but heath chose a different path. he taught himself how to monoski, became a spoets persson for wounded veterans around the country and through sheer

willpower he got out of that wheelchair every day, competed in multiple sports events using prosthetic legs and eventually won numerous models in track veents. that's perseverance. while at governor's mansion he told me this, i'll never forget. i was proud to go to iraq and i gave my best to my country. thapts what's expected out of americans. april mazing. [ applause ] so class of 2012, my point here is that derek crouse and heath calhoun used their very precious time and their great skills and their perseverance to do good on this earth to serve their fellow citizens. right now all across virginia, your fellow virginians are doing remarkable things like that every day. they're giving their best for their fellow man. hundreds of people volunteer at the local food banks, like many of these students have

volunteered around newport news. thousands of police office parole neighborhoods protecting others. many work in jails, others get involved in their church, synagogue or mosque. many teenks maim state, local or federal government, but my point is, many are called to service and do it well. i believe that serving others is truly the highest calling one can have in one's life. in fact, the scriptures record that jesus told his disciples that the greatest among them was the servant of all. so i say to you, class of 2012, be great. serve others. because when you give generously, you will receive far more in return. it's been said that it is in fact those countless acts of service and sacrifice that is the hallmark of american

greatness, and i agree with that. number two, this is a great nation. but you need to get involved. there's an old adage that says this. america is great because america is good. and if she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. class of 2012, you graduate now into the most free, most prosperous, most just, most vibrant nation on earth with the greatest gdp and the most entrepreneurial minds in all of the planet. it's something we should celebrate every day as americans. but i can tell you the 236 years since the second governor of virginia, thomas jefferson, wrote the declaration of independence, we have only been as strong as a nation as the measure by which our people have been involved in and cared about this nation.

ed mcbert stead this way, all that it takes for evil to triumph is for good men or good women to do nothing. in other words, democracy is not a spectator sport. the great country you have today will only be that way with your direct caring and involvement. in 2012, my daughter jenin, who's here with us, was introduced earlier, was serving as a platoon leader in iraq. in that year, 70% of the voters in iraq after 25 years of tyranny came to the polls to vote, and they had to worry about snipers and ieds and oppressi oppression. and yet in that same year i was running for attorney general. only 45% of the people in virginia cared enough to come out and vote for their governor, their lieutenant governor, and attorney general. and i tell you, that's unacceptable.

that's not alive and vibrant democracy. many people your age today, graduates, are serving in korea and germany, in afghanistan, in iraq, and places around the country. and so i tell you, stand up for them. honor their commitment by standing up for the american ideals. learn, serve, vote. make a difference. [ applause ] and while you're standing up for those ideals let me make a plea for this. do it passionately, but civilly lp 3 i can tell you you can turn on tomorrow morning's news on cnbc or cnn or fox or any of the other stations and you will see at any moment the talking heads talking about the ideas of the day, oftentimes talking over or around one another.

and it's no wonder that you young people can get turned off with politics. but i don't think it has to be that way. we, whether you're republican or democrat, you can believe passionately in what you believe in, but do it in a with that honors the traditions of our nation. baup the fact is, while it doesn't get much coverage, there are great people every day that work in government and business and education and the other institutions of america that are quietly getting important and big things accomplished. no political party has a monopoly on virtue off patriotism. we all care deeply about america. so i say to you, decide what you believe in, and then go make a difference, and work for our country. the future of america does depend on you getting involved. and finally, number three. work hard, dream big.

america is an amazing land of opportunities, not guarantees. that's the secret of our success. for these couple centuries. think of your founder. captain christopher newport. a captain of the -- in fact, the commander of the entire ex-addition. that 4 405 yearsing a this mond landed just down the road in jamestown, virginia, giving birth to the great state of virginia and the great country of the united states of america. i can tell you for him, there were no guarantees crossing that ocean. there was only an opportunity that king james gave him, to found this new world. many of you as you walk across the stage will have already found those opportunities. many of you may still be searching. but let me tell you the words of francis bacon. a wise man or woman will make more opportunities than he

finds. and it's true. when i was in your seat 36 years ago, all i knew was i was going sb into the army. high no idea that an averaged middle-class kid from fairfax county would grow up to have the same job as thomas jeff sonersod patrick henry. it's a great job. isn't it? it's a great country. isn't it? and so it doesn't matter whether your first job is president of the company or the sales person for the company or the receptionist for the company. what i tell you is, your duty is the same. work hard and do the very best you can do at that first job, because if you do that people will recognize your effort. lp reward your effort, and new opportunities will come. i can tell you that most of your opportunities will come because

of your character and your ability to get things done. character does count. results and values do matter. again, let me give you the words of thomas jefferson. talking about character. he said this, he said, god has formed us as moral agents that we may promote the happiness of those with whom he has placed us in society. by acting honestly towards all, benevolently towards those who fall within our way. i can tell you during my couple decades of public service i believe that world is hungry, even desperate, for people, for leaders of character with a heart for service to others. so go and be those leaders. the scriptures also tell you that to whom much has been given, much will be expected. you have been given much here at christopher newport university. you have learned from and been

mentored by some of the great faculty in all of the commonwealth. so now, much is expected. you've been trained for excellen excellence, so do not deliver immediate okay cra mediocrity. don't make excuses. make things happen. as close i have one last request four for you as governor of virginia. you'll have opportunities, maybe across the country and around the world. i want to humbly ask you this. no matter where you came from, today you're here in virginia. so if you're going to create something big, create it in virginia. if you're going to open a business, open it in virginia. if you're going be a great artist, doctor, teacher, professor, lawyer, counselor or whatever it may be, do it in virginia. we want to keep your talents and your dreams in virginia. we want you to pay taxes in

virginia. so thank you students for your hard work these last four years. or five years. or six years. you've gotten to this day with the love and support of your families, your parents. the members of the board. the president, the faculty. many have loved and nurtured you to get you to this day. so i say to you, go be great. go make a difference. go captains! god bless you. [ cheers and applause ] baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake addressed the class of 2012 at st. mary's college of maryland in mid-may. she's the -- a look now at live coverage on the c-span's

networks. the u.s. house gavels in at 2:00 eastern to include spending on energy and water projects. that's on c-span again starting at 2:00 p.m. eastern. the u.s. senate is live on c-span2 at 29:15 when they wrap up debate on a general pay discrimination bill before voting at 2:30 on moving forward wir the maesher. live tonight at 8:50 with a discussion between warren buffett head of berkshire hathaway and david rubenstein, a major investment company, with the current state of the economy. tomorrow the senate banking committee looks into financial regulations. members focusing on the rules written by the securities and exchange commission to implement the dodd-frank law. that hearing will also examine the $2 billion trading loss at jpmorgan chase. see live coverage tomorrow morning right here on c-span3. coming up thursday, live coverage as federal reserve chair ben bernanke gives his

annual economic outlook report to congress. the joint economic committee hears beginning at 10:00 a.m. eastern. finally on a personal note, michelle and i are grateful for the entire bush family for their guidance and their example during our own transition. george i will always remember the gathering you hosted for all the living former presidents before i took office. your kind words of encouragement. plus you also left me a really good tv sports package. [ laughter ] i use it. >> last week, portraits of former president george w. bush and first lady laura bush were unveiled at the white house. their first visit since leaving o. as fred mentioned, in 1814, dolley madison famously saved this portrait of the first george w.

now michelle -- if anything happens, there's your man. >> watch the entire event online at the c-span video library. baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake addressed the class of 2012 at st. mary's college of maryland in mid-may. she's the youngest person elected to the baltimore city council. she was elected to the mayor's office after the previous mayor was convicted of embezzlement. her speech to the 442 students is about 15 minutes. [ applause ] >> good morning. i can say i have never seen a group of people more excited about a green door. so thank you very much for

inviting me to speak to you on this absolutely beautiful day. i was promised by your president there would be a few people from baltimore. any people from baltimore in the audience? wonderful. thank you very much. now, my nerves are gone. i know there are some hometown folks in the crowd. so today is the culmination not just of the last four years but of a lifetime of hard work for the students who are here today, and at the 50-day celebration, i promised the students a commencement address of no less than 90 minutes. and i intend to keep my word. so get comfortable. to the graduates, i want to congratulate you on completing your undergraduate education. each and every one of you are about to join a very distinguished fraternity. my dear friend and colleague councilman brandon scott, a 2006

graduate of st. mary's often reminds me that a degree from st. mary's is not your average degree. he actually says it more than i'd like to hear about. a degree from st. mary's is a degree from maryland's public honors college. that comes with the increased level of responsibility of caring for the tradition of excellence of those who have come before you and carried that degree into the real world. 50 days ago i had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with many of of you at your 50-day celebration and during my visit i also had the pleasure of having dinner with your class president and student trustee. and i must say that if they embody the spirit of your entire class, then our future is in great hands. as i made my trip back from baltimore that day, that evening, it was very clear to me that you all are extremely well prepared to move on to the next chapter in your lives.

whether it be the real world or furthering your education. i was also very impressed with your collective awareness of the global situations of today. i was told then and i completely understand now that it is all a part of what is called the st. mary's way. caring for the environment is just as an important part of st. mary's culture as the day your shoes made it into the shoe tree. and being socially conscience is no less a part of the st. mary's culture than midnight breakfast. it's also a complete ed dhags will ensure that you were well prepared for the challenges of the world that await you. make no mistake -- ishs the world that you are about to enter is totally different than the world that i entered after graduating from college. our country state and city are still struggling with the effects of the great recession. families throughout our great state have to tighten their belts as they struggle with

increased costs and decreased income. individuals are struggling to find and to keep work. however, despite these challenges, our spirit remains strong. as mayor of baltimore i see firsthand the resolve of an entire city. even while the economy endured the great recession that djed our economy, baltimore that held tsd own. and our public schools test scores and graduation ratesy rising while dropout rates are falling and on our street crime is dropping to levels not seen since the 1970s. our neighborhoods are becoming magnets for new investment, and now as the country pulls itself out of the recession, we can see and feel that baltimore's best days are ahead of us a i would love for you to be a part of that future, too. i'm humbled to serve as the mayor of baltimore. it's my home. baltimore is in me, and with me, wherever i go. anden in my lifetime, our city

has gone through some tremendous changes. people and businesses have left, entire industries disappeared. our schools fell into disrepair and drug addiction ravaged once proud neighborhoods. despite this, we held on to and built some of, on to some of our strengths. our inner harbor is home to great attractions and the aenk of our tourism industry. we are them to great educational institutions and research institutions and our sport growing and outpaces its peers along the east coast. and our hospitals serve people from all over maryland and all over the globe. without these pillars of growth, baltimore might have lost more population. as important as these physical pillars are, there's another pillar that kept people from leaving. and that is love. baltimore's a kind of city that elicits a special kind of devotion. every neighborhood is unique.

the people hoop stayed for all of these years always believed that baltimore's best days are yet to come. there is no quit in them. their love for baltimore compels them to safeguard and uphold what is good and to stand firm in the face of their neighborhood's challenges. none of us are willing to give up on your great city, and as mayor i owe it to the people of baltimore to focus on improving in key areas. better schools. safer streets. stronger neighborhoods. this commitment to the fundamentals is how we're going to hold on to our residents and grow out of city by 10,000 families in the next ten years. but our plan top grow bought s'more baltimore is about attracting people like you, if this sounds like a commercial, as it is to holding on to the families that are already there. just last year baltimore was ranked as the number one city for new college grads, and just this week, baltimore was ranked

the ninth best city to find a job. does that appeal to any of you? in the '90s at the national economy grew, young people started making investments in baltimore communities. in federal hill, canton, locust point and patterson park, young professionals were having new homes. roof-top decks popping up. housing inexpensive and these neighborhoods were close to the centers of business as well as great night life. but we had a problem. we couldn't keep them. unlike people in other parts of the city who were sticking with baltimore, thick or thin, these young people got married, had kids and moved away. they went to neighboring jurisdictions, not for the lower cost of living, but they left because baltimore's crime and poor schools pushed them away. the city has become focused on doing everything in making the financial promises that the city had become focused and doing everything. promising everything and making financial promises that it could

not keep. it could not do the most important things well. while the real estate boom helped generate historic revenues it masked a serious problem. now, in 2012, there are sirens that boug that -- sirens baltimore is headed in the right direction. making baltimore bait etter, sa and stronger. pe can make the argument to yyo feel come and stay. that baltimore's best days are ahead and you can be part of our pillars of growth. we need committed and educated young people in baltimore right now and your experience has given you the confidence to make decisions like that. st. mary st. mary's has given you the skills to re-invent yourself and lead in the 21st century and stay on the cutting edge. so i know this day is probably

daunting for many of you. but i have to say that there is no reason to be overwhelmed. abraham lincoln once said that the best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time. with each new day, come as new challenge to overcome and a new opportunity to embrace and drive forward. a new future to shape and to make your own. and as i look at these proud graduates today, i see leaders who will be willing to make these bold decisions. leaders unafraid to ask, what's next? leaders with the courage to constantly adapt and to change themselves for the better. leaders ready to meet tough challenges and seize new opportunities. baltimore and the world needs a new generation of leaders like you. in fact, we're banking on it. st. mary's gave us baltimore's youngest current councilman,

brandon scott. vie no doubt you can joining him as new jeperation of great leaders. at times it will be tough and you will find yourself asking, as we all do at all times in our life did i make the right decision? but you did. and you are prepared to make it through those tough times. you're complete liberal arts education has prepared you to take on challenges of all kinds. not just in your long nights in kent or montgomery hall working on your smp but also the time spent with your classmates. now, before i close, i must ask of few things of your entire class, and when the president asked this of you a little while ago, i'm thinking that maybe you weren't warmed up yet. so first -- the first thing i ask is that you, please, stand and give your parents and your family ap round of applause and the educators here for all that they have done

to help you to get to this day. now! now, that is a round of applause. thank you. now, that is a round of applause. i also xp you to look to your right and to your left. all right. promise me that you will continue to support your classmates as you move throughout life, and as you all work to make our world a better place. i got a call on my way to the commencement today. it doesn't matter how old you are or whether you're a mayor of a big city, your mom still tells what you to do, and my mother, as she knew i was headed down

here to give this address, she said, you have to tell them a few things. so i'm only going to tell you one of the things. [ laughter ] my mother's advice to you, and i get a lot of advice from my mother. she's an incredible woman pap retired pediatrician who went to the university of maryland medical school back in the '60s when not. women at all let alone women of color were attending medical school and she's been a tremendous asset to me. [ applause ] so she has one piece of advice. she says that you must commit yourself to a life of learning. she said, this is not the end of your education, whether you're going off to school or whether you're going off to the work world. you have to commit yourself to becoming the best person that you can be by continuing to learn for your entire life. so that is her advice.

i hope that you take it. now, on to my advice. when you are done celebrating with your friends and your family, i urge you to begin to think about how you can make a difference in your communities, or in your city, by bringing the st. mary's way with you. wherever you go. you're welcome to bring it to baltimore, because we need your energy. we need your ideas, and most importantly, we need your hope that we can make baltimore a better, safer and stronger place to live. congratulations. god bless you, and thank you again for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today. [ cheers and applause ] now more from this year's graduates of the school of communication at american university in washington. >> tell us your name