Mr. Paul Thomas, USA – Special Advisor to the Rector, Ukrainian-American Concordia University. Partner and President IRE (USA) Inc. and Thomas and Simonova, Ukraine, ConcordiaUA Honorary Doctor:
“Dear Graduates, I’m honored and delighted to be with you today at your Graduation Ceremony.
And today IS, it IS, a very important day in your life. This day proves you can do anything.
Sure, we are not able to be together in person, to shake hands, high-five, or take million group selfies, but everyone that is with you today is with you in SPIRIT, in our minds and in our hearts. We are happy for you and we are proud of you. No physical separation could ever change that.
Today marks the day that your teachers and administrators no longer call you ‘students’, now we call you our colleagues, our professional colleagues. We also call you our Alumni. And that will always be our common bond. No matter where you go in this world you will always be Alumni of Concordia University.
As our Alumni we know you will succeed in everything you do. You will succeed for yourself, your family, and yes, you will succeed so that we will all have a better world in which to live. You will and you must.
And don’t think for a moment that you cannot in fact make the world a better place, that somehow all the problems cannot somehow be solved.
As Nelson Mandela said “Everything is impossible, until it happens”
Do you know what is the difference between a dream and reality?
Ok, I’ll tell you: “A dream you dream alone is only a dream, but a dream you dream together is reality.” John Lennon said that.
But before you save the world, take today off, celebrate and enjoy this important event in your life. And please remember us, your teachers, your administrators, and now your colleagues and your friends.
You will always have our support.
That, dear alumni, are what friends are for.”
