News & Events

Good morning everyone! It's an honor to be here today. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to be nominated as a speaker for this graduation ceremony, but when I received that phone call sharing the news, I was thrilled to accept. It wasn't an easy path for me to get here, but after three and a half challenging years in my life, I finally decided to push through and accomplish something. That something was my determination to earn my degree and that accomplishment is what put me on this stage today.

In retrospect, it took a lot of guts and hard work to accomplish this goal. In fact, the odds weren't in my favor. A decade ago, I dropped out of school to work full time. The jobs I worked were factory and warehouse jobs, and while my life was simple, I was not fulfilled. What I really wanted to—what my passion has always been—is art. Yet, when I shared my dream with others, they told me that making art was not a real career, or that I wouldn't make enough money from it to survive and certainly not enough to live a fulfilling life. It's hard not to buy into other people's beliefs about our own futures. When I decided to pursue my degree, to pursue art, it took guts to not believe the limiting beliefs that others saw and instead, trust my own vision of what my life could be and to have faith in that vision. But the payoff is worth it. Here I am after years of honing my craft and mastering my skills; I'm looking forward now and what I see are the many opportunities awaiting me. I've built my portfolio

Back then, before I accomplished this goal, I didn't believe in myself. Maybe the doubts of other people influenced my own thinking, because in truth, I had doubts about everything. Slowly, my confidence grew and looking back now, I can see the progress that I've made in believing in myself, thanks to the many professors, classmates, and staff who have supported my dreams and cheered me on. All of you have played a role in my success and I want to give a special thanks to all of my 3D instructors, who never gave up on their students, who believed in them, even when the students didn't believe in themselves. That's one of biggest lessons that I learned during my time at Laurus College—do not give up, no matter how hard it is, you can get through it, day by day, hour by hour.

One of the most influential people who I meant was an instructor who is not with Laurus College today but pursuing his own dreams and ambitions as an artist. His name is Andre Wahl, and I think I can speak for my fellow students when I say that he is greatly missed. He went above and beyond. Any time I had a question, he answered it in full detail. I remember struggling to make my own 3D environment and Andre was there with me every step of the way, helping me become the best artist I could be and unlocking my potential. As I completed project after project, I learned the innate skill that persistence is one of the keys to success. Anyone can be motivated, but you actually have to keep moving forward even though you might accidentally hit a brick wall or two on the way to the end of the tunnel. Obstacles that used to create stress for me in the past when I first started creating 3D art actually don't phase me now, all because I kept going and trusted my instructors. I believed in the process which allowed me to believe in myself.

I am a firm believer that anyone can dream and anyone can become their dream. You may have to make sacrifices to make that dream come true. You might need to say no to friends and family or not go out on a weekend to grind away on your dream. But in the end, the hard work pays off and you will be in a position where you are happy with your life. I guarantee it.

As Ray Bradbury once said, “Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life.”

As an ending note, I want to congratulate all of my fellow classmates on graduating today, as we all follow our dreams and become the best versions of ourselves. Finally, I would like to give thanks to all of my friends, family, teachers, and colleagues for supporting me on my journey.

Thank you and congratulations.