Governor Gregoire Honors Award of Excellence Recipients (As Written)

May 25, 2006

Governor Gregoire: I want to begin by thanking The Olympian for recognizing the South Sound�s best of the best � for their achievement in academics, arts, athletics, and community service.

Congratulations to all of our outstanding young scholars�and to the parents, teachers, family members, and friends who have supported you and believed in you.

Each of you shares one thing in common � an insatiable drive to excel. Whether it is in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in the studio, or out in our community, you give it your all to achieve the best results possible.

I�m very proud of you, and I hope you�ll not only keep it up, but that you�ll pass it on. That you�ll serve as examples and even mentor other young people.

A sidenote, but a critical one: Peer mentoring makes a meaningful difference, and it�s an opportunity you should take advantage of whether you�re headed off to college, to a new job, or to the armed forces.

I know that one of my proudest moments came when I graduated from college and law school.

And I have Mr. Reis, my sixth grade English teacher, to thank. Vernon Reis opened the world to me through books.

He taught me that while I was physically and firmly planted in blue-collar Auburn, Washington, in the 50s and early 60s, intellectually I could go anywhere, explore anything, and sample exciting new ideas simply by opening a book.

I can thank Fred Faber, a Moses Lake businessman.

He was like a father to me, and made me a part of his family. Fred taught me to pursue my dreams�he even paid my tuition to attend law school�and generously and wisely taught me never to let barriers get in the way of my dreams.

I have Father Michael Ryan, who gave the invocation at my Inauguration last year, to thank.

Father Mike baptized our daughter, Michelle, and to this day, he likes to whisper to me, in a voice loud enough so she can always hear, that if the baptism didn�t take, we can do it again.

Over the years, mentors recognized in me what I could not always recognize in myself. Together they shaped the path and opened the door to who I am as a spouse, a parent, a professional, and a citizen.

It�s a legacy with long arms, and I�m privileged to have benefited from the guidance and generosity of so many. It�s a legacy that all of you extend every day with your commitment to excellence in the arts, sports, athletics, and community service.

Now, I admit I�m partial to the athletes out there. I come from a sports-driven family, and I appreciate the value of competition. It was said around the time that Michelle Kwon pulled out of the Olympics in order to support our American team, that great athletes lead their lives as if a six-year old was watching them all the time. The same can be said of all of you�and that you�ll continue to achieve great things if you preserve your sense of dignity and a strong, moral character.

I�m also delighted that the Olympian is spotlighting �non-traditional� learning, that applied learning through the arts and community service help students appreciate the value of academic achievement by relating schoolwork to their lives and future. Simply put, well-rounded students contribute to well-rounded communities. We need you!

Community service: It�s NOT a form of punishment for racking up too many parking tickets! It�s the lifeblood of civil society.

Community service is about making a meaningful difference in the lives of real people. At times, that means swallowing hard and bringing friends and enemies together at the same table.

I tried to do that in this last legislative session, and it was hard work.

Nevertheless, we came together�environmentalists, tribes, and farmers�to settle a generations-long stalemate on managing the waters of the Columbia River. We came together�doctors and lawyers to begin to heal the rift on medical malpractice. And we came together�Republicans and Democrats�to invest in early learning so our children will be prepared for Kindergarten.

It was a good reminder to me�and to all of you�that the measure of our success is not how much we argue but how much we improve the lives of our neighbors and our communities. Community service should inspire and enliven and engage. And community service ideally should be about getting things done.

In the future, I hope that each of you will contribute to your communities, and please know that that does not require you to go out and run for political office!

In my State-of-the-State address in January, I said that each of us must never lose our way, that we must see ourselves through history�s lens.

What do I mean by that, through �history�s lens?� It�s a simple but powerful idea, that what we do today has an impact on future generations. If we don�t exercise good judgment, if we shy away from making the tough choices today, we ultimately pay a price in the future.

I�m talking about courage, that character trait that�s been described as �grace under pressure� and sticking your neck out for the greater good. We work hard and, at times, we pay a price, because we know in our heart of hearts it�s the right thing to do.

It�s important to have heroes, just as it�s important to have mentors. Growing up, John F. Kennedy was my hero. It was his call to service, that we think beyond self, that inspired me to go to law school and to dedicate my life to public service. �Ask not what your country can do for you,� Kennedy said in his Inaugural address in 1961, �but what you can do for your country.�

Asking for sacrifice from our fellow citizens is always a challenge. But sacrifice will make you better citizens and better human beings. To be a public servant or a volunteer is to become a part of something greater than yourselves: It won�t make you wealthy, but it will enrich your life and the lives of those you serve. It will fulfill you and challenge you. It will make our small corner of the world a better and saner place.

The opportunities that await you are the result of the legacy of those who came before. I encourage you to do the same, and leave a lasting legacy to those who follow you. A legacy that is worthy of future generations.

I look out today, and I see the future of our state. And the future is very, very bright. I am confident in the future of Washington because of young men and women like you. Keep up the great work. The best is yet to come!

Congratulations!


###