Student uses 'spoken word' to inspire graduates and high-achieving students

Salt Lake Community College student Glory Shekinah Stanton penned a few thoughts this week for graduates and high-achieiving students who took part in the Pride In Academics event, sponsored by the Office for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. With her permission, Ms. Standton's words to her speech "We Made It" have been reprinted below.

Glory Shekinah Stanton

By Glory Shekinah Stanton

“We made it!”

In spite of what the world said about us, we made it.

In the society we grew up in, they waited patiently for the battle to be over and for failure to win.

Many often doubt, if you were worth the government Pell grants and loans that you had to cash out, but regardless of that…we made it.

There are so many struggles to overcome on this journey all in the name of education.

The constant second guessing of self, are you doing the right thing for you, or just to say you’ve stashed some money away in a checking’s or a savings?

You have a duty when you make it, to the community from which you came

You have to help those younger than you find their path and make it just the same

Remember along this journey you’ll constantly be doubted

People will try to destroy you, your mind plays tricks, or you might just find that your whole life’s path suddenly gets rerouted

There are barriers you’ve never imagined, standing in your way.

Sometimes each day seems like a struggle, and you may have thought of quitting and walking away

But to quit is not in our nature, we all come from a strong people

We were bred to endure, conquer, defeat, to be champions, and to do away with the world’s evil

You see whether you wanted it or not, you have a responsibility

To make the thought of freedom real and to teach the world humanity

I charge you to be the best, not just simply by coming to classes and passing tests

But be in best out in society, set an example, raise the bar, make justice just, and peace for real

Discover a cure, invent something new, write a good book, or simply see your dreams all the way through.

This is a celebration of the accomplishments you’ve made thus far.

My last words of advice, “Let your mind be the logic, your heart be the compassion, and when in doubt just remember who you are.”

We made it, we made it, we’ve made it…

Now let’s show the world what we can do with it.

Congratulations to all of the recipients of Pride and Academics