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REMARKS BY:		DONNA  E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:			HHS Academy Senior Recognition Ceremony
DATE:			May 30, 1997

Teachers, staff, parents, friends, leaders of HRSA, ASMB and everyone else who has supported this great school, and most important, the seniors of the HHS Academy. My warmest congratulations to all of you.

Congratulations for working so hard.

For making your families - and everyone at HHS - so proud.

And, of course, for surviving "anatomy" and "physiology."

I remember my own high school graduation. In the air you could feel the sense of accomplishment, excitement, and the most chilling feeling of all - the absolute fear that the commencement speech would never end.

Albert Einstein gave one of the shortest graduation speeches ever. He said, "I do not have any particular thoughts to express today, so I wish you all success in the future."

Then he sat down.

I won't be quite that brief - because I do have an important message for you today.

But I promise, any adult speaker who goes on too long will be punished - they'll have to go back and take your Medical Terminology class.

We live in a time when some people claim there are no more heroes.

They even say that while we celebrate Memorial Day to remember the heroes of the past - we can look forward to no more heroes in the future.

Well, to them I say: You haven't met the HHS Academy class of 1997!

Because, even as you lay the foundations of great careers and great lives, I want you to know that you are already heroes to me.

I believe in you. And I believe in your generation.

Look at all you've accomplished already.

You've overcome obstacle after obstacle; not only tough classes, but long hours, family responsibilities, and just this week - the loss of your friend and classmate Jermaine Barnes at Eastern High School.

And what was the result of all your sacrifice and hard work? Every one of you got into college. So, you are not just survivors - you are champions.

If you were a movie, you'd sell more tickets than The Lost World.

If you were a baseball team, you'd do what the O's did to the Yankees this week - swwwweeeeep them!

But you're not a movie or a baseball team - you're something much more important: You're the future of this nation and the world.

And through your own heart and guts, you've filled that future with hope, passion and promise. You've earned our praise - and our appreciation.

So, every member of the 1997 class of the HHS Academy please stand up.

I proudly present to all of you, the senior class of the Health Human Services Academy. Please, a big round applause.

Recently, I read something one of your classmates wrote. It said, "The Academy has taught me that I will be all I can be - in whatever I want to be."

You will be all you want to be - and I've already given you one reason why: The hero that lives in each of you.

But there is a second reason - and that is, all of the heroes around you who helped bring you to this day.

First of all, your families who have coaxed, and encouraged, and always loved you.

Let's thank them for their support and their endless, endless, endless patience.

Second, your program coordinator, Flossie Johnson who got into your life - and made a 24 hour a day commitment of love and dedication to you.

She is the spirit, the backbone, and the guiding light for all you have accomplished. Thank you, Flossie.

Third, your teachers. They're heroes - for believing in you. Pushing you. Instructing you. And never accepting anything less than the best from you.

And fourth, your mentors who have stood by you playing all three roles of teammate, coach, and cheering fan.

Remember, no matter how high in life you reach, you will always be standing on the shoulders of these heroes.

So, I want all these heroes to stand - family members, teachers, staff and mentors - so the HHS Academy graduates can applaud you!

I mentioned that this past Monday was Memorial Day - a day to think about heroes and remember heroes.

When I was your age I had many heroes.

My family for encouraging me to go as far as my talents would take me.

President John Kennedy - who inspired my generation to join the Peace Corps. Which I did.

Martin Luther King - who taught my generation that the fight for civil rights was not only about justice, it was about building a better and stronger America.

Now it's your turn to keep an eye on a hero.

Someone who will inspire you to take on the great challenges of the next century - your century. Because it is your turn to lead.

As future leaders in health and human services, and other critical fields, you must ask yourselves, will we kick Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man out of young people's lives?

Will we protect, not neglect, the environment for future generations?

Will health care and student loans be there for you - and for your children?

Will we end the terrible violence that has plagued this school, this city and this country - the kind of violence that tragically took the life of Jermaine Barnes and must never take another young and promising life.

And will we fulfill Martin Luther King's dream of ending the racism and division - so we can finally emerge as One America?

We will if you continue to believe in heroes, watch out for heroes, and aspire to be heroes. We will if you continue your education and love of learning, if you go beyond your chosen field to learn as much as you can about every area of the human experience - from literature to art, from science to history.

We will if you live balanced lives of work, fun and spiritual renewal.

And we will if you continue to set an example for others and lead.

That's why I'm here - to ask you to be the most important kind of hero of all - a hero to someone else.

Take your experiences in community service and internships and pass them on to young people who are still trying to reach the first step on the ladder of opportunity.

So, be role models of hard work and outstanding character.

Be exemplary members of your community by voting; getting involved in your community; and mentoring and tutoring the young.

Be advocates for staying in school, studying, respecting other people, and living healthy active lives.

Be courageous in your actions; generous in your support of others; and tolerant of views different from your own.

In other words, be heroes.

Not because it is easy - but because it is right, and because your families, your community and your country are depending on you.

Almost 40 years ago, I sat in a seat much like yours - patiently (or maybe impatiently) waiting for the speech to end.

I didn't know where life would lead me, but I promised myself when I saw an opportunity I would take it.

And I always did.

I hope you'll swing for the fences too.

And that you'll always dedicate your life to being a hero to others, just as you are already a hero to me.

Thank you and God speed.