大学励志英语演讲稿范文 篇18

　　Duke accepted me as an ‘early decision’ candidate and, for the first time, I felt seen, and heard and valued. One of the finest universities in the nation was willing to bet on me. I was, and I remain, eternally grateful for the opportunity to attend and graduate in the Trinity Class of 1979. My Duke degree and our Blue Devil family have opened more doors than I could have imagined and stood in support when I needed it the most.

　　Graduates, today, we still find ourselves in the same morass of exclusion and intolerance I experienced all those years ago. The high degree of acrimony is unyielding and discouraging, but I want to make sure you hear this: Discouragement doesn’t have to be debilitating. If anything, discouragement should drive you to open your own doors and design your own future.

　　And just remember when you open those doors, there will be people on the other side. Some of them will be cheerleaders, and some of them will be critics. The challenges you face on your uphill climb will often come with an audience, because the reality is this: Adversity doesn’t happen always in private.

　　I know this all too well.