Dr. Seuss has always been one of my favorite children book authors and Oh the Places You’ll Go is at the top of my list.  As I sit back and think of these last few years of my life, I can’t help but have some of the greatest and most challenging memories.

I will never forget when I stepped foot onto this campus as a student, I was intimated and yet had a strong sense of urgency.  I wanted to learn all that I could and take away from this school everything it had to offer.  Looking back I can honestly say I did. There is not one thing I would change, not one class I wouldn’t take, and not one person I wouldn’t have met.

Life is funny sometimes because I never would have imagined I would be graduating two weeks from now from SMU. But I am and I wouldn’t change a bit of it.

This past year has been one of the hardest of my life, I have had to overcome many obstacles and to finally come to the end of this chapter has meant more to me than I could imagine.  There was many times I thought it would be easier to quit, but something inside kept me going. I knew that if I could overcome this year of my life, I could overcome anything.

And that’s just the way life is…. We all will go through these moments of our life when everything seems to stand in our way, but when we make it through those times we become a better person because of it.

Dr. Seuss gives us the best advice in Oh the Places You’ll Go and so to leave you with this….

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.

And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all.

Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too.

Games you can’t win, cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not, alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.

There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl.

On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl.

Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know.

You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea,

You’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way!