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| TIME | SPEAKER | TEXT |
|---|---|---|
| 00:04:49 |
|
Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington,... |
| 00:05:42 |
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I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten,... |
| 00:06:16 |
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I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother... |
| 00:06:48 |
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Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at... |
| 00:07:05 |
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So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have... |
| 00:07:23 |
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Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility. |
| 00:07:29 |
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I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn. |
| 00:07:36 |
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I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework... |
| 00:07:47 |
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I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers... |
| 00:08:04 |
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But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and... |
| 00:08:35 |
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And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I... |
| 00:08:44 |
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Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer.... |
| 00:09:00 |
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Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper... |
| 00:09:40 |
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And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do... |
| 00:10:09 |
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And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education... |
| 00:10:30 |
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You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases... |
| 00:11:00 |
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We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve... |
| 00:11:20 |
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Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your... |
| 00:11:30 |
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I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised... |
| 00:11:53 |
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So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in... |
| 00:12:06 |
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But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law... |
| 00:12:30 |
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Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you... |
| 00:12:51 |
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But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from,... |
| 00:13:17 |
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Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny... |
| 00:13:30 |
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That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America. |
| 00:13:35 |
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Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started... |
| 00:13:57 |
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I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he... |
| 00:14:23 |
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And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster... |
| 00:14:44 |
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Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives... |
| 00:15:11 |
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That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do... |
| 00:16:04 |
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Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. |
| 00:16:11 |
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I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard... |
| 00:16:29 |
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But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click... |
| 00:16:56 |
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That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures.... |
| 00:17:34 |
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These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have... |
| 00:18:04 |
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No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity... |
| 00:18:37 |
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Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every... |
| 00:19:06 |
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And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have... |
| 00:19:21 |
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The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept... |
| 00:19:33 |
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It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and... |
| 00:20:03 |
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So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to... |
| 00:20:23 |
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Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education... |
| 00:21:05 |
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Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. |
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