It seem impossible to reach, hard to imagine, and difficult to grasp, road to high education is the road that determine man ability. Education requires man to assess his abilities and his intelligences. We may have many relatives, friends, and colleagues who love us so much and would love to help us in many ways, but when it comes to education they wouldn’t help us. They may support us financial and sympathize with us; however, we have to do the actual schools works ourselves.

Therefore the degree that we have, we don’t deserve it, we earn it. It is the result of our works. A works that cause us times, money and many endless studies. Our professors, school boards, and institutions grant us these degrees because we finished all the requirements. We survived the educational rules and principals. Our professors congratulate and salute us because we reach and joint the few intellectual elite society. Our longevity makes us unique in this generation and the generation to come. Some years ago, my fellow Sudanese, I didn’t see myself writing this invitation letter, but now what seem to be impossible through man eyes become possible through: sleepless nights, many long hours of studies, patient, persistent, hard work and many supports around the world. This degree that I am about to earn has almost taken my life. I did whatever the ordinary man can possibly do to obtain it, therefore relatives, friends, and colleagues, I cordially invited you to come and celebrate with me and my family.

I do understand many crucial reasons that may prevent you from attending my graduation commencement or ceremony, however, my dear friends if you can; I want you to make times to come. Each of you have support me greatly and I am glad to tell you that I made it. Your support and encouragement made me reach my dream. I didn’t fail you. I stay up at nigh many times to study because I know you believe that I can do it. Because of your faith in me, I am proud to tell you that the result of our hard work as final comes. It is time for celebration. It is times to look back and thanks ourselves for the job well done. As many of us know, the road to high education is not smooth, there is no shortcut, but we did it.

We did it because we believe in ourselves. We believe that nothing impossible in this world. Man can do anything as long as he has courage to do it. For example the man who didn’t finished high school is about to graduate with Bachelor of Science in Nursing. To be honest, my dear friend, nursing is one of the difficult majors I have experienced. I have struggled very hard during those two and half years I have been in St. Louis University. Sometimes, I don’t see myself graduating because of how difficult the subjects are and many American students who speak English fluently were failing. Every semester, we lost ten or more students. Some of them quit because nursing was difficult to them while other failed. However one thing has sustained me. God has sustained me. When it seem like there is no way, or impossible to pass, I prayed to God to make a way for me. I prayed that I am not going to quit as long as I am healthy and your prayed and encouragement help me as well. Thanks God I didn’t quit nor fail any classes. I am very happy and I know many of you are happy because I fought the good fight and I won the war. It is our times to celebrate our victory. In addition to our victory, we have more to celebrate I have already got a job at the Hendersonville hospital in TN.

The hard work is paying itself off. However I am not the only one who got a job about ninety percent of my classmates got their jobs too. We got those jobs before we graduate. Healthcare shortage is the huge problem and the need for healthcare professionals is high. In fact, wherever I applied for job I got a call, in TN alone I have two offers. Hospitals are fight to hire nurses. They don’t care about how bad you English is as long as you graduate from credential schools. They are going to hire you. Because of my love for you and I see the opportunity, I am encouraging you to major nursing if you are not going back home soon. You can get your associate degree in nursing or bachelor degree in nursing and get your master degree in other major of your choice. For nursing degree, you are going to get a job that pays good money. Also, you have opportunity to select your working schedule while you are going to school to get a degree of your choice. I hope you are going to take my advice and I am willing to help if you decide to major nursing. I have many books that I can give you and if you have any questions I will make time to answer your questions. Working as team is my compassion. I didn’t get help because we don’t have many people who have nursing degree, but now is different, I will do whatever it take to help someone.

I want many of us to major nursing or have degree in healthcare arena because of financial independent and at the same times we are helping people. Look at Indian, many of them are in medical schools. They choose medical schools because they want financial independent. Chinese and Korean who live in American are majoring technology or science because of the same reason. In healthcare licenses is the key. As long as you have healthcare licenses, you get the jobs, even if many cousins or relative want that jobs I am not going to give it to them because they don’t have licenses. To me, it is our opportunity. We are hard worker people we can do it guys. If I did it many of you can do it. Conversely, many of us had tried to form organizations because we want to help our people, but if we don’t have money to support our organizations those organizations are not going to survive. Nevertheless, if we have 20 people who went to healthcare and make approximately $45,000 to $75,000 a year. Those people can support our organizations financial and our organizations can thrive. Please give my advice a thought and I hope even if you don’t want to work in the healthcare do it for seek of our communities.

We need money to support our people. The schools that we want to build will not be build if we have no money. I believe it is time for us to think like Westerner or Nigerian. If Westerner or Nigerian found that their degrees are not marketable, they go back to school for another degrees. I met many Nigerian who have two or three bachelor degrees and I believe we can do likewise. If you have unmarketable degrees, especially in this country, and you are able to go back to school, please go back to school for another bachelor, not master degree. You are not getting a job because you have lack of knowledge, you have the knowledge, but it is because the degrees you get are not marketable in this country. Therefore it is better to get another marketable bachelor degree. The time will come one day for you to get your master degree. As friends I offer my advice because I care about you and our people. I am not giving you advice because I know better than you, but I am doing this because of my love for you and our community. I want you to succeed. Your success is my happiness. I want many of us to have better lives in this country. At the meantime, please make time to come to my graduations. I love you and hope to see you at the graduation!!gring@slu.edu

Thanks

James Gatwech Kong Ring