但是我確實(shí)從歷經(jīng)磨難的生活這所學(xué)校畢業(yè)了,我們的吉祥物就是磨難和挫折。我在此度過了漫長的成長歲月。我媽媽在紐科姆工作,每當(dāng)我需要從她的錢包里偷偷拿些東西的時(shí)候,我都會去找她。但今天我為什么來這里呢?很明顯我不是想要偷你們的錢,你們離我太遠(yuǎn)了,而且我也跑不了。
I'm here because of you. Because I can't think of a more tenactious, more courageousgraduating class. I mean, look at you all, oh, wearing your robes. Usually when you're wearing arobe at 10 in the morning, it means you've given up. I'm here because I love New Orleans. Iwas born and raised here, I spent my formative years here, and like you, while I was living here Ionly did laundry six times. When I finished school, I was completely lost. And by school, Imean middle school, but I went ahead and finished high school anyway. And I-I really, I had noambition, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I did everything from-I shucked oysters, I was ahostess, I was a bartender, I was a waitress, I painted houses, I sold vacuum cleaners, I hadno idea. And I thought I'd just finally settle in some job, and I would make enough money topay my rent, maybe have basic cable, maybe not, I didn't really have a plan, my point is that, bythe time I was your age, I really thought I knew who I was, but I had no idea.
我來這里是因?yàn)槟銈?,沒有比你們更堅(jiān)韌更勇敢的畢業(yè)生了。我是說,看看你們每一個(gè)人,身著學(xué)士袍,通常在上午10點(diǎn)還穿著睡袍,說明你們已經(jīng)放棄人生了。今天我來這里,因?yàn)槲覠釔坌聤W爾良。我在這里出生,在這里長大,在這里度過了我的童年時(shí)代。和你們一樣,我在這里生活時(shí),只洗過6次衣服。當(dāng)我畢業(yè)后,我完全迷失了。這里我指的是中學(xué),但我接著上學(xué),讀完了高中。而我當(dāng)時(shí)真的沒有什么野心,不知道自己想做什么??晌沂裁炊甲觥N覄冞^牡蠣,當(dāng)過迎賓員,做過酒保、服務(wù)員,粉刷過房子,賣過吸塵器。我完全不知道自己想做什么。我想隨便找個(gè)工作穩(wěn)定下來,只要有足夠的錢付房租,電視機(jī)可有可無,我完全沒有計(jì)劃。這里我要強(qiáng)調(diào)的是,我像你們這么大的時(shí)候,我真的以為我了解自己,但其實(shí)并非如此。