Inspiring Speeches on Campus

These past few days had been a tremendous impact on my college life. I have listened to three outstanding people share their life experiences. Their brief, but powerful speeches have inspired me and strengthened my perspective on seeing the real world.

Enlightenment from a Magic Show

I went to the Campus Center Auditorium on the evening of April 21 to watch the world famous magician, Andre Kole, perform a magnificent show. I was looking for exciting tricks, but unexpectedly, I gained more than that.

Andre Kole has been performing for over 40 years, touring 78 countries of the world. He received the Merlin Award for magic inventor of the Decade. He is witty, amusing, and full of surprises. Each performance drew praise from the audience.

Part way through the second half of the program, Andre gave us a message that reality is not found in illusions. Life is like magic. Magic can make things mysteriously appear and disappear. In real life, it is the same. Many things seem to be there, but they are not. If you have money and distinguished achievement, does that guarantee that you are rich? Not necessarily. Andre Kole mentioned a quote by John Rockefeller that presented life in a different perspective, "I'm empty with money." Life has to have a purpose or it will be like a lamp without light. Behind all the fame and money, people feel lonely. The things we chase are sometimes just an illusion, an image. They don't bring us happiness or fulfillment. We need to set our goals, appreciate our core values, and live out the true meaning of life.

It was the best live magic show I had ever seen. His meaningful message planted a seed and made me scrutinize my own purpose in life.

Honor Society Induction

I was one of the ninety freshmen in the U*Mass Amherst who was inducted into a prestigious honor society - Alpha Lambda Delta. To become the member of this honor society, one has to have a 3.7 or above on a 4.0 scale based on their first semester college grades.

The initiation ceremony began at 1:00 p.m. in Fine Arts Center. During the one hour ceremony, we were introduced and recognized by our academic performance to an audience of one hundred people. The most notable event was the speeches that were delivered by two professors.

Faculty Advisor, Professor Susan Whitbourn, welcomed us by encouraging us to keep working hard, volunteer within the community and gain leadership skills. "The entire university is within our hands," she remarked. "Take the advantage of the abundant resources, learn as much as you can; it is time for you to contribute and give feedback to the society."

Our keynote Speaker, Professor David Adams, from Chemistry department addressed us with an inspirational speech at the ceremony as well.

"Learning," he said, "was a process that never stopped. It is a life style. The knowledge we learn from our life experiences is always left while the knowledge we learn from the books may be easily forgotten over the years. College is a place where you gain higher education and learn more knowledge. It is important to learn materials from the class. However, non-material are also essential in one's daily life. They are everywhere, and they are FREE. You pay tuition, books for your academic learning, yet the information you learn from friends, professors, teachers, and the college environment costs no money, and you can constantly learn from them." He mentioned, "They teach you how to think logically, how to solve problems, and gain responsibility." He noted, "During your college years, you will learn common knowledge through your interactions with people. You will develop core values, learn to live and study independently, gain maturity and become a reliable, trustworthy person. You will also gain time management, critical thinking, analytical skills, and comprise and explore choices. However, one of the most important things is retaining your integrity." He emphasized, "Never sacrifice your integrity when you are learning. Keep your honesty and virtue. Learn through your life. Continue to receive new knowledge and never stop learning. Learning can keep your mind sharp and forever young."

These two professors' encouraging speeches showed the straightforward values of the world to me. They broadened my horizons and have motivated me to continue my diligent efforts to achieve the highest success in every area of my life. Getting inducted is just a beginning; I will continue work hard to achieve my academic goals and promote excellence in service to the community and make a difference in this world.