Commencement Speech, June 6, 2009

Some Punahou graduating classes are memorable because of events and circumstances that are thrust upon them. Others are memorable because of their superb contributions and leadership within the school. In the case of your Punahou Class of 2009, both are true.

You are special. And, yes, you will be memorable. Your time at Punahou, and especially your senior year, has been simply - MAGNIFICENT! Thank you for what you have contributed to Punahou in every aspect of school life.

We just heard Dr. Conway fast-forward an image of you 30 years into the future. Well, next week, the Punahou Class of 1979 will return to Hawai‘i and to campus to celebrate their 30th reunion.

When their most visible classmate, President Obama, spoke to Punahou students in the chapel several years ago (some of you were there), he reminded us that while at Punahou he was not a perfect student, nor a perfect classmate. But he said that he will always be extraordinarily grateful to his Punahou teachers who gave him a foundation for the future, who supported him, encouraged him and challenged him to consider his responsibility beyond himself to others.

But President Obama is not the only member of the Class of 1979 to follow their passion, to fulfill a dream or to improve another life. A brief sampling of profiles from the Class of 1979 includes:

• Educators; coaches; public servants; a diverse collection of business leaders
• Hardworking parents making sacrifices to support their kids and to give them a leg up in the world
• Volunteers making their communities healthier
• An economic developer who shapes global initiatives related to health care
• A renowned jazz bass player, who is now a musician with the Honolulu Symphony
• A former journalist who is now the Hawai‘i state film commissioner
• A prominent investor who has been selected to strengthen ties between America and Japan
• A strategist whose clients include the military, Department of Defense, and Homeland Security
• An emergency room physician who led humanitarian efforts to care for wounded Iraqi citizens
• A nuclear scientist whose research is improving the use of forensics data
• A political activist who is dedicated to improving the lives of Native Hawaiians

The different journeys of these reunioning classmates reflects your diversity, your breadth of talent and interest, your energy, your passion and your idealism - perhaps first planted and cultivated while at Punahou. Although you will graduate 30 years apart, you are interconnected with the Class of 1979. They once walked down this aisle and across this stage to proudly claim their diploma. And now, you are about to join them - as Punahou graduates.

The most prominent image on the Punahou School seal that appears on the diploma I am about to give you and on your Punahou class ring is the Hala tree. The Hala tree is known for its heartiness, steadfastness, longevity, strength and persistence. The parts of the hala tree served multiple uses for Hawaiians. Former Punahou teacher MARY KAWENA PUKUI wrote: "Just as the hala tree stands firm through wind and storm, so shall the children of Punahou stand strong through joy and sorrow. And as the hala tree has many uses, so shall the children of Punahou be useful to Hawaii and the world."

If your education here at the waters of Ka Punahou is, indeed, a special gift, then as you join the ranks of the men and women who came before you, your responsibility now is to pay that gift forward - by helping to move another person's life forward, by helping someone else to reach their aspirations and to fulfill their full promise.
Before we nudge you out into the world to soar on your own, we want to express a final wish for you -

We wish for you an understanding that your education will always be UNFINISHED - that your learning will be life long - and not just a ticket to the next level.

We wish you SUCCESS sufficient to your needs, and some occasional heartache and even some failure along the way - so that you can appreciate that success.

We wish for you the EXHILARATION of a Junior Carnival, a final Variety Show, or a Senior Skip Day as you climb your peaks; and also the TRANQUILITY of a solitary moment near the Lily Pond as your rest in your valleys.

And our final wish for you is that you will come to understand and believe that that the NOBLEST USE of your mind, your talents - and your Punahou education - is to make another life better.

So "Magnificent Class of 2009," you leave the New Spring with our best wishes always, our deep admiration, heartfelt mahalo and our fond aloha.