The Dignity of Honest Work at Saipan Southern High School
I wrapped up my week and time back in the CNMI speaking to the graduates of Saipan Southern High School, where I had the honor of celebrating with the Class of 2026 during the final high school graduation ceremony of the season. After attending multiple graduations, I noticed many speakers shared a similar message about resilience. My view was a little different. These graduates have lived through two super typhoons, a pandemic, and now the disruptions caused by Super Typhoon Sinlaku. They do not need to be told they are resilient. They have already proven it. Instead, I spoke about the dignity of honest work and the idea that a person's worth is not determined by a job title. I shared some of my own experiences working difficult jobs during challenging times and the lessons those experiences taught me about humility, perseverance, and contributing to something larger than yourself. My message to the graduates was that there is honor in effort, dignity in all work, and when life does not go according to plan, there is nowhere to go but forward.