2010 Valedictorian Speech

Here's the graduation speech from the Bronx International Class of 2010 valedictorian, Robin Khan. Robin is from Bangladesh and was my student for 2 years in the 9th and 10th grade. This speech had the entire audience in tears.


"Good morning parents, teachers, guests, and class of 2010. Since we started our journey together, we have devoted our time and energy to mastering English and advancing our academic skills. Time passed by so fast and suddenly we are leaving Bronx International. I look out on the audience and I realize I am not just speaking for myself. I am one voice, when I look at you I realize there are many of you with many voices. In order to arrive here we faced challenges and struggles. When I think about this, I am reminded of my own experiences back in Bangladesh.

I think about a gloomy morning at my grandmother’s house. I was only eleven when I witnessed the sudden death of an infant. He was the child of a poor family living with my grandmother. No one knew what was wrong with the baby, or even knew he was sick. Like so many other poor children in my village, he didn’t have access to healthcare. We had no public hospitals and the poor couldn’t afford to see a private doctor. Even at a young age, I did not understand why poor children couldn’t get help when they were sick. It didn’t seem right to me then and it still doesn’t seem right to me now. Back then I couldn’t do anything about it.

When I came to New York at the age of 14, my family believed that America would be a vibrant dreamland full of joy and happiness. It was not what we expected. We worked so hard and still we were trapped in a cycle of poverty. Living in the South Bronx we were subjected to the same discrimination and inequality that we had tried to escape. Just as in Bangladesh, healthcare is a problem in the South Bronx. Many residents in our community of immigrants and people of color don’t have health insurance. Many people depending on public health insurance often have to wait a long time to see a doctor or don’t receive proper healthcare at all. Anybody who has ever spent any time waiting in the emergency room at Lincoln Hospital knows all too well what I am talking about.

When I think about this, it makes me feel sad and angry. But this is only part of the story. The South Bronx has also done something wonderful. It developed and educated us. We are 68 educated immigrants from the Caribbean, West Africa, South America, Central America, The Middle East, and Asia who are graduating from Bronx International high school, ready to face the world. We have the power and the responsibility to fight discrimination and inequality. We have overcome so much. We are capable of so much more. We adapted to a completely new language and culture. We have learned to confront and interact with the world around us. We have done this through participation in internships, protests, debates, community actions, and other individual projects.

We don’t have to stop here. Before we leave this stage today, let’s take a moment to think about the world and see how we can make it a better place. All of us on the stage today have passions and talents that we can use to fight inequality. My interest in healthcare has influenced my decision to study medicine so that I will be able to provide medical help to poor people. Some of us will be social workers, teachers, engineers, psychologists, electricians, musicians, actors, and skilled workers. All of us will contribute to society in some way. Let us use what we have learned during these four years to create a world together that reflects the pride, joy, and hope we are all feeling on this especial day. Congratulations class of 2010."