"Never Forget What Made You Who You Are Today," Jill Biden Mentions Korean-American Students in Graduation Speech

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Seulgina Jo] "Never forget where you came from. Never forget what made you who you are today. Then you can prepare for wherever you choose to go next." On the 7th (local time), Dr. Jill Biden, wife of U.S. President Joe Biden, encouraged graduates' spirit of challenge by introducing the case of a student from an immigrant family from Korea during her college commencement speech.

According to the White House, Dr. Biden emphasized the importance of patience and resilience in her commencement speech at Los Angeles Community College in California, mentioning three graduates.

At the beginning of her speech, quoting George Ella Ryan's poem "Where I'm from," Dr. Biden asked the graduates, "Where are you from?" She said, "I'm not asking about the city, state, or country. Tell me the journey that brought you to this moment, your story," emphasizing that while graduates' birthplaces and degrees will be part of their resumes, they never define a person's entire life.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

In particular, Dr. Biden highlighted the importance of patience and resilience by sharing the story of Steve Kim, a graduate from a family that immigrated from Korea, as the third example.

Dr. Biden introduced, "Steve grew up in Chicago. During high school, he felt he had no future, but he wanted to give back to America, which welcomed his family from Korea, so he served five years in the Marine Corps." She also mentioned that after being deployed to Afghanistan, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but never gave up.

Dr. Biden added that Steve was able to overcome difficult times by enrolling in this college and receiving support through the Veterans Support Center, and personally encouraged him by saying, "Steve, I want you to know that we are all rooting for you." She also asked if there were other graduates who were veterans or from military families at the ceremony and said, "Thank you for your service and sacrifice."

On this day, besides Steve, Dr. Biden mentioned the cases of a woman who worked as a graphic designer for 25 years and earned her diploma at age 46 to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher, and a woman who came to the U.S. from C?te d'Ivoire five years ago and completed her exams despite being in labor with her third child.

She said, "These stories about patience and resilience are inspiring," adding, "They are the journeys that brought you here and the lessons you will need when facing future challenges." She repeatedly emphasized, "Never forget the path you have walked, the people who brought you here, and the lessons you learned along the way," and "Never forget where you came from."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.