By Suihong Lin

Fourteen years ago, I studied in Chicago and faced a significant challenge as a young student in a foreign country, which was to find a job before graduating. I set a goal to find a job as soon as possible when I arrived in America. However, that was not easy because I studied in a Catholic University, where there were not many Chinese students. I reached out to my professor and asked if there was anyone from China in my program who graduated and found a decent job in Chicago, so I could learn from them. Luckily, my professor connected me to Jessica, who graduated from my program two years before and worked in one of the top companies in Chicago. I had a wonderful conversation with Jessica, shared with her all my concerns, and asked her all the questions I had. At the end of the conversation, I asked her one last question. “So Jessica, what’s the secret? What’s the key to securing a job in Chicago?” Jessica smiled and asked me a question. “Do you think you can find a job in Chicago?” I was confused. I didn’t know that’s why I asked her that question. Jessica smiled again and imparted advice that has stayed with me ever since “If you believe you can find a job, you will!”

Honestly, I didn’t fully grasp her advice until months later, after I had secured a job. I realized the secret is the power of self-belief. Only when you believe in yourself will you keep trying and trying! When I looked back at the journey of looking for jobs, it was tough. The average response rate of job applications for foreign students was about 10%. For every 10 applications you sent out, you would get only one interview, and that interview didn’t guarantee anything. So I sent out 10, 20, 30... and eventually a hundred more applications so I could get about 10 interviews. I failed in most of them but succeeded in the last one. I didn’t give up because I understood “failures are not the end, but giving up is the end”. Nobody is born good at everything. J.K. Rowling got rejected 12 times before she published the first Harry Potter; Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team and lost hundreds of games in his NBA career, but he once said “I failed over and over and over again, and that’s why I succeed.”

So today I ask each of you: Do you think you can become anyone you want to be? The answer lies within you. Today, your families, your teachers, and I are working hard to provide the education and resources to prepare you for the future, but you have to do your part too. I expect you to get serious this year, and I expect you to be diligent and give your best efforts in all your endeavors this year. I know you can do it. Make us all proud. And here is the message I want to share with you today——Believe in yourself, for it is the first step towards realizing your dreams. 

Thank you!