By: Tami Gallupe
CTU Commencement Address, June 26, 2005
To the Graduating Class of 2005 It’s an honor to be here with you today as you celebrate this joyous occasion. Today marks the finish line of a monumental marathon in your life. Your journey is commendable, and definitely not for the faint hearted! Let’s go back in time to that first day you entered Colorado Technical University. Remember the bustle, the chaos, the standing in long lines at the bookstore? They seem like faded, sort-of-forgotten memories now … don’t they! Now, fast-forward to just a couple months ago, even a few weeks ago. Remember how weary you felt? Remember how you questioned if your midnight-oil would last for one more team project assignment? Even that now seems to be foggy … right? Indisputably, this has been an unforgettable and noteworthy journey. But, look at you now... Wow! You made it! You had the courage to endure! See, it is not how well you start, but how well you finish, that counts. Perseverance is the pathway to success, and you’ve proven it by being here today. While preparing for this speech, in typical “Tami-fashion” I searched countless websites and read hours of speeches from some of the worlds’ most famous orators. But, I lay all that aside. Today I would like to talk from my heart and share with you a very personal experience, which became the pivotal anchor for success in my career as well as my personal life. It started a number of years ago, while still living here in Colorado Springs. It was a Christmas Eve when my husband sat down on the couch beside me and told me that he only had a few months left to live. My heart was spinning and my thoughts were all jumbled up, as we sat there and talked. He wanted to be the wind beneath my wings so I could establish myself in a professional career that would enable me to care for the family independently. I stared down the hallway where my toddler son and my baby daughter were peacefully sleeping. It was at that moment that I made a decision and a choice. And, I knew I could not fail! Two months later, I stood before my future instructors who were debating whether they should accept me in their technical emersion-training course. This was technology in-depth, and they knew I did not meet the class prerequisites. I knew a few things about computers, like what a mouse was … but unfortunately, I had not yet experienced the glorious adventures behind a “right-click” of the mouse, nor had I discovered my passion for building servers and designing networks. Well, I hadn’t even reached the enlightened era where “OO” stood for “Object-Oriented” and not for “Oh-oh!” And of course, I definitely had not yet I learned the challenges of staying ahead of the hacker. It was just the two instructors and me in the computer-filled classroom. The hum of computers roared in my ears, and I knew I had one last chance to plead my case. I stood up, squared my shoulders and looked straight at them. With a voice of determination, I said, “What I don’t have in brains, I have in sheer guts and determination!” Amazingly, they accepted me in the program and I launched on a physical, emotional, and mental marathon beyond my wildest dreams. The technology emersion training was also designed to prepare the students for six certification exams, and I will be the first person to tell you that at the end of the training, I had not passed all the tests. Well, I had not passed any of my tests! Ok, the truth is I had failed the first test. I failed it not once, not twice, but three times. I had also failed the second test. Fortunately, I did get smart enough to know better than to even try the last four exams. But, guess what? That was when I began to understand that any success (at any level) is truly dependent on perseverance. I did not give myself an option for failure, and I clenched onto the challenge of perseverance as if my very life depended on it! No, it was not easy. It was not an afternoon stroll in the academic-park. But that was ok! I knew that I was on a quest, and I had to persevere. Several months later, it was on my fourth attempt that I passed that infamous first exam. And you know what? I never ever again failed another test! About 10 months later, while working a full-time job and taking care of the family, I passed the final of my six exams, and I passed it with one of the highest scores on record. It was during this that I began to realize that success is like climbing a mountain, and it is up to each one of us to choose our mountains to climb. I also learned that mountains over 14,000 feet tall are known as “14ers”, and in addition to Colorado’s 50+ 14ers, I was also climbing a 14er of my own. I kept reminding myself that the taller the mountain the longer the climb, but the greater the view from the top. I also observed other people around me. Some settled for gopher-mounds, while others strategically planned for all the “14ers” they could squeeze out of life! It was then a pattern began to emerge, and it depicted three fundamental ways to live life. First, it seemed as though there were people all around who were addicted to being victims. I called them victiholics. These were the people who lived by the loopholes of excuses, and thrived on finding someone else to blame for their lack of success. The victiholic rationalizes why everything else, circumstances, and everyone else are to blame for his or her failure in climbing the mountain. The victiholic never starts the mountain climb. The victiholic has no concept of perseverance. Next, I saw the survivalist’s approach to mountain climbing. The survivalist manages to survive! Wow! Isn’t that exciting? They make the evening NEWS because they have been rescued from the mountainside and now have an interesting story to tell. Frequently they get more publicity than the one who makes it to the top of the mountain. But, they are still merely survivors. The survivalist never gets to see the best view of the climb. Of course, we all need to be survivalists at times in our life, and being a survivor is not all bad. But why settle for being just a survivor? The survivalist has a foggy view of perseverance. It was then that I decided that I would not be a victiholic or settle for being a mere survivalist. I wanted to be a conqueror! I wanted to make it all the way to the top of the mountain! I dreamed of standing at the very top mountain peak, and reaching out to touch the soaring eagles of success. I longed to shout at the top of my voice my own victory chant to the world far below. Truth is, sometimes the conqueror is so far above the world that his triumphant shouts of success may not even be heard thousands of feet in the valley below! But, that’s ok! He has conquered! The conqueror prepares for the climb. He plans it at the right time of the season and rigorously trains to be in shape for the climb. Then once he set out on the trail, he paces himself appropriately, and perseveres to ensure success. The conqueror comprehends and personifies perseverance! Today is your time to dance on the mountaintop. For some of you it has been a phenomenal “14er”. Shout for joy! … You have conquered. You persevered and you succeeded. But don’t stop there! Think of the next “14er”, that really big mountain you used to dream of climbing. See, today (through perseverance) you’ve reached the summit of a monumental climb! And today, you also leave base-camp to conquer that next mountain of your dreams. As you leave on your quest, I challenge you to persevere,
… that you walk stronger,
… that you climb higher,
… that you live louder
than you have ever dared to dream before. The same year I enrolled at Colorado Tech I found this saying on the back of a catalog, and it was so gripping that I tore it out and used it as a bookmarker. Later for a class assignment, I mounted it on this poster-board. For the last 15+ years I have carried this hand-made poster (ragged edges and all) with me as I’ve persevered to reach success. It has followed me from classroom to cubical, and even today graces my office. I never knew who penned these words until a few weeks ago when I was preparing for tonight. Though many of you may be familiar with these words from Calvin Coolidge, I like to call this Your Commission To Success "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not;
nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not;
unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not;
the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence, [perseverance], and determination are omnipotent. Press on!” Go seize the day! Go climb your mountain! Congratulations Class of 2005! | 
