April IAY Graduation, Dec. 20th, 2001
Remarks by Robert Bruce Scott, Academic Director

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Anna wanted to be here and had a very important family matter that she had to take care of. And if she comes a little bit later, we will hear her speech.

She's been talking to me about wanting to speak to the class. Anna has told me that she is especially proud of this April IAY class because you are the first class at our school to graduate after what happened on September 11th.

And I believe that all of us--not only Anna--as your hosts in America, would like to apologize for that terrible, terrible disruption in your experience. And we hope that all of the positive things, all the positive things and all your experience that has been shown so clearly in the yearbook, in the yearbook that the experts put together, I hope that that will outweigh what was, I think, for many of you a very scary, very difficult, very uncomfortable time.

We salute your bravery, we salute your bravery for staying. And I believe that that is something that makes your class very different.

The April IAY class is made up of a number of very unique and different individuals. This is a group. It is a community. But there is a diversity of interests. Some people have gotten to know America. Some people have really traveled. You can talk about people who recently went as far as Mexico-- and came back for graduation. You can talk about people who went to see Michael Jordan play basketball in Washington, D.C. You can talk about some of the first people to get on airplanes after September 11th and go to Disneyland--Disneyworld, excuse me-- in Florida. You can talk about people who got on airplanes just several weeks after September 11th.

This is a class of individuals more than anything, individuals. Each one has done what you came to do. And that's why every individual in this class has something to be proud of. And we are proud to have been associated with you for eight months, to watch you grow and develop and express your individuality.

We're proud of you. We thank you for coming here. And I hope that all of you enjoy and cherish this graduation ceremony. You set a great example with your spirit, your verve and your love of life!