I am Ms. Del Pino's cousin, and I am honored and humbled to speak to you today as you graduate from the Animo Leadership High School.
How could I not be honored to speak to a group of young adults who are associated with the concepts of "animo" and leadership, two of my favorite ideas?
Animo, as all of you know, means soul in Spanish. It also means courage.
I have learned a few things about this graduating class and the classes that have come before you. I know that each and every one of you has shown your courage and your soul. Your teachers and I have every confidence that in the years to come you will have many opportunities to display the leadership that you have been taught here.
I am lucky to be able to see courage and leadership in action every day. I see them in the actions of police officers who risk their safety every day so that other people can be safe. I also see the courage of many parents who work in tough, thankless and underpaid jobs so that their children may enjoy better lives.
I'll bet that many of you have seen that, too.
This class will graduate 95% of those who started four years ago. Almost 95% of the class is headed to college. Many of you will be going to Cal State colleges, some will go on to the UC system, some to private universities, and even to Ivy League schools. You haven't reached these achievements by accident — your accomplishments are the result of your courage, your soul, your animo.
I know that many of you, or your parents, are immigrants to this, the greatest country on our planet. I, too, am an immigrant. When I was much younger than you are now, I was sent to the U.S., arriving here alone because my parents wanted me to escape the tyranny of the communist regime that had taken power in Cuba. My family eventually joined me here in the U.S., and my parents always stressed that we must resist tyranny.
Today, and for the rest of your lives, each of you will have the opportunity and the challenge of fighting a different kind of tyranny. You are fortunate to live in a place and time where — unlike in Cuba and many other places in the world — you are free to think your own thoughts, read what you want, write your own feelings, associate with whomever you like, and to address injustice when you see it. Yet, even with all the freedoms you enjoy, there is another kind of tyranny that you must always fight: The tyranny of low expectations.
Because of who you are — or the color of your skin, the money you don't have, the neighborhoods you have been raised in — there will be some who expect that you will not be able to achieve what others take for granted. Now and for the rest of your lives you will have the opportunity and the obligation to prove these people wrong.
Don't make the mistake, though, of thinking that these low expectations come only from evil people, or from individuals who don't look like you or know you, or who are more privileged than you. Such people certainly exist. But understand that sometimes the people who hold low expectations for you also think of themselves as kind-hearted. They don't expect much because they don't want you to be disappointed or hurt. They might be your neighbors, your friends — maybe even some members of your families. They may think that it wouldn't be fair to expect too much of you.
Wherever the low expectations come from, and whatever the motivations behind them, you will prove them wrong. You must prove them wrong because the tyranny of low expectations can hurt you as much as a rifle-toting soldier who would throw you in jail for thinking thoughts that some government doesn't approve.
Always remember, however, that low expectations are most dangerous when they come from within you. To doubt yourself, to be tempted to quit when things get tough, to be defeated by fear and frustration — those are the most harmful kinds of low expectations.
Tell yourself now — and truly believe — that you can overcome all setbacks.
We all feel fatigue, doubt, and frustration at times. You will not be the only person in your college class with doubts. The difference between success and failure will depend on animo. You don't have to be brave all the time; just be brave a little longer. When you are tempted to quit, tell yourself that you can quit tomorrow. And tomorrow, give yourself another tomorrow, until you have again triumphed.
What you have achieved already here at Animo Leadership High School serves to prove wrong those people who don't expect much from you, whatever their reasons. I have no doubt that you have been able to reach these initial goals because the staff at Animo Leadership has believed in you and has given you the tools to succeed. You will always have these gifts with you.
But remember that you also got yourself to this point.
Now, as you enter the adult worlds of work and higher education, your mentors won't be so near at hand. But their words of love and encouragement, the pride you feel today, should continue to play in your mind and your soul like a tune that you can't get out of your head. It will be up to you, every day, in ways big and small, to remember what you have been taught here, and to continue to strive to achieve your dreams. Believe in yourself. What you have already achieved is great; know that there is no limit to what else you can do.
I hope each of you has taken to heart what you have heard many, many times from your teachers, and hopefully, your parents: Education is the key to a successful life, however you define success.
Education will allow you raise your own families more comfortably than you were raised. If your goal is to make a lot of money, education will increase your earning power. If you want to create beautiful things, education will enhance your artistic opportunities. If you, like myself and your teachers, believe that a successful person is one who leads by serving others, then you will find that such service requires skills that come with education.
You have achieved much already, but you still have an obligation to yourself, to your families, and to our country to accomplish even more.
Education is the key to fulfilling that obligation.
Always remember the soul, the courage, and the leadership that you have been taught here. Dare to prove wrong the people who have low expectations of you. Be fearless, and always speak the truth. Because much has been given to you, you have the obligation to give back, and the best way to do so is to be a role model to your brothers and sisters, cousins and neighbors.
Don't ever be the one with low expectations of others. You have the rare privilege right now to be an inspiration to them. Take up that challenge, and keep the Animo tradition alive.
I guarantee you that you will never regret it.
Deputy Chief Sergio Diaz leads the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Bureau and is the highest ranking Latino/American in the agency's history. The above is an edited version of remarks that Diaz delivered last year to the graduating class of the Animo Leadership High School in Inglewood. Diaz' cousin, Sonia Del Pino, is a teacher at the school.
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