I am so proud to receive this honorary degree from this phenomenal university.

獲頒這所傑出大學的榮譽學位，我感到非常榮幸

And I am thrilled to be here today to celebrate the Oregon State University class of 2012!

今天能與奧瑞岡州立大學(OSU)2012年畢業班一同慶祝，我非常興奮

Go Beavs!

尖叫聲，河狸們!

I want to start by thanking President Ray for that very kind introduction and for the

我想先感謝校長Ray貼心的開場與

degree.

榮譽學位

I also want to thank Provost Randhawa, I also want to recognize Mayor Julie Manning

我也要感謝教務長 Provost Randhawa 與在場的市長 Julie Manning

who's here and all of the outstanding faculty, staff, and administrators and university leaders

與OSU所有傑出的教學人員、員工、行政人員與領導者們

here at OSU. I also want to acknowledge Tonga as well and

我還要嘉許Tonga，與

all of student speakers who are gonna be on this stage today, we are so proud of you

其他將要上台演說的講者們，你們讓我們感到驕傲

all. And of course, to the stars of today’s show,

當然，還有今天的主角們:

the class of 2012 congratulations!

2012年的畢業生們，恭喜你們!

We are all so proud of you.

我們為你們感到非常驕傲

We are proud of how hard you’ve worked, how much you’ve grown, and all that you’ve

為你們的努力與成長，和你們

achieved during your time here at Oregon State.

在奧瑞岡州立所達成的成就，我們感到無比光榮

And I know that none of you did this alone. As the president said earlier, you all are

而且我知道你們在學習的路途上並不孤獨。如同不久前校長所說的

here today in large part because of those beautiful people up in the bleachers – the

你們今天能在這裡，很大一部分原因是來自坐在露天座位的人─就是

folks who pushed you, and believed in you, and answered the phone every time you called

鼓勵著你、相信你，並接你每一通的電話的老爸老媽─

– even when you were just calling for money.

即使你只是打電話要錢

So graduates, again let’s give another round of applause for your family, especially

畢業生們，我們再次給予你們家人一次熱烈的掌聲，特別是

to all of the fathers out there on this beautiful Father’s day. Today is their day too.

在座位上的爸爸們，因為今天也是父親節

Now, like all of you, I’m here today because of my family.

和你們一樣，我今天能在這裡，也都要感謝我的家人

As you know, Craig Robinson, your men’s basketball coach, is my big brother.

有些人應該知道，男子籃球校隊的 Craig Robinson教練，是我的哥哥

And last fall, Craig called me up and he said that if I didn’t speak at this year’s

去年秋天，Craig打電話給我，說假如我不在今年的畢業典禮上演講

commencement, he was gonna tell mom on me.

他要去向媽媽告狀

And since our mother now lives with me, that threat actually still carries some weight.

有鑒於母親大人和我住在一起，這個威脅可不小

But seriously, I’m not here today just because Craig has turned the Obama family into Beaver

但認真地，我今天這裡可不只是因為 Craig 把歐巴馬家族的人變成河狸信徒

Believers, which he has.

雖然他的確這樣做了

I’m also here, proudly, because of everything this university is doing for this country.

我在這裡，是由於這所學校貢獻這個國家良多

You have built one of the most sustainable campuses in America.

這所大學是美國最具永續概念的校園之一

You’re conducting groundbreaking research on everything from agriculture, to nanotechnology,

這所大學有許多具開創性的研究，從農業到奈米技術

to childhood obesity.

與兒童肥胖問題都有

You are serving others in so many ways -- tutoring children, joining our armed forces, fighting

這所大學以多種方式服務社會─在美國與世界各地從事孩童教育、加入軍隊、打擊

hunger and disease here in America and around the world.

飢餓與疾病

So let me just say I can see why Craig feels so at home here at OSU.

我能理解為何Craig在OSU有賓至如歸之感

Because in so many ways, the values you all embody are the values that he and I were raised with.

這所大學在各領域貢獻的價值，是Craig和我從小到大所學到的理念

Craig and I grew up on the South Side of Chicago.

Craig和我在芝加哥南部長大

And our family was very close – I mean literally close, real close,

我的家人彼此非常親近，而且是真的非常「近」

My mom, my dad, Craig and I, we lived in a little bitty apartment and for years,

父母、兄長與我住在一間非常小的公寓

Craig and I shared a bedroom divided by a wooden partition to give us the illusion of

我們兄妹倆睡在同一間臥室，並用木板隔開，讓我們有

separate rooms.

分房的錯覺

And at night, Craig and I would whisper to each other through the cracks in that partition

晚上時我們會透過木板縫隙小聲聊天

until one of us fell asleep, or Mom yelled and said shut up, be quiet. One or the other.

直到其中一個睡著，或媽媽大喊要我們安靜，不外乎這兩個原因之一

But while we didn’t have much space, our little home was bursting with love.

雖然我們的房子沒有很大，卻充滿著幸福

We spent lots of time together as a family – laughing and sharing stories at dinner

我們有許多美好的家庭時光─每次晚餐時，我們一同歡笑、分享一天經歷、

each night; playing board games, card games for hours, huddled around the kitchen table.

玩桌遊玩到通霄，一家人總圍繞在餐桌旁

We enjoyed the simple pleasures in life like getting our report cards, because good grades

我們很享受這些單純的快樂時光，還包括領成績單，因為如果成績不錯，

meant pizza for dinner, that was a highlight. Trying to hold in our giggles as Craig put

就有比薩晚餐，那真是興奮至極的時刻呀!還有想起那時

shaving cream on my Dad’s glasses while he napped sleeping on the back porch on hot

Craig偷偷在爸爸眼鏡擠上刮鬍泡，我得用力憋笑的時刻，那時爸爸正在後門廊午睡

summer nights when the temperature in our little apartment became unbearable.

因為夏天時小公寓總變得炎熱難耐

But it wasn’t all fun and games growing up.

但成長並非都是有趣的

Our parents were big believers in everyone doing their part around the house. Craig often

爸媽認為家事應由大家負責，Craig 常

compared Saturday chores to boot camp.

將周六做家事形容為新兵訓練營

And my parents were even more serious about our academics

而且他們更加認真看待我們的學術發展

My mom taught me and Craig how to read long before kindergarten started.

母親早在幼稚園前就教我和 Craig 閱讀

And she spent hours volunteering in our neighborhood public school, making sure we got the education

並花很多時間在我們學區的學校當志工，

she knew we deserved.

確保我們有良好的教育

That was the kind of childhood we had.

這是我們的童年

And one day, I will never forget when my brother was about ten, he asked my dad a simple question.

我永遠無法忘記那一天，在我哥哥大概十歲時，他問了父親一個很簡單的問題

He said, “Dad, are we rich?”

他問:「爸爸，我們富有嗎?」

To answer this question, my dad took his next paycheck from his job at the city water plant

為了回答這個問題，我爸爸將他下個月在市立自來水廠工作的薪水

and instead of depositing that check, he cashed it in small bills.

用小額現金領出，而不是拿去存起來

He then came home and dumped out all that money on the kitchen table.

回家後他把一捆捆鈔票放在廚房餐桌上

Craig was impressed – with all that money, he thought we must be rich!

Craig 非常驚訝─看到這麼多錢，誤以為我們家非常富有

But then my Dad started explaining where all the money went each month little bit for rent

但父親接著解釋這些錢去了哪裡，這一點是房租

that much for gas this much for groceries.

那些去買瓦斯，而這些又買生活必需品花掉了

And by the time he was done, there wasn’t a penny left on that table.

當他結束時，所有錢都分完，一毛不剩

And Craig was shocked and so was I.

我們兩兄妹感到相當錯愕

I mean, here we were, two kids growing up in a family that was just barely working class

我是指，我們倆原來是在勞工階級的家庭成長

but we were convinced that we were wealthy! We knew it.

但我們認為我們很富有，我們非常清楚這點

And graduates, that’s what I’d like to talk with you about today.

畢業生們，這就是我今天想和你們分享的

I’d like to talk about what Craig and I learned from our family about leading a rich

我想分享 Craig 和我從我們家庭學到的人生課題:

life no matter how much money you have.

不論你賺多少，都可以過著富裕的生活

And while there are plenty of lessons I could share – there are three that I’d like to emphasize today.

而諸多課題中，今天我想強調三道人生課題

The first, no matter what struggles or setbacks you face in your life, focus on what you have,

第一課，不論你將在人生道路上遇到何種困難或挫折

not what you’re missing.

專注於你所有的，而非你渴望擁有的

My Dad taught us this lesson every day by how he lived his life.

父親用自己的人生故事告訴我們這一課

My dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when my brother and I were still very young.

當我們兄妹倆都還年輕時，父親診斷出多發性硬化症

And as he got sicker, it got harder for him to walk and it took him longer to dress himself in the morning.

當病情越發嚴重，父親連行走都很吃力，早晨需要更多時間在著裝上

My dad had been an athlete all his life he was a boxer and a swimmer in high school.

我父親以前熱愛運動，他在高中時很會打拳擊與游泳

So it must have been hard for him to feel his body declining to go from being an active,

對他來說，知道自己健康每況愈下，想必痛苦難耐

vibrant young man to barely being able to make it up the stairs.

本來是位有活力的青年，現在卻幾乎無法爬樓梯

But if he was in pain, if he was at all disappointed with his fate, he never let on.

但即使他深受痛苦，即使對自己的命運感到沮喪，卻不因此而被打敗

He never stopped smiling and laughing and even as he struggled to prop himself up on

他總是都笑口常開，儘管當他教我們接球、握球棒與擲球時

his crutches to teach us to catch a ball, or hold a bat, or throw a punch.

要費力用拐杖取得平衡

No matter how bad he was feeling, he hardly ever missed a day of work because he was determined

不論他多難受，他還是天天去工作，因為他致力

to be our family’s provider and to give me and Craig the kind of opportunities he’d

成為這個家的支柱，給予我和Craig他

never dreamed of for himself.

從沒想過的寶貴機會

There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about how our dad and how much he sacrificed

我時常想起父親，為了養育我和Craig成人

for me and Craig to be the people we are today.

做了多大的犧牲

And today, as First Lady, I see that same spirit , you know that that same kind of sacrifice

今天，作為第一夫人，我在許多人身上看到了這個精神

– in people I meet all across this country.

─犧牲奉獻的精神

I see it in parents like my dad, struggling to support their families I see it in students

我在父母們身上看到了這精神，像父親一樣，為了經營家庭而努力。我也在學生上找到

like all of you, working so hard to get an education. I see it in young people who are

了這樣的精神，如同你們努力完成學業。從軍的青年也以

serving this country in uniform, facing challenges that most of us couldn’t even imagine.

這種精神，迎向大多數我們無法想像的挑戰

And I’ve seen firsthand the sacrifices that our American heroes are making.

我親眼見過許多做出偉大貢獻的美國英雄

As First Lady, I have the extraordinary privilege of visiting wounded warriors in military hospitals

作為第一夫人，我有許多難得機會，到我國各地探訪軍醫院內

all across this country.

受傷的軍人們

Many of them are your age or younger, and they have suffered terrible injuries.

他們許多人都和你們同年，甚至更年輕，卻歷經嚴重創傷

Some of them have lost a limb; some of them have lost two limbs, some three.

一些人失去了一隻胳臂或兩隻，有些甚至只剩四肢的其中之一

They’ve endured dozens of surgeries they’ve spent months learning to walk again and to talk again.

他們熬過了無數的手術，並花許多時間再次學習行走與說話

But despite the challenges, they persevere, they aren’t looking back.

儘管面對這些挑戰，他們仍堅持著，沒有從此一蹶不振

They aren’t dwelling on what they’ve lost.

他們並沒有執著於所失去的

Instead, they’re making plans for their lives. They’re reimagining their futures.

而是重新為生活擬定計畫，對未來充滿憧憬

They tell me they’re not just gonna walk again they’re gonna run and they’re

他們告訴我，他們不只要重新行走，他們還想跑步

gonna run marathons.

甚至想要參加馬拉松

I recently met a young Navy Lieutenant named Brad Snyder who’d been blinded by an IED

最近我遇到一位年輕的海軍中尉Brad Snyder，在阿富汗

explosion in Afghanistan.

遭到土製炸彈攻擊而瞎了眼睛

He competed in this year’s Warrior Games as a runner and a swimmer.

他在今年的傷病軍人運動會中，參加跑步與游泳的項目

And of his service, he said this, “I am not going to let my blindness build a brick wall

他說到:「我不會因為瞎了眼，就故步自封

around me. I’d give my eyes 100 times again to have the chance to do what I have done

我要給自己更多機會，去嘗試我已經做過

and what I can still do.”

與我仍能做的。」

And graduates, more than anything else, that will be the true measure of your success not

畢業生們，這比任何事都重要，因為這一課會成為衡量成功的基準，

how well you do when you’re healthy, and happy and everything is going according to plan.

而非你多健康快樂和多順利

But what you do when life knocks you to the ground and all your plans go right out the window.

當生命將你打趴到地上，當所有的計畫都沒成功時，你如何面對

In those darkest moments, you will have a choice: Do you dwell on everything you’ve

在那些最慘澹的時光，你將面臨抉擇: 是要為自己

lost?

所失去的哀怨不已?

Or do you focus on what you still have, and find a way to move forward with passion, with

或專注於你所有的，並用熱情、

determination, and with joy.

毅力與歡笑，繼續向前邁進?

I know that many of you in this graduating class have already faced this choice in your

我了解很多在座的各位，已經面對過人生中的抉擇難題

own lives. Tonga shared with us today but there is also one of today’s graduates, Vanessa Vasquez.

Tonga已和我們分享過，今天還有一位畢業生，Vanessa Vasquez

Vanessa’s parents are agricultural workers with a grade school education and she came

Vanessa的父母只有小學畢業，並從事農業工作

to Oregon State determined to build a better life for her four month-old daughter.

她來到奧瑞岡州立大學，致力要給她四個月大的女兒更好的生活

In addition to being a single mom, she’s juggled a full course load and a part-time

除了要獨自撫養女兒，她更要兼顧全日制課程與一份

job.

打工

But it all paid off and today, she’s receiving her degree in Construction Engineering and Management.

如今這些付出都有了回報，她完成建築工程與管理學位

Her advice to other young people is very simple, she says: “With hard work and dedication,

她的建議非常簡單: 「天下無難事，

anything is possible.”

只怕有心人。」

Then there’s another member of the class of 2012, Nicolas Sitts, who’s earning his

另一位今年畢業生Nicolas Sitts

degree in Chemical Engineering.

以化學工程學位畢業

I understand that as a member of OSU’s Solar Vehicle Team, Nicolas spent two years painstakingly

我後來知道，他是本校太陽能車團隊隊員之一，並花兩年努力

building a solar car.

打造一台太陽能車

But when he took it out for a test drive last summer, it caught fire and exploded and Nicolas

但去年夏天試乘時發生爆炸，Nicolas

sustained second and third degree burns on his arm, face and leg.

手臂、臉與腳上有二級與三級灼傷

But instead of throwing in the towel, within a month, the team was back at work, building

但他的團隊並沒有放棄，一個月之內便重返崗位，打造

another, hopefully less explosive car.

另外一台太陽能車，希望比較不會那麼危險

Vanessa and Nicolas and the OSU Solar Team didn’t give up when things got hard.

Vanessa、Nicolas與他的團隊並沒有因受挫而止步

Instead, they just dug deeper, and worked harder, and refused to give up on the success

反而更加努力，拒絕輕言放棄

that they dreamed of.

他們的夢想

And that actually brings me to the second lesson I want to share about leading a rich

這讓我接續到過著富裕生活的第二課

life – and that is to define success on your own terms.

─定義你自己的成功

Now, growing up, my parents always told me and Craig to be true to ourselves.

成長的過程中，我父母總是告訴我和Craig，要誠實面對自己

But really when you’re a kid, it’s hard to know what that means.

但當你還是個孩子時，這很難理解對吧?

And as you grow older, often, it’s just easier to grab for those gold stars and try to get that brass ring

漸漸長大了，便越能明瞭這個道理

Craig and I both know this from experience.

Craig和我從自身經驗領悟這個道理

After graduating from college, we did everything we thought we should do to be successful.

自大學畢業後，我們做了所有努力，以達到成功

Craig went to business school I went to law school we got prestigious jobs at an investment

Craig就讀於商學院，我則去法學院就讀，我們有很棒的工作，分別在

bank and me at a law firm.

投資公司和律師事務所

We soon had all the traditional markers of success – the fat paycheck, the fancy office,

我們很快就達到所有傳統定義上的成功─優渥的薪水、漂亮的辦公室

the impressive lines on our resumes.

和完美的履歷

But the truth is, neither of us was all that fulfilled.

可實際上，我們卻沒有成就感

I didn’t want to be in some tall office building, writing legal memos. I wanted to be

我不想待在高聳的辦公大樓內，成天寫法律備忘錄，我想要

down on the ground, helping the folks I grew up with.

與我一起長大的親人們共同打拼

I was living the dream – but it wasn’t my dream.

我過著夢想中的生活─但這不是我的夢想

And Craig felt the same way, unbeknownst to me

後來我才得知，其實Craig也有同樣的感受

So eventually we quit those corporate jobs.

最後我們都辭職了

I went to work in the Mayor’s office. Craig got a job coaching basketball and we both

我到市長辦公室工作，Craig則當起了籃球教練

took salary cuts that made our mother cringe.

我們換到薪水低的工作，這舉動讓母親感到錯愕

But we were excited about our new careers.

但我們都對新工作充滿熱情

We looked forward to going to work every morning.

每天早上都期待著上班

And we both realized that success isn’t about how your life looks to others.

我們了解到，成功並非是別人所看到我們的生活如何

It’s about how it feels to you.

而是自己的感受

We realized that being successful isn’t about being impressive, it’s about being

我們了解到，成功並非是要讓他人佩服，而是

inspired.

讓自己充滿活力

That’s what it means to be your true self.

這就是面對真實的自己

It means looking inside yourself and being honest about what you truly enjoy doing.

往你的內心深處，去感受你所享受的事物

Because graduates, I can promise you that you’ll never be happy plodding through someone else’s

畢業生們，我可以向你保證，拖著沉重步伐、跟著他人成功的腳步，

idea of success.

是不會快樂的

Success is only meaningful, and enjoyable, if it feels like your own.

達到屬於自己的成功時，才具有意義，並能享受其中

But of course, a successful career alone does not make for a rich life.

但成功的工作，並不代表能過著有錢的生活

As you’ve all learned from the friends you’ve made and the relationships you’ve formed

在OSU與同儕學習，並建立感情這

here at OSU, what makes life truly rich are the people you share it with.

擁有一群分享生活的親朋好友，才會真正讓你感到富有

And that brings me to the final lesson I want to offer today – and that is, wherever you

讓我來到今天想分享的最後一課─那就是，不論你

go, whatever you do, don’t leave behind any unfinished business with the people you love.

去哪，做了什麼，對你所愛的人不要有任何保留

You see, our dad died of complications from his MS when I was in my mid-twenties.

在我二十五、六歲時，父親因多發性硬化症的併發症發作而過世

And let me tell you, for months, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

好幾個月，我感到幾乎無法呼吸

I had this physical sense of grief, this emptiness in my life that I just couldn’t fill.

我感到悵然若失，像生活中有無法彌補的缺憾

But as hard as it was to lose my dad, and as much as I still miss him every day, I knew

我每天仍想念著，失去父親是多麼難以承受

that I had never missed a chance to tell my Dad I loved him, and he’d always done the

但我知道我總是無保留的把答對他的愛，

same for me.

他也一向如此

And whenever Craig and I saw him struggling to walk and we worried that life was getting

當我和Craig看到他行動不便且感到擔心時

too hard for him, my Mom would always reassure us that he was so proud of us. So proud to

母親為讓我們安心，總告訴我們，他以身為我們的父親為榮

be our father that he felt like he was the luckiest guy ever to walk the earth.