Scholars and Opportunities

    

My fellow scholars.  I would like to say that you all inspire me and push me to be more than I have ever thought I could be.  You push me physically and mentally, with the workouts and the conversations that we have.  There have been times in my life that I always wondered what the next generation would bring.  You have all shown me that you are life changers and going to go where nobody has yet been.  The conversations that I have had with all of you have been very refreshing and thought provoking.  You have changed my beliefs in what the future will bring.  If there was one thing that I could give any of you, it would be this little piece of advice, when given opportunities, make sure that you do not turn them down without thinking them through and make the most of them.

I say this from many personal experiences that I have had over the years.  There have been many opportunities that I have had in my life to do things and have not taken them.  For instance, when I was getting ready to get out of the Marine Corp, I was afforded the opportunity to stay in and they would send me to college and pay for it.  I would have had my education already when I had fulfilled my obligation to the service.  I did not take advantage of this opportunity, because I did not think it completely through.  All that was on my mind was the present and not the consequences of my decision at the time and how it would affect my future.

From this experience and others I have learned that you have to evaluate every opportunity that you can obtain and think them through completely before deciding whether or not to take them.  Once you have taken the opportunity, you also have to give it everything that you have.  I say this, for if you do not give it everything that you have, you may not receive everything from it that you can.

The opportunity that has been afforded us with McNair is one that we should give everything that we have.  There is no going back and doing a do over.  It is much the same with life.  We cannot go back and do something over.  We have all worked hard to secure this opportunity, but we must work harder yet to get all that we can out of it.  For some opportunities only come around once in a lifetime.  I believe that this in one of those.  Together we can make this opportunity become a lifetime of friendships and collaborations that could lead to something big.  I am honored to be a part of this opportunity with the rest of you future world changers.  Thanks for taking this opportunity with me.