丁凡: 最終版演講稿

這是女兒寄給我的最終版，包括指導老師要她強調語氣和停頓的註記：

I don’t know where you all came from, or how far you traveled to get here. I came a long, long way to be here … from Taiwan to Savannah, a 27-hour flight with three stopovers.

I came a long way to be here … from not knowing much English to now, speaking in front of you. Please forgive me if I make any mistakes. . . . I'm still learning.

I came a long way to be here … from being a 7^th grade dropout to now, graduating as valedictorian of my class, with so many awards that my Mom has stopped bragging about me to her friends. (PAUSE)

Mom, seriously, don’t stop. I do enjoy that a lot!

I came from a family where education is everything. My parents, my older sister, my aunts and uncles are all scholars of some sort, and they have all had outstanding academic success. In my past life, however, I found myself struggling to keep up.

When I was 8, I was diagnosed with learning disability. Back then, almost no one in Taiwan really understood what that meant. As I grew up, I felt like a failure.

I worried. My parents worried.

But they did not give up on me.

My mother bought books from the US and founded the first Parents Association for Learning Disabilities in Taiwan. She began to translate the books into Chinese, establishing a second career as a translator and public speaker on disability. She often jokes that she owes me her career.

During those dark hours, I drew and drew and drew. And that was where I began my career in art. I wanted to become a real artist, and so I came to a place that could help me make it happen. And that place is SCAD.

Recently, I found an essay from my first English class at SCAD. I wrote: “I have no choice but to make art. I was like a little ladybug drowning in the whitewater, and art was the driftwood that passed me by and saved my life.” (PAUSE)

Freshmen can be really dramatic.

However, art is not the only thing that kept me afloat. I cannot express enough gratitude to my dear parents for their support. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all parents and families here today. Without you, we wouldn't be celebrating.

Thank you to my SCAD family of professors, for being proud of me before I knew how to be proud of myself.

And thank you to all of my classmates, friends, and roommates. Together we have spent many daytime hours and sleepless nights working toward our lives in art. You have made me a better artist, a better person, and a slightly better English speaker.

Let's all keep in touch – especially those of you who become art directors and find yourselves in need of an illustrator. Just call me. (PAUSE)

I will share one final message with you today, something it took me most of my life to learn: “When you face a crisis … when you have no hope … remember to be yourself and never give up. Life will lead you somewhere … somewhere you can shine.”

I came a long way to be here. So did you. And the story does not stop here. Our talents will grow. Our journey will continue. And we will all shine, as people, as artist, and as proud graduates of SCAD.

Congratulations! We’ve made it!