Ivanka Trump: Thank you, Cherie, 
for that kind introduction
today. I'm incredibly honored 
to address the graduates
of WSU Tech.
Thank you, President Utash, 
for the kind invitation.
It has been a pleasure to work 
with you over the last several
years. And we are grateful for 
your service on the
President's American Workforce 
Policy Advisory Board.
Your leadership is helping 
Kansas and our nation to
pioneer the most innovative 
and successful workforce
training in the world.
To the 759 graduates
whom we celebrate today, 
congratulations.
Your journey to this day did 
not come without challenges,
sacrifices, determination, 
grit, sweat
and likely even a few tears, 
but you persevered.
You proved yourself and all 
those who ever doubted that you
could do it.
You should be proud.
This is also a proud day for 
all the parents, spouses,
mentors, teachers, and 
employers who came alongside of you,
believed in you and pushed 
you to new bounds.
We thank them all.
Many of you have worked for this 
achievement and waited for
this day for years.
Now, it is finally here. 
And of course, it is very
different than any of us 
had ever imagined.
So, I want to say what 
I know we are all thinking.
I wish we could be together 
in person.
I wish that you could
walk across the stage, shake hands
and hold your diploma high to 
cheering crowds.
Sometimes it's easier to think 
we have to be tough, that we
have to keep going. And we do, 
but that doesn't mean
we can't stop to acknowledge 
the truth, the hardships,
and the disappointments 
that come our way.
My heart goes out to you 
on this day and this time in our
history, because they're 
very different
from what you had 
envisioned or planned yet.
Now, more than ever, we remember 
that changes and hardships
do not predict failure.
In fact, they can be the 
greatest impetus for success.
You commence at a moment, 
unlike any other.
America and the world are 
battling a terrible pandemic.
Our entire society is engaged 
in a national endeavor to
defeat the virus, protect our 
fellow citizens,
and open up America again, to 
rebuild our economy
and take care of the safety 
and well-being of our people.
You are a wartime graduate.
Amidst the uncertainty, your 
training at WSU Tech
has prepared you for 
exactly this moment.
When I came to your campus 
last fall, I learned your mantra
building success with 
your own hands.
In this graduating class are 
men and women who can run an
assembly line, build a 
field hospital, police
our communities, respond 
to emergencies, keep
America connected through 
Internet and phones,
care for our senior 
citizens and our most vulnerable
patients, use 3D printers 
to make medical equipment,
draw blood to save lives and so many
other essential services over the
past three months. We have 
been reminded of just how
crucial American trades are 
to our citizens safety
and our nation's security.
We have witnessed an 
extraordinary mobilization of
our industries.
Hundreds of distilleries are 
now making hand sanitizer.
Manufacturers like Honeywell 
and Hays and many others
have converted factory floors 
to produce millions of masks
and gowns.
The great workers at General 
Motors, Ford and General
Electric are assembling tens
of thousands of ventilator's.
Scientists and lab technicians 
have built the most
advanced testing in the world.
We are bringing home critical 
supply chains and now are
making American medicine here 
on American soil.
Nation is beating back the virus 
through the strength
and skill, muscle, and might 
of the American worker.
We have also seen the 
importance of job training and
reskilling as workers have quickly 
transitioned to meet new
demands, such as building 
up the greatest medical
arsenal in the world.
History has proven time and 
time again that in the midst
of the most difficult challenges, 
we have a chance to seize
new opportunities and 
achieve our greatest victories
in 1665 during the 
Great Plague of London, sir
Isaac Newton was a 
23-year-old student
who was required to leave 
his college campus himself,
isolated in his childhood 
home for months on end.
Despite the grim circumstances,
Newton used this time to
develop what we now 
know of his calculus.
During World War Two, 
America faced down an evil regime
and millions of our citizens 
banded together and built the
strongest military on earth.
Over the course of the war, 
our workers produced an average
of four ships, 174 airplanes and
23.8 million rounds of 
ammunition every single day.
In the Cold War, as communism 
gripped much of the world,
American astronauts soared 
higher and became the first
to step foot on the 
face of the moon.
Times of crisis alter 
the course of history.
Hardship breeds innovation.
New necessities 
demand new solutions.
But in every generation, 
in each trial, we face
the spirit of our 
people does not change.
Americans meet every moment, 
overcome every challenge,
and answer every crisis 
with the will to succeed.
We pioneer new frontiers 
and reach new heights
never before imagined.
So today, as you begin a 
new chapter, I want to pass
along three pieces of advice 
that I found helpful in my own
life, especially during 
this time of national trial.
First, as we all adjust to 
the social distancing
practices, a rabbi recently 
gave his congregation
a new call to action.
That I think is a great 
challenge for us all, he
said. Every hand that we don't 
shake must become a phone call
that we place.
Every embrace we avoid must 
become a verbal expression of
warmth and concern.
Every inch and every foot that 
we physically place between
ourselves and another has 
become a thought as to how
we might be of help to that 
other should the need arise.
Imagine the happiness and joy 
we could bring to so many
lonely people if we all 
practice these simple
acts of kindness.
Second, I invite you to join 
me in making at least
one COVID resolution.
We could all form at least 
one new habit or abandon an
all destructive one.
To better appreciate the 
blessings of work, life,
family and faith.
A recent article written by 
Charles Eisenstein explained
this period in time.
This way, he wrote COVID-19,
is like a rehab intervention 
that breaks the addictive
hold of normality.
When the crisis subsides, we 
might have occasion to ask
whether we want to return to 
normal or whether there may
be something we've seen during
this break and the routines
that we want to bring
into the future.
This is a great challenge.
Even if the resolution is 
seemingly small, it could
transform something 
in our lives.
Some families have resolved to 
continue eating dinner
together at least 
several times a week.
People are using this time to 
acquire new skills through
online platforms and want to 
continue to advance
career certifications.
Many Americans are spending more 
time in prayer and
meditation and want to keep 
growing in their faith.
Whatever your goal is, this 
is a unique time for
each of us to make a change 
that we had perhaps
long delayed and to 
grow in some way.
Finally, right now, I know 
the economic uncertainty is
real and it's hard on many of 
you and your families.
Your own blueprint for your 
future is likely changing
due to the pandemic.
But I am confident that even 
if your path is different
from the one you imagined, 
ultimately it can be better
than we could ever plant 
in my own life.
I found that my greatest 
personal growth has arisen from
times of discomfort and 
uncertainty that one can
only really appreciate 
and hindsight.
Joseph Campbell, a philosopher 
who also helped inspire
the creation of Star Wars, 
once said the achievement
of the hero is one that 
he is ready for.
It's really a manifestation 
of his character.
The landscape and conditions 
of the environment match the
readiness of the hero.
The adventure that he is ready 
for is the one that he gets.
Throughout our history, brave
men and women have faced
daunting challenges and they 
have embraced the adventure.
America's fate is never 
dictated by fear.
Our future is ridden by the love
and the courage of our citizens.
No person will be unchanged 
from living through this present
hardship, but I'm confident 
that the bonds between
us will be stronger.
Our admiration for each 
other will be deeper.
Our gratitude for the gift of 
life we'll be ever new,
and our resolve to build an even 
brighter future will be
greater than ever 
before.
Thank you. Good luck 
and God bless.
