- On behalf of the faculty and staff
of the Darr College of Agriculture,
I want to extend my congratulations
to all of our graduates.
Earning your degree is
a major achievement.
It provides a strong sense
of fulfillment to set a goal,
work towards that goal and
then bring it to fruition.
I also want to acknowledge
the families and friends
of our graduates for their support.
No one gets through life without
a little help and backing
so thank you.
Graduates, you should be
proud to have been a student
at Missouri State University
and now an alum of our great institution.
We look forward to what the
future holds for our campus
and to what the future holds for you.
Your educational experience
at Missouri State
has prepared you to
become the future leaders
of the agricultural industry.
Whether your focus is
production agriculture,
the value added sector,
consumer relations,
food distribution or education,
and whether is it locally, state-wide,
nationally or internationally,
as graduates from Missouri State,
we look forward to seeing you
play a key leadership role.
Now as you move into the
next stage of your life
and work to make your mark,
you'll be challenged in ways
that you did not anticipate.
When that happens, I want
you to remember a quote
from a famous actor portraying a boxer.
Life is not about how hard you can hit.
It's about how hard you can get hit
and keep moving forward.
How much you can take and yet
still keep moving forward.
Meaning don't let setbacks stop you
from achieving your goals.
Persistence and working
hard to do good things
will get you there.
Once again, congratulations
to you all and God bless.
