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MAYOR RAS J. BARAKA VISITED SPIRITS WERE HIGH DURING FALL STUDENTS ENJOYING THE WEST WEST SIDE CAMPUS PEP RALLY SIDE FOOTBALL GAME As u e approach tlzi time each year, 1 am forced to consider the implications of the H'ord graduation. For mcmy, the idea oj'gradumion i.\ em idea filled with notions of completion. This interpretation relies heavily on the belief that "] have completed a I 2 year course ofstuc~v and so Ill'i ll celebrate this momentou event ll'ith pomp and circwns!Cmce." Holl'ever, it is interesting. that the actual graduation ceremonr iiself i called a Commenceme111 ' ceremony. Therefore, if commencemelll means beginning, then gradumion itself is not the culminaTion ofa course of. rudy. but instead lwuld he seen as the slart of something ... hopefully something exciting,fl·esh, mulfull of potemialto improre our ll'orld. During the last four years, I have experrenced a renewal oflwpefulne ·sin your generation's ability and potemial to ee the II'Orld as a place ofl imitless possibility. 1 truly be/iere that it is in this altitude ofp lenty and ahwzdance rlwt you are more likely to find opportunities. for advanced rudies in areas that 11 e hare not yet identified nor invented. Think abolll it. there are jobs ll'hich exi t today that lre'd never heard ofa decade ago. J!wt Imagine before 2006, very few people knell' about Facebook, yet today Facebook is ubiquitous. I/o w many of you remember your first day ofschoo/12 years ago? JVhen asked what you wanted to become, you probably ansll'ered - nurse, doctor, lmryer, foot hall playc:r, teacher. fire fighter, police officer. flight attendant, etc. Yet here we are in 2017. ll'ith johs like Uber dril•er. app developer, soda/media manager, driverle scar engineer, cloud computing specialist, data analyst, 3-D printing pecialist, You Tube content creator, robot designer, hiomedical engineer, and my all-time farorite, drone operator. JVe h'?WW andfeel trongly that in thi Fourth Industrial Revolution you ll'ill require new skills to thrive in a ll'orld ofd river le ·s car · and robot . Currelll research imo the top skills required for your success in this new world a// focus using the power of 011 your mind and intellecJ tv engage in complex problem solving. critical thinking, creativity, people managemellf, and team building. So as you move fonrard and prepare to emh ark on tlze lle.\·t leg ofy our journey, do not limit your mind or your intellect; instead! embrace your true potential. And don't he di appointed ifyou have forgotten hall' to find the molarity of II'CITer or the Pythagorean Tlzeorem. as you will have robots and automatrons that will complete these calculatiOJfS effortlessly. Instead, be reminded that artificial intelligence does not pas es.s tlze imagination and creativity thm the lwman mind possesses and recogni:e that the innovations and in rent ions of the next generation are ll'ithin your power. f"ocu ·on making the shift fi·mn consumers of teclmology to become producers ofteclmological advancements. You are poised for take-off. do not slum your potential by taking the easy l\'CI)' out, and recogni:e instead. that perseverance is the key to success. JVhile separation ahrays brings a twinge ojsadne . I must say that it ha been my distinct honor to have served you in the Ia t few year , and I feel ecure that l am delivering to the world a group of cholar prepared to demon trate through their tenacity and per everance that they are capable of leading the next generation. Go forth Rough Rider , take on the next big challenge with the kill and mind ·et in tilled in you by your parent . teacher , and mentor . Focu~ on the next big wave and prepare your elf for take-off. L_~y ~~u..~~ ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM Beatrice Pierre Lidia Do Santo Gary Taylor Acceleration Academ) Director Operation~ \lanagcr Head of Athktu.:-; 3