英語美文朗讀 第540期 ：Education is the foundation to build a successful life

When I talk about students needing to take responsibility for their education, I want you all to know that I'm speaking from my own personal life experience.

 

我之所以說，學(xué)生需要為自己的教育負責(zé)，是因為，我想讓你們知道，這是我的真實人生經(jīng)歷。

 

Like Menbere, growing up, I considered myself pretty lucky. Even though my parents didn't have a lot of money, they never went to college themselves, they had an unwavering belief in the power of education. So they always pushed me and my brothers to do whatever it took to succeed in school.

就像Menbere一樣，從小到大，我都認(rèn)為自己很幸運。雖然我的父母并不富裕，他們從來沒有上過大學(xué)，但是他們堅信教育的力量。所以，他們經(jīng)常督促我和我的哥哥們，要付出全部的努力，去獲得學(xué)業(yè)上的成功。

 

So when it came time for me to go to high school, they encouraged me to enroll in one of the best schools in Chicago. It was a school a lot like this one. And listening to Menbere's story, it was so similar, because my school was way across the other side of the city from where I lived.

所以，上高中之前，他們鼓勵我，去芝加哥最好的學(xué)校之一報名，那所學(xué)校跟你們這所學(xué)校很像。聽著Menbere的故事，我感到，它跟我的經(jīng)歷是如此相似，因為我的學(xué)校也是離家很遠，在城市的另一邊。

 

So at 6:00 a.m. every morning, I had to get on a city bus and ride for an hour, sometimes more, just to get to school. And I was willing to do that because I was willing to do whatever it took for me to go to college. I set my sights high. I decided I was going to Princeton.

所以，每天早上，六點鐘，我就要坐上公交車，經(jīng)歷一個小時的車程，有時候還要更久，才能到學(xué)校。我心甘情愿這樣做，因為，為了上大學(xué)，我愿意傾盡全力。我的志向很遠大，我決定，我要考上普林斯頓大學(xué)。

 

But I quickly realized that for me, a kid like me, getting into Princeton wasn't just going to happen on its own. See I went to a great school, but at my school we had so many kids, so few guidance counselors, they were dealing with hundreds of students, so they didn't always have much time to help me personally get my applications together.

但是，很快，我就意識到，對于像我這樣的孩子而言，考上普林斯頓大學(xué)，并非易事。我上的高中，確實是很好的高中，但是，我們學(xué)校的學(xué)生很多，而指導(dǎo)老師卻很少，他們要面對幾百個學(xué)生，所以他們沒什么時間來單獨幫助我，去把大學(xué)申請做好。

 

Plus, I knew I couldn't afford to go on a bunch of college visits. I couldn't hire a personal tutor. I couldn't enroll in SAT prep classes. We didn't have the money. And then, get this, some of my teachers straight up told me that I was setting my sights too high. They told me I was never going to get into a school like Princeton.

另外，我知道，要去參觀不同的大學(xué)，我去不起。我不能雇一個私人向?qū)В也荒苋ド蟂AT備考課程，我們沒有那么多錢。就是那時，我的老師們直接告訴我，我的目標(biāo)太高了，我永遠不可能考上普林斯頓那么好的大學(xué)。

 

And I still hear that doubt ringing in my head. So it was clear to me that nobody was going to take my hand and lead me to where I needed to go. Instead, it was going to be up to me to reach my goal. I would have to chart my own course. And I knew that the first thing I needed to do was have the strongest academic record possible.

這句話，令我記憶猶新。當(dāng)時，我很清楚，沒有人會幫助我去實現(xiàn)目標(biāo)，我只能靠自己，我要對自己的課程足夠上心。我的當(dāng)務(wù)之急，就是要獲得盡可能高的學(xué)業(yè)成績。

 

So I worked hard to get the best grades I could in all of my classes. I got involved in leadership opportunities in school where I developed close relationships with some of my teachers and administrators. I knew I needed to present very solid and thoughtful college applications, so I stayed up late, got up early in the morning to work on my essays and personal statements.

所以，我非常努力，爭取在所有科目取得最好的成績。在學(xué)校里，我學(xué)著去鍛煉自己的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力，跟很多老師和領(lǐng)導(dǎo)熟絡(luò)起來。我知道，我的大學(xué)申請內(nèi)容，必須非常堅實，要經(jīng)過深思熟慮，所以我經(jīng)常熬夜，早早地起床，改進自己的文章和個人陳述。

 

I knew my parents would not be able to pay for all of my tuition, so I made sure that I applied for financial aid. That FAFSA form was my best friend. I knew the deadlines, everything. Most importantly, when I encountered doubters, when people told me I wasn't going to cut it, I didn't let that stop me. In fact, I did the opposite.

我知道，我的父母無法為我支付所有學(xué)費，所以，我一定要申請經(jīng)濟援助。FAFSA表格，就像我最好的朋友一樣，我太了解它了。我知道所有的截止日期，關(guān)于它的所有事情，我都很清楚。最重要的是，有人質(zhì)疑我的時候，有人跟我說我做不到的時候，我沒有讓他們阻攔我。事實上，我做的，跟他們說的，完全相反。

 

I used that negativity to fuel me, to keep me going. And at the end, I got into Princeton, and that was one of the proudest days of my life. But getting into Princeton was only the beginning. Graduating from Princeton was my ultimate goal. So I had to start all over again, developing and executing a plan that would lead me to my goal.

他們對我的消極評論，成為了我奮斗的動力。最終，我考上了普林斯頓大學(xué)，那是我人生中最自豪的一段時光。但是，考上普林斯頓大學(xué)，只是一個開始。從普林斯頓大學(xué)順利畢業(yè)，才是我的終極目標(biāo)。所以，我又重新開始奮斗，制定計劃，實施計劃，讓我的計劃帶領(lǐng)我實現(xiàn)目標(biāo)。

 

And of course, I struggled a little bit. I had to work hard, again, to find a base of friends and build a community of support for myself in this Ivy League University. I remember as a freshman I mistakenly rolled into a class that was meant for juniors and seniors. And there were times when I felt like I could barely keep my head above water.

當(dāng)然，我也遇到了一點困難。我要重新開始，在這所常春藤大學(xué)里，我要很努力地尋找志同道合的朋友，找到支持我的人。我記得，大一的時候，我曾經(jīng)錯誤地選了一門課，那門課是給大三、大四的學(xué)生上的。很多時候，我感覺自己學(xué)得非常吃力。

 

But through it all, I kept that college diploma as my North Star. And four years later, I reached that goal, and then I went on to build a life I never could have imagined for myself. I went to law school, became a lawyer. I've been a vice president for a hospital. I've been the head of a nonprofit organization.

但是，從始至終，大學(xué)文憑，一直是我的導(dǎo)航。四年之后，我的目標(biāo)實現(xiàn)了，接下來，我繼續(xù)建設(shè)自己的人生，這是我以前從來沒想象過的人生。我去法律學(xué)校學(xué)習(xí)，成為了一名律師。我曾經(jīng)是一所醫(yī)院的副院長，我曾經(jīng)是一家非營利性機構(gòu)的帶頭人。

 

And I am here today because I want you to know that my story can be your story. The details might be a little different, but let me tell you, so many of the challenges and the triumphs will be just the same. You might be dreaming of becoming a doctor or a teacher; maybe a mechanic or a software designer.

今天，我來到這里，是因為，我想讓你們知道，我的故事，也可能成為你們的故事。故事的細節(jié)，可能略有不同，但，我可以告訴你，這其中的挑戰(zhàn)和勝利，都是一樣的。你可能想成為一名醫(yī)生，一名教師，一名技工，一名軟件設(shè)計師。

 

Or you might not know what you want to do right now, and that's fine. But no matter what path you choose, no matter what dreams you have, you have got to do whatever it takes to continue your education after high school. Again, whether that's going to community college, getting a technical certificate, or completing a training opportunity, or going off to a four-year college.

又或者，可能你還不知道自己想做什么，沒關(guān)系。無論你選擇了什么樣的道路，無論你的夢想是什么，你都要在高中之后繼續(xù)全力以赴，讀書深造。無論你是去上社區(qū)大學(xué)，去獲得技術(shù)證書，還是去接受培訓(xùn)，去上四年制的大學(xué)，都一樣。

 

And once you've completed your education, you will have the foundation you need to build a successful life. That's how me, that's how Menbere, that's how so many other students have overcome adversities to reach our goals.

一旦你完成了學(xué)業(yè)，你就有了堅實的基礎(chǔ)，讓自己獲得成功的人生。我，Menbere，還有其他很多學(xué)生，都是這樣克服困難、實現(xiàn)目標(biāo)的。