Alumni President Urges Graduates To Give Back

Friday, November 29, 2013
KINGSTON, Jamaica

Graduates line the stage at the recent Excelsior High School Graduation Ceremony.

Alumni President Althea Brown-Robinson has called on new graduates of Excelsior High School to focus on service, philanthropy, and volunteerism in order to improve their school and community.

The leader of the Excelsior Alumni Association of Florida issued the challenge on Wednesday as she delivered the keynote address at the alma mater’s Graduation Ceremony in the school’s auditorium.

“The act of giving is a serious commitment. It is an attitude that needs to be cultivated and continuously mulched and watered,” she said. “It is a consciousness and concern for the welfare of our fellow citizens. Giving is a personification of how we treat each other.”

Speaking before a packed school auditorium comprising graduates, dignitaries, school officials, parents, and other guests, she noted that the world had changed significantly since the graduates first entered the school.

Appealing to the students’ conscience, President Althea Brown-Robinson urged the graduates to engage in service to their community, school, church, and country. The president said that young people can “definitely change the world” if they spend “a little time” giving back and volunteering in ways such as helping those less fortunate than themselves.