Acting Director's Remarks at Hope Academy Graduation

We are here to honor the graduates, of course, but I’d like also to take a moment to express my appreciation for the faculty and staff of Hope Academy. You, along with your students, have made this joyful day possible.

And just as importantly, a thank you to the families and friends who have provided love and support to the young people graduating today. Your pride in these young people is evident – and well deserved.

I’m thrilled to be here.

Any graduation is cause for celebration -- but this one is special.

You’ve pulled all-nighters to get papers done. You’ve woken up early to finish your homework before school. You’ve logged countless hours studying. You’ve passed your exams, and now you’re here. You’ve done the hard work of getting through high school, and today you’ll leave this beautiful atrium with a diploma.

That is the work you can write down in your daily planner. That is the work your teachers laid out in a syllabus. That is the work that can be graded on a report card. That is the work you can frame and hang on the wall.

But you have done other work, too. You have been students of two curricula – one is external, demonstrated, and measurable; the other is internal, and known only to you—the work of your recovery. It is the work of taking it one day at a time. Of mindfulness, and gratitude. It is the work of building your spirit.

Today, you receive a diploma that signifies you have graduated high school, and for that monumental accomplishment, I offer my sincere congratulations.

But I also want to congratulate you on your other work – the “inside work” – the stuff that isn’t reflected in your GPA.

When you graduate today, you close the book on your high school career. You turn toward a new chapter in your life—and in your recovery.

Having been in recovery myself for 25 years, I have a few words of advice for you. But first, I want to tell you a bit about how inspiring the work of this recovery high school is.

I often say, if you’re having a bad day, go visit a recovery high school. There is nothing more uplifting, more inspiring, more gratifying – or more hopeful – than the people and the extraordinary work going on in toward a new chapter in your life—and in your recovery.

Having been in recovery myself for 25 years, I have a few words of advice for you. But first, I want to tell you a bit about how inspiring the work of this recovery high school is.

I often say, if you’re having a bad day, go visit a recovery high school. There is nothing more uplifting, more inspiring, more gratifying – or more hopeful – than the people and the extraordinary work going on inside Hope Academy.

When I began my work at the White House, I made a commitment to bring with me the stories of everyday people affected by substance use disorders. That includes you and the millions of other Americans in long-term recovery.

As I travel the Nation, I make sure to tell as many people as possible that those of us in recovery are not strangers or second-class citizens.

We’re not “junkies” or “crackheads” or “addicts” or “alcoholics.”

We’re neighbors. Friends. Roommates. Coworkers. We’re family.

Some of us serve in elected office. Others serve in our armed forces protecting freedom both here and abroad. Others lead Fortune 500 companies.

The millions of us in long-term recovery – each and every one of you included – are living proof that recovery is not only achievable, it can transform us into the very best and brightest this Nation has to offer.

We are living testaments to the power of second chances -- and that with hard work and support from our communities and support networks, we can overcome anything – even the disease of addiction.

You know, 25 years ago, if someone had told me I would end up working at the White House, advising the President of the United States on drug policy, I would have told them they were crazy.

I share my story with you and others across America—not because it is unique or special—but because each of us in recovery has a responsibility to speak out about who we are and what we have to offer.

This leads me to the one piece of advice I want to leave with you today: Share your stories. Talk about your recovery. Do your part to put a face on the disease of addiction.

Why is this so important? I believe, as President Obama does, that the more of us who speak openly about substance use, the better we can give hope to others struggling with this disease. I believe the best way to understand a person is to hear his story.

Because in the lives of others, we hear echoes of ourselves. The power of the human voice to tear down walls cannot be overstated—and the power of the voice of recovery is gathering. And each of you graduating today play a vital role in this movement.

For too long, the national conversation about drug policy in America has missed the point that millions of real people—including you—are in successful lasting recovery, and that we should do everything we can to support you.

That is why we’ve made it our goal to take away the stigma that can be associated with recovery. We believe that by raising awareness—and by celebrating those who are doing the hard but rewarding work of freeing themselves from addiction—we can help move the needle on public perception of addiction, treatment, and recovery.

But we need your help. So tell your stories.

Tell what it was like to start over – not just to take back control of your life, but to thrive.

Don’t be ashamed to be honest, because you have more company and more support than ever before. Recovery centers are popping up at colleges across the country faster than we can count them, and organizations like Faces and Voices and Young People in Recovery can be a resource for you anywhere you go.

As you move forward into adulthood and into your recovery, remember: you carry within you a resilience that most people can only dream of.

You don’t have to be perfect. No one is. Despite all your best efforts, despite all your months and years sober, you might relapse. You might stumble. That doesn’t make you a failure – it makes you human.

Failure happens, and you can’t be afraid of it. Your mistakes don’t define you, but how you respond to them does. Bounce back, and don’t be afraid to reclaim your recovery as proudly as you did the first time.

As you make your way in the world and start building your career, you may even find you have unexpected advocates. A couple months ago, I read an opinion piece by David Brooks in the New York Times that encouraged employers to seek out candidates who had “experienced setback, suffering and recovery. Someone with obvious holes in his resume, who has learned the lessons that only suffering teaches, and who got back on track.”

In the words of an old Japanese proverb: “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” You’ve already proven you have the strength to stand up after you fall. Don’t ever forget that.

Wherever life takes you after today, when you look at your high school diploma, I want it to remind you not only of your academic achievement, but of the inner work you have done to maintain your sobriety.

Looking at your beaming faces today, I know you will do great things. Today is just the beginning of a lifetime of proud, joyful moments.

Harvey Milk once said “You cannot live on hope alone, but without hope, life is not worth living.”

Hope Academy: Never forget the ongoing work that makes everything else possible – the work of your recovery. I can tell you from experience – that will be one of the biggest, most rewarding projects of your entire life.

Congratulations, graduates!