Wednesday June 16, 2021
Delivered (pre-recorded video)
Thank you very much for this kind introduction, Dr. Pelonis. American Community School faculty and staff, parents, family and friends, and most importantly, members of the Class of 2021, I am honored to participate in this year’s graduation ceremony and wish we could celebrate together with no one.
I want to especially congratulate the graduates of our Embassy community this evening: Kayla, Kristopher and Ana. As a diplomat who took my children from India to Austria and Washington DC during their high school years, I have a good idea of the challenges you faced following your parents around the world. But I also believe that through this experience you have gained incredible knowledge and formed friendships that will last a lifetime, even if most of your contact has taken place online over the last year and a half.
Graduates, as you take this important step in your life, I hope that the challenges of the last year and a half will not diminish the sense of accomplishment you feel today. You graduated from high school in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime global health crisis that transformed the world as we once knew it.
The pandemic has forced your generation to learn difficult life lessons, and I think you should be very proud of your resilience in the face of this unprecedented challenge and of all that you have accomplished.
Fortunately, we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to the hard work and ingenuity of people like Dr. Albert Bourla, the Thessaloniki-born CEO of the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer, who has persevered in his fight against the virus . and worked with his colleagues to discover a solution in record time to help the world move forward.
As Greece opens up, I encourage you to take advantage of your remaining opportunity to experience all that this country has to offer before heading off to college.
We live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and after months of texting just to go to the grocery store, I think the spectacular sunsets, turquoise blue waters, and beautiful natural landscapes of the Greece will be even more magical this summer. . I hope we all enjoy it!
But the success of the Pfizer vaccine is just one example among many that demonstrate the positive results of collaboration between the United States and Greece. Our shared history and the values on which it is based offer an important message to us all.
For two hundred years, our nations have supported each other in the face of great challenges like this pandemic. Together we fought for freedom and worked to make the world safer and more prosperous.
A great tradition of scientific, social and political innovation unites and continues to inspire our people. Innovative thinking played a key role in the founding of our two democracies and continues to propel U.S.-Greece relations to even greater heights.
This year, as the United States joins Greece in celebrating the 200th anniversary of Greek independence, I think it is also important to reflect on how the Greek and American revolutions were linked, because over the Over time, these ties have deepened to create lasting bonds between our nations and our people. .
First of all, none of our revolutions were supposed to succeed. Both the Greek and American freedom fighters were underdogs, fighting for their freedom and the right to govern themselves against much larger and more powerful empires.
In 1776, the system of representative democracy that the United States and Greece enjoy today was considered a radically new idea. George Washington, our first president, called the new American republic “a great experiment in promoting human happiness.”
America’s founding fathers were deeply inspired by the classical philosophy and democratic ideals of ancient Athens. And in turn, the Greek Revolution, the very first liberal revolution in Europe, was directly inspired by the success of the American Revolution and by our “great experiment.”
As a result, many early Americans felt obligated to help Greece recover its birthright to democracy. Support for the Greek Revolution spread like wildfire across the United States, bringing Americans together, building civic engagement, and inspiring local organizations to provide our nation’s first foreign aid. The courageous American Philhellenes, not much older than many of you, came to Greece to fight alongside the Greek people in their struggle for liberation.
Furthermore, our dedication to the Greek cause strengthened the fight for freedom and equality in the United States, as many American philhellenes later helped advance the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements in the United States. United.
It was inspiring for me to participate in Greek celebrations, especially Independence Day, which reminded me so much of the American Bicentennial of 1976. March 25 was an occasion for Greeks and Americans to reflect on all that our democracies have accomplished and to reaffirm their commitment. ourselves to the values we cherish most.
The people of the United States and Greece will forever be linked by our passion for democracy and our commitment to defending individual freedoms and the rule of law. Our nations share a spirit of innovation as well as an appetite for hard work. This spirit of innovation will be more important than ever as your generation steps up to meet the challenges we face today.
You will enter a world that has been changed forever. And the deep inequalities exposed by the pandemic will require your attention and ingenuity. The issues our countries face, from health security to climate change, will also require deep international cooperation. ACS has given you exactly the skills you need to live in an interconnected world, and we will rely on your new global perspectives as we work together to build a better future.
You will be called to become leaders, changemakers and problem solvers, and the world will move forward through the strength of your vision and creativity and your commitment to our democratic values.
In the spirit of this bicentennial year and in the tradition of American Philhellenes, I hope that you will all fight the good fight, to protect and uphold freedom and equality, while seeking solutions that will make this world a better and safer place for everyone. .
Happy graduation, class of 2021. Sygcharityria!
