Recently, I was asked to host the Public Allies MD 2015 graduation. This was a huge honor not only as a Public Ally alum but as an overall advocate of the Public Allies program.

I received a lot of positive feedback about my opening remarks and thought I’d share with others as well.

Good afternoon,

Welcome family, friends, SWCOS staff, Dean Barth and Wendy, Public Allies CEO Adren Wilson and last but not least the Public Allies Maryland class of 2015.

My name is Oyinade Koyi and I’ll be your host for today.

While many of you may not know me, interestingly enough I was in the exact same position as you are now just a year ago.

I was sitting right where you are, having just completed my second year with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake thinking to myself what in the world am I going to do now?

• Will my placement site hire me?
• Will that connection I made a while back help me get my dream job?
• Is this educational award even enough to cover my student bill?
• When are they just gonna issue the certificates so I can get to this happy hour?

I get it.

I’ve been there.

And while I wish I could stand here today and tell you that it gets easier, truth is it’s not.

You’re going to go through a wave of different emotions, if you have not already. From missing basically your second family at your placement sites, who’ve molded you and made you into the leader that you are today, to comparing yourself to others your own age wondering why you aren’t as successful or aren’t receiving the same opportunities.

Trust me, I’ve been there.

But again, I’m not here to tell you that it gets easier, however I am here to tell you that opportunity lands in the hands of those willing to rise to the occasion.

Take me for an example. While I was completing my service terms, I was also enrolled in graduate school at Georgetown University. Completing that 1700 hours of service while commuting to class in DC 2-3 times a week was hard work but I had a goal and I was determined to accomplish it.

Fast forward to August 2014, I graduated from Georgetown University with my Masters in Public Relations/Corporate Communications after just completing my second service term a month before.

Now 5 maybe 10 years ago, having a masters degree basically guaranteed you a job right. But not today. I struggled finding work because while I did have the education, i didn’t have the work experience in my field per se.

I had reached my breaking point and started to apply for internships. Yes, I was that person with a masters degree, huge debt, applying for unpaid internships.

Things changed when I interviewed with the Case Foundation. While the interview went well, they did not select me for their internship program, they did something even better. They forwarded my resume to the Social Innovation Fund, which is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service and a key White House initiative.

After a short phone interview, I was hired on the spot for an internship with the Social Innovation Fund. Literally, less than a month later, I was offered a full time position as their Communications Program Assistant, which I still hold today.

Now many of you listened to my story and thought: “okay, so she’s telling me don’t get my masters and lower my standards. Nahhh she trippin.”

Nope that’s not what I’m saying. Let me repeat the message again.

I’m not here to tell you that it gets easier. I am here to tell you though that opportunity lands in the hands of those willing to rise to the occasion.

In a documentary about his Made In America Festival, Jay Z said this: 

“We all have genius-level talent, we just have to find out what we’re genius at and apply ourselves in a way that supports that genius.”

Now I ask you allies, what’s your genius?

Brandon, maybe it’s your ability to create great relationships with clients you serve at charm city clinic in order to help them get the care they deserve.

Katherine, it could be your ability to turn a sport such as soccer into a learning tool that kids of all ages can partake in.

Or Mariah, maybe it’s your ability to work and collaborate with various groups of people like teachers, students and administrators through the law and leadership academies to complete the task at hand.

Recognize that genius talent that I know lives in each and every one of you, believe in it, and use that to persevere and accomplish even your toughest goals.

We’ve all seen the city of Baltimore be put under a microscope these past few months and now more than ever we look to you. The next generation of leaders with genius level talent to lead us to a more promising future.

There’s an old saying, “it takes a village.” Well… look around you. Who’s a part of your village? Make an effort to keep in touch with these people because you never know what they can offer or what you can offer to each other later on in life.

I am so incredibly proud to continuously see and be apart of the great work Public Allies is doing.

Thank you for letting me be your host and congratulations to the class of 2015!