Remarks as prepared for delivery by Commissioner James P. O'Neill to the 2018 graduating class of Saint Thomas Aquinas College

May 11, 2018

Good afternoon, and thank you very much for inviting me here today. I'd like to thank the President, Dr. Margaret Fitzpatrick, the Chairman of the Board, Donald Riley, and the students, faculty and staff of Saint Thomas Aquinas College for the opportunity to speak with you this afternoon. And to the graduating class of 2018 and to your families and loved ones: Congratulations!

Please give yourselves a much-deserved round of applause.

It's truly an honor to be here and to be a small part of one of the most meaningful days of your lives. You've worked extremely hard to be sitting in those seats and today is the fulfillment of a very important promise you made to yourself years ago. Because at some point before today, you made a decision that changed the course of your lives. You decided to challenge yourselves, to set goals, and then to achieve it.

So today is the culmination of those many past choices which have all led you here. But looking out and seeing the pride in your faces and in the faces of your loved ones it's obvious to me what today is really about: The Future. Your future, of course — but it's about much more than that. Because outside of this campus there is a world desperate for new ideas, new leadership, and new perspectives. It can be rough out there, believe me, but fortunately there are plenty of people who are willing and able to reshape their world — to enrich it — and who have committed to improving it for everyone.

In my 35-and-a-half years in law enforcement, I have had the tremendous pleasure of meeting and getting to know many of these people, both in the NYPD, and among the public we serve. They work tirelessly to build a better block, a stronger neighborhood, a safer city, and a more productive society. I've come to realize how much the cops and the residents and workers really care about their neighborhoods, and all of the people who live, work, and visit there. And I've seen how their shared belief that things could change, launched one of the most remarkable public safety renewals in American history. And I've learned again and again, that none of it happens by accident and no one accomplishes anything alone. But the question for you today is, "what do you want to accomplish?"

I know that graduating here today is an accomplishment in itself, and the degree you're receiving — and the responsibilities and expectations that come with it — are yours. So now with that degree earned it's time to ask yourself, "what are you going to do with it?" What problems do you see that you want to solve? What issues do you feel strongly about that you want to face? And what changes are you willing to make to get the necessary work done?

However you answer these questions remember, despite all that you've learned here at Saint Thomas Aquinas, you aren't going to get very far in life based only on what you already know. Instead, how far you advance will be based on what you learn after today, your capacity to keep listening, and how well you adapt to change. It takes a tremendous amount of work and no one can do it for you. Only you can decide to turn a challenge into an opportunity. And only you can choose how much effort you put in, how strongly you want something and how committed you are to getting it. But don't forget — while you own your accomplishments, they're not yours alone.

Most of you, if not all of you are here today because someone helped you get here. They applauded you when you succeeded and they encouraged you when you failed. They stood in front of you when you needed guidance and they stood behind you when you needed support. And because of that, today is their day too. So for all the parents, the grandparents, the brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins, godparents, best friends, neighbors, pen pals, household pets, and everyone else who knows what they did to be here — thank you for your support of these young men and women.

Graduates, after today you'll be faced with many choices, and where you go from here is up to you. But based on the choices you've already made that brought you to this moment, I am confident that your future and our future is in great hands. Like I said, it won't be easy and your work is just beginning. But regardless of the path you choose through life remember this: You don't need to be a public servant to serve your community. You just need to be a thoughtful, engaged, civic-minded citizen, and care about the people you live and work with every day. Always speak up but never stop listening. Do that and the rest will take care of itself.

I am proud to commend you, the 2018 graduating class of Saint Thomas Aquinas College, on the choices that led you to today. Your faculty, administrators, loved ones and other mentors have certainly done their jobs well. Now they get to see all of that hard work pay off. And if you keep moving forward, always going toward the challenges ahead, I know that you'll continue to make them and yourselves very proud.

Congratulations to each and every one of you, and good luck in all that you do.