The president, in turn, invited and was joined by Ambassadors Shoji Sato of Japan, Weidong Zhang of the People’s Republic of China, Peter Allan Prahar of the United States, and Janet Whitaker, first secretary and consul of the Australian Embassy.
“I was very pleased and honored to be invited to attend the commencement exercises of the Xavier High School,” said Zhang. “It provided me with a chance to learn about the abundant history of this school, and wish all the graduates great success in their life and career after the graduation.”
This was the first time that the diplomats of four major countries attended such an event in one place at the same time.
Mori expressed great pleasure in celebrating the graduates’ achievements.
“You deserve to be proud of this day,” he said.
However, he reminded the students that their “greatness is determined by how many people you serve, not by how many people serve you.”
Throughout his speech, Mori emphasized the importance of serving their fellow citizens with dedication, but even more importantly, to remain humble.
“I was very impressed with all of the 29 graduates and particularly impressed that two of them have been awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship,” said Whitaker.
“It was an honor and a privilege to be invited to share in this event with President Mori and the 2010 graduates. I trust that this year’s graduates, as in years past, will live by the Xavier values of discipline, purpose, and service and become leaders in their families, in their communities, and in their countries,” said Prahar.
According to Sato, he “was very impressed with both the ceremony and students’ positive attitudes toward their future.”
