SPEECH ON MY SON
It is almost every father’s dream to see his son follow in his footsteps or simply become successful. It has also been the same for me as I always hoped that my son would not necessarily be like me but be a successful man in his life. To us men, success is measured by how many things one has achieved in life; to us it is represented by a good education, a good job, financial stability, and a happy family. My son has achieved only one of these measures, a good education, but I feel that with such an achievement he is on his way to being a successful man.
My son was in the University of California, Los Angeles. He was taking his undergraduate degree here; and for those who happen to know this university well it is one of the largest in the United States in terms of enrollment. This means that my son has being exposed to thousands of people who he interacted with as colleagues during his undergraduate program. One thing I am particularly proud and that I would like to point out to many is that, a big school doesn’t make a big man- only hard work does. My son spent long hours locked in his study everyday as he went through any material concerning his course. I believe this is one of his greatest assets; and one that will see him achieve the other measures of success I had mentioned before.
I know saying that this is like a dream come true may sound like a cliché, but that is what exactly this is for my son and I. Going to graduate school has been a dream the two of us have shared since he was young and playing in the streets of Afghanistan. I am proud that this dream has finally come true. When I got the news of his admission to Harvard, what came into mind was giving him a big hug and telling him, ‘son you are on the right track.’ But too bad I was in Afghanistan at the moment.
I am an immigrant to the United States and at one point I thought that my son would feel inferior studying with people from different cultures, but he has proved me wrong. In this period where there are so many things that a child needs to be advised against, you will have to agree with me that raising a child in the United States while I am in Afghanistan is not a simple thing. But I am proud of my son as he has helped in reducing the stress of worrying about his activities and friends. He has maintained high morals and standards of integrity. At the moment, I am working with the United States Army as a linguist in Afghanistan. I do not know whether this is my son’s dream too but I hope that one day he gets to serve his countries- the USA and Afghanistan.
As my son joins Harvard for his graduate school and Berkley for his law school, I know he is a step closer to being that man that every father would want their son to be- and I am proud of that. From as far as Afghanistan I will keep on praying for him and giving him advice on how to tackle life issues. I am particularly proud of one trait in my son; this is the fact that he listens when advised. This is not only advice from me but from any other elder person who may talk to him. So I know even from as far as Afghanistan, my son will take the advice I give him and he will make the best choices for his life.
