Although I did graduate from the school of hard knocks, our mascot was the knockers. I spent a lot of time here growing up. My mom worked at Newcom and I would go there every time I needed to steal something out of her purse. But why am I here today? Clearly not to steal, you're too far away and I'd never get away with it.
但是我确实从历经磨难的生活这所学校毕业了，我们的吉祥物就是磨难和挫折。我在此度过了漫长的成长岁月。我妈妈在纽科姆工作，每当我需要从她的钱包里偷偷拿些东西的时候，我都会去找她。但今天我为什么来这里呢？很明显我不是想要偷你们的钱，你们离我太远了，而且我也跑不了。
I'm here because of you. Because I can't think of a more tenactious, more courageous graduating class. I mean, look at you all, oh, wearing your robes. Usually when you're wearing a robe at 10 in the morning, it means you've given up. I'm here because I love New Orleans. I was born and raised here, I spent my formative years here, and like you, while I was living here I only did laundry six times. When I finished school, I was completely lost. And by school, I mean middle school, but I went ahead and finished high school anyway. And I-I really, I had no ambition, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I did everything from-I shucked oysters, I was a hostess, I was a bartender, I was a waitress, I painted houses, I sold vacuum cleaners, I had no idea. And I thought I'd just finally settle in some job, and I would make enough money to pay my rent, maybe have basic cable, maybe not, I didn't really have a plan, my point is that, by the time I was your age, I really thought I knew who I was, but I had no idea.
我来这里是因为你们，没有比你们更坚韧更勇敢的毕业生了。我是说，看看你们每一个人，身着学士袍，通常在上午10点还穿着睡袍，说明你们已经放弃人生了。今天我来这里，因为我热爱新奥尔良。我在这里出生，在这里长大，在这里度过了我的童年时代。和你们一样，我在这里生活时，只洗过6次衣服。当我毕业后，我完全迷失了。这里我指的是中学，但我接着上学，读完了高中。而我当时真的没有什么野心，不知道自己想做什么。可我什么都做。我剥过牡蛎，当过迎宾员，做过酒保、服务员，粉刷过房子，卖过吸尘器。我完全不知道自己想做什么。我想随便找个工作稳定下来，只要有足够的钱付房租，电视机可有可无，我完全没有计划。这里我要强调的是，我像你们这么大的时候，我真的以为我了解自己，但其实并非如此。
