Here’s the second speech I’ve prepared for my Graduation Party at BRASAS Taquara last Wednesday. Hope you enjoy it!
Good evening!
It is such a pleasure for me to be standing here today among so many talented people! Not only am I here to talk a little bit about my journey, I would also like to thank all of the people who have supported me along the way and maybe provide some food for thought.
There are so many things we should discuss, but I have a feeling our party will be brief, so first things first. I joined BRASAS in August, 2017, right after dropping out of a German course. I had my boss convince me it would be wiser if I studied English instead of German due to professional concerns, and so I did. Never ever up to this day have I regretted such decision.
As odd as it may seem, in October, 2018, roughly a year later, she fired me, and I ended up having to drop out of BRASAS due to financial problems a few months later at the end of Book 04. Had it not been for the money a friend of mine, Igor, lended me, I wouldn’t have even been able to take the final test for that book.
During the time I was out of the course, I abhorred not having enough money to get back. Not only did I think BRASAS’s method was one of the best if not the best, I also believed I got along really well with my teacher, James (Jim). It looks to me as though there are no limits to what he can do, and his knowledge at teaching English is just as limitless. Due to that, I convinced myself I needed to be taught by the top-tier people in that industry, and so my journey to get back to the course began.
By December, 2019, I found a new job and was finally able to return to BRASAS. With the help of another huge friend of mine, Sylvia, who lended me her Books 05 and 06, I managed to make it all the way to Book 07. At the beginning, I may have lacked the passion to learn I used to have prior to leaving the course, but as soon as I learned about “Causative Clauses” and “Future Perfect in the Passive Voice”, I felt that fire lit inside of me again.
By the end of 2021, I almost had to leave the course once more due to financial problems. Thankfully, the headmistress of this branch, Jackie, was kind and humane. She let me stay even though I couldn’t afford paying for the course at the time. Had it not been for her, I wouldn’t be here today. That’s a debt I’ll never be able to repay even after paying off all my debts with BRASAS.
I, then, finished Book 10 making a presentation about Marina and the Diamonds and got that Proficiency badge I was looking forward to getting since the very moment I got here. I finally made it!
I hope my story gives you a sense of what perseverance is. Granted, problems are going to get in our way and try to get the best of us, but we have got to withstand them all. Of course, all of us here who made it to the end know that. But we ought not to forget how far we’ve come and how much further we can get if we decide to bring our dreams into reality.
May this graduation party be the first step of our lives as English speakers. We deserve to achieve all sorts of great things to come, such as studying abroad, getting better job opportunities or simply being able to communicate with people all over the world. This is the beginning of the rest of our lives!
Thank you!
Luke.
– Tria. December 14th, 2022.
