Yeukhon’s Arista 2009 Campaign Blog

2009 Arista Presidential Speech

Yeukhon, Wong

Dr. Cooper and Mrs. Shumsey. Kevin Jhun and the Arista Board of 2008. The invited teachers and staff. All the candidates and my fellow Junior Arista of 2009. Good afternoon! I honored my promise, by addressing myself as a presidential candidate for the Arista of 2009. It is a promise, not only for me, but also for you, for my family, for the communities and for the unity and friendship that I have always honored. I dedicated this election and this speech to my family and God. There are so many things I want to share with you guys but since the time is limited, I could only address my passion and feeling about being a Presidential candidate. My friend had once said to me, “be yourself”. Yes, indeed, one of the purposes of Arista is “character”. If one cannot present oneself with honesty, there is no character for others to look upon.

“Be yourself” is difficult for me to present. I was listening to my music at the Q59 bus stop and I was thinking about the speech. I always have the passion about music. I play violin and I love the free-style by playing random notes without thinking ahead. Music brings me imagination: the happiness and sadness. It can be a wishful story between me and the girl that I like for two years, or a time when I become the “Star of the Year” and is honored to address a speech at my graduation. And so I am the emotional type person. So the music brought me the emotional need and creativity that allow my mind to speak. The “mind-speech” was so powerful but I was regret that I didn’t have a chance to write it down. That movement the music had granted me all the confidence back and I found “myself” to “be myself”.

Officers had told us not to vote for popularity or friendship, but respect the candidates and then vote for inspiration and ability. I have no popularity and most of you do not know me well. I stand here not just for presidency, but for the experience and the promise that I have since my childhood. I have a dream, a dream that I love, a dream that we all want to treasure, a dream that all of us have the desire to reach. I am here to protest and to revolute the reality. I am here for changes and for revolutions. There is only “one world, one dream and one unity” and so throughout this election I want to preserve the unity and friendship that I love. There is no opponent, but the biggest one is myself. You are the only one that can inspire yourself. Not even your parents, your teachers, your friends or your love one. The only one can inspire you is yourself. You have to become openness to the entire physical and spiritual world. Music does not inspire you, but it eases the resistance from the outside world so it allows you to look into your mind. You are the one that make the decisions, and so you are the only one that can really sketch your own future. Close your eyes and think about your past, your dreams and yourself. Make a scale and sketch out all the gain and lost since you became sensible.

I am not here to inspire you, but to help you, to assist you, and to find the inspiration and dreams together. This is not my promise because I am not you. Instead, it’s my dream. A dream that sounds too idealistic, but everything we learn comes from the idealistic world. The measure of leadership is not the quality of the head, but the tone of the body. Leadership is not a right, but privilege. Leadership is not about controlling others, but to serve and to love. Leadership is not about maintenance, but becoming popular and satisfied. And so this is one of the dreams that I wish to reach. I have so many things and plans want to suggest for the Arista. I even have a memorial blog for this election, I once wrote, “what if I lose the election? How can I suggest all my revolutionary plans and suggestions if I am not involve in the administration?” This is my fear and disappointment, but all I can do is giving my best shot, to bring my “Old Dreams, Old Arista and New Dreams, New Arista” to all of you: “to serve, to suffer and to earn”.

I have so many things want to do for our Arista of 2009. Bringing technologies and communicational works into Arista. We can even setup our own Arista Podcast in the future. I would like to have our Arista member to become “student-teachers” to assist the ESL students and younger children in the communities as the homework-helpers. We will begin to participate in politics and let the politicians to hear our young voices. We are the future leaders and we should start to focus and analyze the social issues. Arista is not only an organization in my opinion, but a turning point for every member, because our New Dreams and New Arista is to bring the reality into “reality”.

At this movement of our lives, we have granted a taste toward the colorful future by becoming an Arista member. It is the scholarship that we have earned. It is the reputation that will guide us to touch the reality. We have proved our efforts with our higher academic performance and community works. Arista is not only an academic organization that grants the national recognition, but it is like a nation, or a political party. We need to grow with our voices and we need to understand the future by touching the reality. We are no longer the “teenagers”, because Arista has qualified us to become the “one” that we have dreamed for many years. We are the role models, and we need to take more responsibilities because we have a dream to benefit our futures.

So by becoming an Arista member, we are not being treat like a regular high school student, but the school, community and our families must have anticipate us with a higher expectation. This reputation has become a “money-check” for your parents to honor their hard mentoring. This expectation is not only academically, but also communistically. The quality of Arista members are expecting to volunteer and make contribution to the communities. The New Arista and New Dream is “to serve, to suffer, and to earn” enthusiastically. It is a cycle and it’s always the way of life. Without putting effort and giving off the time to “serve and suffer”, we cannot “earn” the experiences. Since Arista is about serving the communities for self-fulfillment, which this organization should always maintain its unity. We need to respects different perspectives and voices. We need to work as a group. We need to honor disagreement because in democracy it demonstrates mature participation and responsibility.

We do not really know each other well, even when I have known you for ten years. Not even I would understand myself well enough to write an autobiography, but at least I try to discover “myself” to “be myself”. For sixteen years, since I became sensible, I was always looking upon my family. I used to be one of the top student in the class of 2009, but I fell to continue this junior year. Everyone has a downfall at least once in their lives. But as long as we discover the problem and try to work out, we should not be regret at all. For five years since I came to United States, I had very little contact with friends from Hong Kong. For five years I have to tolerate and try my best to become “myself”. For five years, I have hurt my family, my mother, my father, my sister, my relatives, my loves, my friends, myself and my Lord and I am still wondering around to seek for solution. And I do not remember how many times I have cried for the past five years.

In reality, this written speech cannot finish within two minutes. But I am trying to “be myself” to express my passions.. There is this one Chinese song, “十年”(Ten Years), by Andy Lui, said “我每一個十年, 許多難忘的片段, 當轉眼回頭望一遍, 已經很遠.” meaning “For all these years, there are many unforgettable scenes and memories. Once you turn back to look, they are already far away from you.” And it is valid that why people love to write dairy and take photographs everywhere they go because they stored the memories forever. I don’t know how far I can go with my life, but at this movement when I am standing in-front of you, I have already realized that I am going to become seventeen soon, and I am no longer the “mama-boy” that I use to be. All these years I was holding my mother’s hand and she carried my school bags to walk to school with me. All these years she had never been working and has to tolerate my yelling and screaming. All these years my father yelled at me to be a good boy. All these years my sister had taught me to become a good student. All these years my friends I have love and all these years that God have protected me are unforgettable. When I am writing my speech, I cried along these words and the music. I cried not only because I am emotional, but also for the dreams that I have wish since I was a boy. All these years that were gone, all I can do is to turn my back around, and walk toward the future, and face the present.

What if I lose this election? What if I fail to become the president? I will be proud of being both Robotics Club (team)’s president and the future Arista president. But I shall not grant too much if that’s my fate. I have to face my fate by standing in-front of all of you to prove my dream. I have already made my approach by becoming a candidate. We share the commons, the commons lead the superiors, the superiors make the changes. Take a bite if you find it easy; take a stick and beat it up before you meet the dangerous. Take my word and go ahead for yourself”. I have tried my best, the best of all the best, without regret, a regret that I wish to regret. It is because, I know I have “be myself, not to be afraid” to preserve the unity and friendship.

And I am here, your Presidential candidate, Yeukhon, Wong.

Thank you very much.