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This is my first trip,

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my first foreign trip as a first lady.

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Can you believe that?

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(Applause)

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And while this is not my first visit to the U.K.,

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I have to say that I am glad that this is my first official visit.

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The special relationship between the United States and the U.K.

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is based not only on the relationship between governments,

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but the common language and the values that we share,

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and I'm reminded of that by watching you all today.

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During my visit I've been especially honored

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to meet some of Britain's most extraordinary women --

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women who are paving the way for all of you.

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And I'm honored to meet you,

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the future leaders of Great Britain and this world.

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And although the circumstances of our lives may seem very distant,

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with me standing here as the First Lady of the United States of America,

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and you, just getting through school,

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I want you to know that we have very much in common.

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For nothing in my life's path

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would have predicted that I'd be standing here

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as the first African-American First Lady

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of the United States of America.

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There is nothing in my story that would land me here.

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I wasn't raised with wealth or resources

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or any social standing to speak of.

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I was raised on the South Side of Chicago.

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That's the real part of Chicago.

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And I was the product of a working-class community.

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My father was a city worker all of his life,

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and my mother was a stay-at-home mom.

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And she stayed at home to take care of me and my older brother.

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Neither of them attended university.

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My dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis

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in the prime of his life.

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But even as it got harder for him to walk

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and get dressed in the morning --

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I saw him struggle more and more --

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my father never complained about his struggle.

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He was grateful for what he had.

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He just woke up a little earlier and worked a little harder.

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And my brother and I were raised with all that you really need:

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love, strong values

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and a belief that with a good education

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and a whole lot of hard work,

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that there was nothing that we could not do.

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I am an example of what's possible

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when girls from the very beginning of their lives

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are loved and nurtured by the people around them.

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I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life:

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grandmothers, teachers, aunts, cousins, neighbors,

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who taught me about quiet strength and dignity.

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And my mother, the most important role model in my life,

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who lives with us at the White House

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and helps to care for our two little daughters,

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Malia and Sasha.

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She's an active presence in their lives, as well as mine,

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and is instilling in them

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the same values that she taught me and my brother:

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things like compassion, and integrity,

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and confidence, and perseverance --

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all of that wrapped up in an unconditional love

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that only a grandmother can give.

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I was also fortunate enough to be cherished and encouraged

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by some strong male role models as well,

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including my father, my brother, uncles and grandfathers.

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The men in my life taught me some important things, as well.

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They taught me about what a respectful relationship

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should look like between men and women.

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They taught me about what a strong marriage feels like:

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that it's built on faith and commitment

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and an admiration for each other's unique gifts.

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They taught me about what it means

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to be a father

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and to raise a family.

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And not only to invest in your own home

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but to reach out and help raise kids

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in the broader community.

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And these were the same qualities

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that I looked for in my own husband,

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Barack Obama.

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And when we first met,

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one of the things that I remember is that he took me out on a date.

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And his date was to go with him to a community meeting.

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(Laughter)

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I know, how romantic.

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(Laughter)

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But when we met, Barack was a community organizer.

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He worked, helping people to find jobs

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and to try to bring resources into struggling neighborhoods.

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As he talked to the residents in that community center,

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he talked about two concepts.

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He talked about "the world as it is" and "the world as it should be."

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And I talked about this throughout the entire campaign.

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What he said, that all too often,

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is that we accept the distance between those two ideas.

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And sometimes we settle for the world as it is,

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even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations.

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But Barack reminded us on that day,

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all of us in that room, that we all know

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what our world should look like.

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We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like.

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We all know.

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And he urged the people in that meeting,

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in that community,

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to devote themselves to closing the gap

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between those two ideas,

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to work together to try to make the world as it is

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and the world as it should be, one and the same.

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And I think about that today because I am

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reminded and convinced that all of you in this school

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are very important parts of closing that gap.

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You are the women who will build the world as it should be.

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You're going to write the next chapter in history.

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Not just for yourselves, but for your generation

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and generations to come.

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And that's why getting a good education

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is so important.

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That's why all of this that you're going through --

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the ups and the downs, the teachers that you love and the teachers that you don't --

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why it's so important.

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Because communities and countries and ultimately the world

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are only as strong as the health of their women.

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And that's important to keep in mind.

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Part of that health includes an outstanding education.

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The difference between a struggling family and a healthy one

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is often the presence of an empowered woman

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or women at the center of that family.

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The difference between a broken community and a thriving one

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is often the healthy respect between men and women

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who appreciate the contributions each other makes to society.

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The difference between a languishing nation

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and one that will flourish

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is the recognition that we need equal access to education

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for both boys and girls.

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And this school, named after the U.K.'s first female doctor,

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and the surrounding buildings named for Mexican artist Frida Kahlo,

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Mary Seacole,

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the Jamaican nurse known as the "black Florence Nightingale,"

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and the English author, Emily Bronte,

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honor women who fought sexism, racism and ignorance,

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to pursue their passions to feed their own souls.

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They allowed for no obstacles.

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As the sign said back there, "without limitations."

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They knew no other way to live

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than to follow their dreams.

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And having done so, these women

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moved many obstacles.

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And they opened many new doors

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for millions of female doctors and nurses

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and artists and authors,

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all of whom have followed them.

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And by getting a good education,

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you too can control your own destiny.

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Please remember that.

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If you want to know the reason why I'm standing here,

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it's because of education.

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I never cut class. Sorry, I don't know if anybody is cutting class.

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I never did it.

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I loved getting As.

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I liked being smart.

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I liked being on time. I liked getting my work done.

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I thought being smart was cooler than anything in the world.

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And you too, with these same values,

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can control your own destiny.

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You too can pave the way.

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You too can realize your dreams,

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and then your job is to reach back

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and to help someone just like you do the same thing.

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History proves that it doesn't matter

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whether you come from a council estate

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or a country estate.

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Your success will be determined

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by your own fortitude,

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your own confidence, your own individual hard work.

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That is true. That is the reality of the world that we live in.

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You now have control over your own destiny.

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And it won't be easy -- that's for sure.

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But you have everything you need.

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Everything you need to succeed,

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you already have, right here.

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My husband works in this big office.

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They call it the Oval Office.

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In the White House, there's the desk that he sits at --

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it's called the Resolute desk.

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It was built by the timber of Her Majesty's Ship Resolute

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and given by Queen Victoria.

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It's an enduring symbol of the friendship between our two nations.

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And its name, Resolute,

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is a reminder of the strength of character that's required

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not only to lead a country,

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but to live a life of purpose, as well.

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And I hope in pursuing your dreams, you all remain resolute,

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that you go forward without limits,

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and that you use your talents -- because there are many; we've seen them;

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it's there --

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that you use them to create the world as it should be.

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Because we are counting on you.

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We are counting on every single one of you

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to be the very best that you can be.

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Because the world is big.

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And it's full of challenges.

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And we need strong, smart, confident young women

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to stand up and take the reins.

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We know you can do it. We love you. Thank you so much.

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(Applause)