Normita Fenn’s Speech GGU
Bridge Society Luncheon
December 13, 2006, St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco, California
Thank you, Elizabeth.
What a wonderful day to be gathered under the backdrop of one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge. And I thank Golden Gate University for this privilege!
I am honored to speak in the company of our fellow alumni and friends, with Mrs. Velia Butz, widow of our loved GGU president, Dr. Otto Butz, with our outgoing president, Dr. Phil Friedman, who guided Golden Gate University from 1999 to 2006. Thank you for your leadership and for inspiring me always during my tenure as president of the alumni association. It is also a distinct pleasure to greet our incoming president, Dr. Dan Angel, and his wife, Patricia; I wish you well as you lead this institution in the twenty-first century.
It is with great pride to herald my story as a Golden Gate University alum, a relationship that started in 1963, when I came to Golden Gate College as a young foreign student from the Philippines. For some of you who don’t know where Golden Gate College was, it was located at the YMCA building on Golden Gate Avenue and Leavenworth Street. A bit of history about that historic YMCA building – it was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, and when it was being re-built in 1909, then U.S. President William Howard Taft, while laying the cornerstone, called it the “Character Factory”, for its role in shaping the spirit, mind and body of the people of San Francisco. In my heart, its portals will forever remain strong and majestic, symbolizing the molding of the characters of the many students from countries around the world, aspiring to get their education. I am proud to be a product of that character factory, along with Edith, Manny, Suthee, Edna and several of my old school mates.
The youngest of twelve, I left my family and friends in the Philippines, had a hundred dollars in my wallet, crossed the Pacific Ocean, determined to realize big dreams in a new world – dream to get an education, dream to get a good job, and dream to help my parents, my brothers and my sisters.
Great sacrifices were made to get those dreams to reality, but the rewards were even greater. With my education, I pursued a career with a top international company, General Electric, where I worked under the helm of some of the best trained managers in the world, who guided my career, always nurturing, encouraging me to achieve and learn, that opportunities are limitless to those who are determined and willing to work hard. Under GE’s sponsorship, I obtained an advanced degree in marketing at GGU in 1983, rewarding me with a career that took me to many different parts of the United States, widening my knowledge and personal perspectives. It is with great humility to say that along the way, I was able to help my parents, brothers, sisters and their families, allowing them to share the same opportunity for a better life.
The lessons I learned from my professors and mentors remain with me to this day, to be aspiring, to keep on learning, to welcome new ideas; and an important lesson to give back to my school, to my fellow alumni, and to the community, always remembering where I came from, and how I got to where I am. I firmly believe that the realization of my dreams can be traced from that “character factory” to Golden Gate University, giving me the privilege to have the experiences of a lifetime, to enjoy the fruits of my labor, to stand before you today, under the backdrop of this magnificent landmark.
I decided to join the Bridge Society in recognition of the institution which gave me so much. Let us join together in honoring GGU through the spirit of the Bridge Society so that generations of students will enjoy the fruits of our legacy. By doing so, we can contribute to the success of Golden Gate University in its mission to educate and to build a better tomorrow for students here and around the world.
Best wishes to all. Until we meet again!