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Principal Knowles, Rev. Wells, members of staff, parents, and most of all, the young men of Queen’s College,
Thank you for welcoming me. It is good to be with you this afternoon.
I want to begin with a simple truth.
Every young man in this room has a story that is still being written.
The pages that have already been turned may include triumphs, mistakes, doubts, or disappointments, but the pen is still in your hand.
What you decide today and tomorrow will shape the man you become.
Your theme, “From Boys to Men: Yes, We Can” is fitting because it is a choice.
It is a decision to believe that your future is bigger than your fears, your habits, or the labels anyone may try to put on you.
When I was a boy growing up in Cat Island, life looked very different from the one many of you know in Nassau.
We did not have social media.
We did not have the distractions you face.
But we had other struggles. There were days when opportunity felt far away.
What made the difference for me was that a few people believed I could be more than my circumstances.
They pushed me to work hard, to listen, to keep going when it felt easier to give up.
I stand here today as your Prime Minister because, at different points in my life, I chose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.
That is the same path that lies before you.
Young men, I want to encourage you in three areas: knowing who you are, choosing who you become, and walking with others who help you grow.
Every day, the world sends you messages about what it means to be a man.
Some say it is about how tough you look, how many people you can impress, how much money you can flash.
Others say it is about never showing emotion, never asking for help, never admitting you are wrong.
Those ideas lead many young men into trouble. Real strength is something different.
A real man knows he has value before he proves anything to anyone.
He does not need to tear others down to feel tall.
He respects women, he respects his classmates, he respects himself.
So ask yourself some honest questions:
- What do I believe in?
- What do I stand for when no one is watching?
- Who am I when there are no likes, no reposts, no audience?
If you base your worth on what social media says about you, you will always feel empty.
Your value comes from something deeper: from God, from your character, from the gifts you have been given to use for good.
Boys talk about dreams. Men build disciplines that bring those dreams closer.
Some of you want to be lawyers, engineers, athletes, pilots, entrepreneurs, pastors, musicians.
Dreams are good. But dreams without discipline turn into excuses.
Discipline looks like:
- Getting to class on time
- Doing the assignment even when the teacher is not chasing you
- Controlling your temper when someone disrespects you
- Walking away when you know a fight, a party, or a risky decision will lead you where you do not want your life to go
There are people in our country today sitting in a prison cell or living with deep regret because of one decision that lasted five minutes.
In that moment, they wanted to impress friends or prove they were “hard”.
The cost was their freedom, their reputation, sometimes their life.
You are better than that. You are capable of self-control. You are capable of saying, “This path is not for me,” and choosing differently, even if others laugh.
Every subject you pass, every book you read, every skill you work at, every apology you offer when you are wrong, is part of building the man you are becoming.
Do not be afraid of failure.
I have failed many times. I have lost cases, lost elections, made mistakes.
What matters is learning from it, taking responsibility, and getting back up.
A man who never fails is a man who never tries.
No one becomes a good man by accident or in isolation.
Look around this room. You have teachers, counsellors, pastors, and coaches who care about you. You have parents and guardians who sacrifice every day so you can sit in this school and wear this uniform.
Young men, let me say this: you need wise voices in your life. You need older men who can tell you the truth, correct you when you go off track, and remind you of what you can be when you are tempted to settle for less.
Choose your friends carefully. The people you spend time with are like an elevator. They will either lift you up or take you down.
If your friends are always in trouble, disrespecting girls, skipping school, or gambling with their future, you will eventually follow them.
If your friends challenge you to study, to work hard, to do the right thing, you will rise together.
To the fathers and father figures here today: our young men need you.
They need your time, your presence, your listening ear.
They need to hear you say, “I am proud of you”, not only when they score a goal or get an “A”, but when they tell the truth, stand up to peer pressure, or show kindness.
Too many young men in our country grow up feeling abandoned or unheard. We have to change that.
Let your son see you apologize when you are wrong.
Let him see you treat his mother with respect. Let him see you work honestly, serve your community, and keep your word.
That example will teach him more than any speech.
My government is working every day to open doors for young Bahamians in education, training, and employment. But no policy can replace the power of a father’s guidance or a mentor’s steady support.
Young men, let me finish with this:
One day, someone will introduce you and say, “This is a good man.”
They will not be talking about your bank account or your social media following. They will be talking about the way you lived.
They will say you kept your word.
You worked hard.
You treated women with respect.
You stood up for people who had no voice.
You gave back to your community.
You made your parents and your country proud.
That future begins with the choices you make here and now at Queen’s College.
So when you walk out of this auditorium today, walk out with a new determination:
- To know who you are
- To choose who you will become
- To surround yourself with people who help you grow
From boys to men, “Yes, we can” is not just a theme for a day. It can be a promise you make to yourself, to your family, and to The Bahamas.
I believe in you. Your school believes in you. Your country needs you.
Thank you, and may God bless you all.