BECKLEY, WV – Gov. Jim Justice provided words of wisdom to hundreds of graduating high school seniors Sunday night, in an address made during the annual West Virginia Graduates Baccalaureate Service at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
“If you put your mind to it and you have the passion, you can do anything you want in your life,” Gov. Justice said. “Now, you may think it’s really tough to have gotten to where you’ve gotten to and I say bull feathers. It’s only going to get tougher. But, if you work hard, the sky is truly the limit.”
This spring marks the 2nd annual WV Grads Baccalaureate Service, which aims to honor seniors from all schools across Raleigh County and southern West Virginia on their upcoming graduations.
The event was organized by 15 area churches and brought in a crowd of about 600 students and their family members. During his remarks, the governor noted how these students’ strong faith will get them through adversities as they continue through their lives.
“I guarantee you, though your life you’ll have all kinds of trials and tribulations, but because you have a relationship with God, you’ll be able to overcome it,” Gov. Justice said.
The governor also encouraged the students to use their knowledge to make their home state better by building their careers in West Virginia.
“You may think today, ‘I can’t wait to get out of West Virginia’ and I say take that journey if that’s what your heart is telling you to do,” Gov. Justice said. “But, before long, you’re going to start longing for the place that made you what you are.
“It’s my job – and I take it dog seriously – to provide you opportunities where home is where you’ll want to be,” Gov. Justice said. “We’re getting better and I’m going to work every blooming day to make more opportunities for you.”