Go After The Dream

To the 2013 Graduating Class of Harvard University,

I congratulate you today on receiving one of the most hard-earned and prestigious degrees in our American higher education system. This is quite an exceptional achievement!

My parents are immigrants from Colombia who spoke no English; nor did I, until I started going to school. My parents taught me that America was the land where anything was possible if you work hard enough, and, like many of you, I was one of the first in my family to go to college—the United States Naval Academy. I felt I had an obligation to give back to the country that had given me and my family so much.

Following my graduation from the Naval Academy, I earned my wings in flight school. I loved being a pilot, but a deeper sense of obligation and duty let me to transfer to the Navy SEALS. I succeeded with training and became a platoon commander after completion of my training.

I left the Navy in 1996 and went back to school to further my education. In the same spirit as many of you, I earned my MBA from Harvard Business School and began working in the private sector right here in Boston.

We’re very lucky, not just to have a degree from this prestigious institution, but also to have the abilities to further our success right here at our fingertips. Boston is the most remarkable city in the most remarkable state in the most remarkable country on earth. Right here we have not only some of the country's best schools, but also best hospitals, biggest companies, and opportunities in nearly every field you can imagine.

I want to tell you, too, that with great opportunities comes great responsibility. I urge you to bear that in mind, as you go off into the world. Our responsibility to ourselves and to our communities is to make sure the American dream is still achievable for the generations that will come after us. As the son of Colombian immigrants who is now the nominee for U.S. Senate, I can tell you that the American dream was achievable for me, and my duty as a father, as a husband, as a community leader is to make sure it is achievable for my children.

Again, congratulations and godspeed on your journey.

Gabriel E. Gomez, MBA ’98, is the Republican candidate for Senate in the upcoming special election.