speech -draft CCA v1

 I'm 38 years old. I'm soon going to be 39. I have paid off 2 mortgages. And I have a five year old son. Why did I want to be a counselor anyways? Why am I not running for congress instead? The title of this talk is called: Why I am not running for congress. OK now that I got your parents' attention...

Esteemed 8th grade class of Christ Cathedral Academy. Future SAINTS in the making! Esteemed faculty of CCA, saint makers! The reverend Father Bao. It's an honor today for me to address you on this very momentous day in your life. And, congratulations parents. Your kids are a positive reflection upon you. I know this because I have been their mental health educator for the past 4 or 5 months or so. They truly give me hope for the future of our country. And hope is something much in need, indeed.

Some of you will be architects, some of you will be ballerina dancers, one or two of you may be rap musicians. From having known your character as young adults and the strength of your friendships, I know ALL of you will grow into persons of virtue.

Yes, you are young adults. Remember the 5th joyful mystery? Finding in the Temple? Our Lord was how old? 14. 14 years old.. And already navigating the mean streets of Jerusalem on his own. Finding his way to his Father almighty's home. Yet also respectful of his parents. This was a time before Google maps, mind you...

Yes young adults. Though by many appearances, you quite literally already are young adults, there will be times though in high school that I anticipate you will struggle with who you are and what is your place in the world. That is the culture we live in. There will be confusion. That is the world we live in. It can be a confusing world. Growing older and becoming adults, for many, far too many can be a lifetime of confusion and struggle. However. However! We are greater than this confusion is confusing. And our greatness is in our ability to persevere through struggle. With courage. We have been designed by our Creator with the inherent capacity to overcome the confusion, and we are made to withstand the struggle that life in this world presents us. Our courage comes from our faith. From our trust in God all that we need in life will be possible.

Part of the confusion of life comes from wanting status. Our culture demands to know who we are and where we stand when it comes to ranking. But their standards are not necessarily comprehensive ones. Nor accurate reflections of our inherent capacity. Our inherent dignity. Our human dignity made in the image of God. Imago Dei.

Not getting into Harvard is not the end of the world. Let me repeat that for the parents. It is not the end of the world if you don't get into Harvard. Yes, I said YOU. Meaning WE as parents often conflate who we are with who our children ARE. We too often conflate our children's success or lack of worldly success with our own, or lack thereof. Without an appropriate sense of boundaries between us and our dear beloved children, there is CONFUSION. confusion. Through our fault, through our fault, through our most grievous fault.

The desire for worldly recognition will drive you nuts. I know this firsthand. Before you make the mistake of comparing your children with me on this dais, let me tell you. I.. I jeremy chen, have tried. Let me rephrase this. I jeremy chen have dropped out of law school three times. After not completing a semester of 1L the first time, failing out a semester the second time, then dropped out again the third time. Three different schools. That would have been fine and all, missed opportunities and all, except for the fact that during the second attempt I was driven into a severe depression.

Sure. We are not meant to ignore our talents and we SHOULD seek to live out our full potential. However, what I can tell you having served as a mental health professional and educator for the past 4 years.. living out your full potential is also about fully actualizing your potential for positive mental health. Your potential for positive mental health. Unfortunately, our desire for worldly success can foil that.

I've been very blessed. Yes I've been very blessed. Because every time I failed at school. What brought me up was a commitment to service. Somehow I was blessed with the understanding that when I hit a roadblock to my worldly ambitions, giving and serving will bear fruit for me pave a path forward for me, and lead me forward. And the fruits of my service and the service itself had brought balance to my life, and peace to my life, and direction, and eventually success monetarily financially and most importantly! Most importantly it has paved a path forward, it has shined a light on this path, and on this path it has led me forward in my faith journey to becoming Catholic. This very path of service and fruits of service is the one that led me to becoming an adult convert to Catholicism three years ago. Thanks be to God.

Service is essential. I am new to being Catholic compared to you who for the most part I presume are cradle Catholics. Though in my neophyte knowledge of Catholicism, I have learned that service is at the heart of the Gospel. Serving those that need serving, and lowering the barriers of entry to services as a professional or as a volunteer. As a volunteer, I served in a wintertime homeless shelter in Boston where it can get to freezing cold temperatures if you are stuck outside and exposed to the elements. I have served as a hospice volunteer in St. Louis. I have served in Clayton County Jail as an ESL tutor to those awaiting trial and without the means to process bail. And as a volunteer paralegal for DACA applicants. Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals in Santa Ana.

And, top it all off, 4 years as a mental health counselor including 2 years at Christ Cathedral where I have truly understood my potential and seen what I am made of. Serving in a volunteer or professional capacity is what will make you see yourself. In our gifts to others, we come to know our self. We come to know our genuine self worth. We see our human dignity. The masks come off and what becomes very apparent is the very image of God in us. In allowing ourselves to be received by others we come to see ourselves. In being in communion with others, we come to appreciate ourselves in an unexpected ways. Being in communion with God, we grow in love. This is essential for positive mental health. The two greatest commandments. Growing in love for ourselves, for each other, and most of all for God...is essential for positive mental health.

Thank you. And congratulations, 8th grade class of 2025, Christ Cathedral Academy!

--Jeremy Chen, 4-1-25