Big Papi delivers!
Former Red Sox great receives New England Tech honorary degree, then inspires Class of 2017 with his words
PROVIDENCE — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has many titles.
Big Papi. Ten-time All-Star. Three-time World Series champion. Baseball’s greatest designated hitter. 2013 World Series Most Valuable Player. The greatest clutch hitter in Red Sox history.
On Sunday afternoon, he added one more to his illustrious resume: doctor.
Ortiz was presented with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree during the New England Institute of Technology’s graduation at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence.
He also served as the ceremony’s commencement speaker.
After receiving his honorary degree, Ortiz strode to the microphone on stage in front of thousands of adoring students and family members, most of whom are Red Sox fans who were chanting “Papi! Papi! Papi!” Striding to the podium as coolly as he did to home plate countless times on summer evenings at Fenway Park, Ortiz during his speech told the graduating students “Don’t you ever let anybody dictate your future.”
The seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner said that he was sure many of the students seated before him probably thought this day would never come, that they would not be able to call themselves graduates. Yet, he said, here they were.
“I want to congratulate you, the Class of 2017, because you all deserve to be here and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t.” —Former Sox slugger David Ortiz, above
“We all took different paths to get here,” Ortiz said during his commencement address. “Some young, some old, a lot of us with kids, some from different countries. You might think we are different but where we come from and how hard it is to get to where we’re at today, to me, it’s more than an honor to be part of this wonderful ceremony.”
The prodigious power hitter explained how important education was for him growing up in the Dominican Republic. He said that while growing up, he thought baseball would be his life, but his parents pushed him to be welleducated.
“As a kid, it’s hard to understand when parents emphasize education so much, but when you get to this moment, you realize what they did for all of us every day,” he said, calling his parents his best friends.
“They teach me the way early in my life to make sure what things are important in life,” the baseball icon said. “They teach me that it doesn’t matter how many times I get knocked down, it’s not the important thing. The most important thing is to learn how to get back on your feet.”
Ortiz also related to the soon-to-be-graduates. He was not always the superstar slugger whose face was seen from Maine to Connecticut and whose name is still splashed onto jerseys and t-shirts worn by fans around the world. He said that while many may have told the students they weren’t good enough, here they were, about to receive their diplomas.
“Life is not based on how many times you fail, life is not based on the people who tell you that you can’t, life is based on what you feel that you are
capable of doing,” Ortiz said. “My career had a lot of bumps. I was at some point in my career where it was hard for me to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I know I’ve got the talent, I know I’ve got the heart, I know that my family was behind me … I’m pretty sure every single person in this room feels the same way.
“Every person knows how much you sacrificed to get to where you’re at today. Don’t let nobody tell you that you can’t,” he said to a rousing applause from the students and their families.
“I want to congratulate you, the Class of 2017, because you all deserve to be here and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t,” he said to conclude his speech.
Also during Sunday’s ceremony, U.S. Congressman James Langevin offered his remarks, telling the students that while the road has not always been easy for them, with some of them being the first in their family to go to college or graduate, they have overcome great obstacles and challenges.
He said that the students seated on the arena’s floor, about to receive their diplomas, had overcome, persevered, and pushed through many challenges in life. Their graduation, he said, was an accomplishment and an incredible feat for which they should all be proud.
“Great opportunities lay ahead,” Langevin said, calling on the graduates to “build and innovate.” He also challenged them to stay in Rhode Island and build their futures in the Ocean State to make the state that much greater.
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian said that he was thrilled to have his city be the host of two campuses filled with such activity and innovation.
He also noted that New England Tech’s commencement was the first of Rhode Island’s graduation season, saying that fact was not lost on him, as it is important that the university that leads in technical training should lead the state into the time of year when high school students and college students receive their diplomas and move into the future.