Earlier this summer, I had the great honour of being invited back to my alma mater, Belize Elementary School, as the guest speaker for their primary school graduation ceremony.

This invitation followed a memorable visit in February, when I had the chance to meet with the students of Standards 4–6 to talk about my book, The Land of the Night Sun, and answer their questions. Returning just a few months later to talk about my time as a student at BES and my life experiences since then felt like a full-circle moment—equal parts humbling and inspiring.

Unfortunately, the speech itself wasn’t recorded. But for anyone interested, I’ve included the transcript here. I hope it captures the spirit of that special day and shares some of the same encouragement I offered to the graduating class.