Distinguished ladies, distinguished gentlemen:

The Outstanding Graduate Award from Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo is approaching its majority, successfully reaching its first 10 years of existence. We celebrate this event with a healthy feeling of joy, in recognition of the role of this instrument to disseminate the exceptional quality of the fruits generated by this university for the benefit of all society. And in this sense, I request a moment from you to give an account of the human wealth that our graduates represent, through a quick count of the winners of previous years.

In the select group of winners between 2007 and 2015, we find 15 doctors with exceptionally distinguished careers, including 6 of them who have developed their professional lives in top-level medical institutions in the United States; 7 of the winners are businessmen and 3 are leaders of business organizations; 4 are senior executives of private companies and 4 are professionals who have stood out for innovations or significant contributions in the field of engineering.

One of our outstanding graduates is currently the Dominican Ambassador to the United Kingdom and another is a prominent World Bank official. Other graduates have distinguished themselves in the intellectual field, including several professors at universities in the country and abroad, and one (or, more specifically, one) is currently serving as Academic Vice-Chancellor of a major university.

It should be remembered that one of our outstanding graduates was the first Dominican to climb Mount Everest, that another was the first person to swim across the English Channel and that a third graduate is the creator of the Francina Hungary Foundation, through which has given us an example of strength in the face of adversity by turning vision loss into a source of leadership in favor of the blind population. Notable graduates also include several high-level state officials (including a Minister of Education, a Director General of the Budget, a Director General of Customs, and a Director General of Internal Revenue).

Finally, in the field of public functions, I cannot fail to indicate that a prominent INTEC graduate has been Minister, member of the Senate and Vice President several times, that last year (2016) another prominent INTEC graduate was a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic by the main opposition party and that a third outstanding graduate is currently governor of the Province of La Vega. In the same vein, I conclude by recalling that one of the outstanding graduates of 2010, Lic. Danilo Medina Sanchez, has worked since 2012 as an important government employee ... with an office in the National Palace.

Those are just some examples that illustrate the thousand and one ways in which INTEC graduated bees spread their pollen of scientific rigor, social responsibility, solidarity, continuous innovation and integrity that distinguishes our hive around the world. The Outstanding Alumni Award does not represent a contest of popularity or fame, nor is it limited to recognizing strictly technical or professional merits. Its objective is rather to recognize our graduates and graduates in their integrality, valuing in a particular way the vocation of leadership, the ethical sense, the ability to work and social responsibility.

The 2016 laureates do not deviate from that rule. As in every year, they have been selected through a careful process, after being nominated by the international community. The rigor of the process gives us the certainty of each one and each one has had a trajectory of which we can feel satisfied. Therefore, on behalf of INTEC, I congratulate them for their achievements, both them and their associates, while I ask each of you to prepare to enjoy a beautiful ceremony.

Ladies and gentlemen, a very good evening!