EVERETT — Woo Song Do had a simple message to the students of Mariner High School: If you have passion and a plan, you can accomplish your dreams.
Do, 22, has credentials to back him up. He went from being a member of the Mariner Class of 2007 to graduating fourth in his class of 1,030 at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
He will be attending Harvard Medical School this fall.
In a 20-minute speech before about 600 Mariner students Monday morning, Do stated he was just like them. He struggled learning to speak English — his family only spoke Korean when he was young — and he was unsuccessful at the beginning of his wrestling career. He, however, had a dream of becoming a doctor.
And he had a lot of persistence.
“A dream without a plan, it’s just a dream,” he said to the students at the school gym. “It won’t happen.”
He told them that good grades are not everything. One needs passion as well.
It is up to the students to want to make changes to make their dreams come true, he said.
“You have to make the conscious decision and say, ‘I want to be a leader. I want to change the world,'” Do said at the end of his speech. “That’s when everything is more fun.”
The end-of-school assembly is unusual for Mariner High. And the school year should have been over, but the students were making up a snow day from this winter.
So Principal Brent Kline wanted to give students something memorable when he invited Do back to campus to speak to his kids. He wanted his students to feel inspired and have the summer to think about Do’s words.
“He has been successful and lives close by,” Kline said. “He’s close to (the students’) age. He had their same struggles when he was growing up.”
Kline asked Do to speak to the school after he gave a similar speech to the class of his former Spanish teacher, William Ojeda, a couple of weeks ago.
Kline knew Do when he was a student. Do hasn’t changed, he said.
“He is the most kind and outstanding person who has set goals and achieved them,” Kline said.
Some of the students were impressed with Do’s accomplishments.
“It was inspiring,” said sophomore Eros Oropeza, 16, who wants to become a film director someday.
“I am going to write a plan to achieve my dreams,” he said.
Do’s speech was helpful and positive to hear, said junior Brijonnay Madrigal.
“It reminded me of my dreams and that it’s not always about grades,” Brijonnay, 17, said. “All of your activities help you in life.”
For Do, giving the speech was a chance to give back to a school that supported him. During his high school years, Do was student president, captain of his wrestling team and competed with the Hi-Q team.
“I want them to be proud of their roots,” Do said before giving the speech.
Many students at Mariner come from difficult circumstances, including being immigrants, having a single parent or struggling financially, he said.
“I want to empower them to take their lives into their own hands.”
Alejandro Dominguez: 425-339-3422; adominguez@heraldnet.com.
Notable West Point alumni
As a top graduate of West Point, Woo Song Do joins an elite group. Some of his fellow alumni have made a mark in U.S. history:
Robert E. Lee, class of 1829. Led Confederate Army during the Civil War from 1861-65.
Ulysses S. Grant, class of 1843. Commanded Union Army during the Civil War. He later was America’s 18th president from 1869-77.
John J. Pershing, class of 1886. Served as commander of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I.
Douglas MacArthur, class of 1903. Served as commander of Allied forces in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
Dwight E. Eisenhower, class of 1915. Served as commander of Allied forces in Europe and led invasion during D-Day. He later became the United States’ 34th president.
Edwin E. Aldrin, class of 1951, and Michael Collins, class of 1952. Part of the three-member team that landed on the moon in 1969.
Source: United States Military Academy at West Point
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