What are my career goals? I didn’t have it, which was a good thing because our community at that time was so small. So for me when I graduated from school. I was serious I had my simple goals, one is to get a job, two, it is basically to get an apartment, so I can be independent.

And then I went to Harvard Business School. I graduated from Harvard Business School, and because my family was in business. I decided to go into banking, to get some experience in banking. I didn’t understand so much about what banking was all about, but I learned. I worked for Citi Group, and when I was in the middle of working in Citi Group for 4 years, I had an opportunity to work at the White House because Citi Group had a special program. They selected outstanding performers within the bank and then gave them opportunity to support them for an intern in the government. I was selected as a White House fellow. I worked at the White House for one year. It was a difficult time, not easy, but I was so excited. It was so interesting because there was no Chinese, no Asian at the White House at that time, so I felt I was blazing a new trail for other Asian Americans. And I was learning a lot to be a better leader in the future. I worked for the White House for a year.

The President at that time was Wilson Reagan. He was from California. I grew up in New York. I had never been to California, so I decided to go to California, so I found a job in Bank of America in California and moved to California. I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t have friends there, but I was excited. I just wanted to see what California was like. So I was within California for 3 years and one day I got a phone call from Secretary Elizabeth Dole, and she was the Secretary of Transportation, and she needed someone who understood banking which I gained the experience from Citi Bank, and she also needed someone who understood shipping which I also had gained in Bank of America, so the two expert teams really helped me to get the job that she had admired. She had a portfolio (证券投资组合) in the Department of Transportation that was losing $1.8 a year, and she needed a banker to go and clear it up. So within one weekend I flew back from California, found an apartment in Washington D.C and started work on Monday. This is Maritime Administration. I worked there for 2 years and learned a great deal about the government. Around 2 years later, I was appointed Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission. The reason why I was appointed was because the previous chairman of Federal Maritime Commission had passed away suddenly. The government needed someone who understood shipping, who had been in the government in shipping, who can be the Chairman. So once again my particular background in shipping, transportation and banking was very important, so I was the Chairman for a year, and then a new president came in. It was the first President Bush, and he asked me to be the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Transportation. At that time I was 35, though older than you, very very young. I was the youngest Deputy Secretary in the whole government and I was also the first Asian American Deputy Secretary in United States government.

And then in 1992, more than 20 years ago, such a long time ago, President Bush lost his re-election. When he loses re-election, what happened to America is that everybody who was with him goes. So I joined United Way of America. United Way of America was the NO.1 charity in America. I was there for 4 years.

I had little time to get married at the age of 39. It was very late. My husband, as you know, is the leader of Congress. He is a very good husband. He does his own laundry, he cooks and helps me with the house too. He is very encouraging women. I think it is really important to find someone who is going to be your life partner because they will help you adapt your life and they will help you adapt to your career as well.

In 1996, I wanted a break, so I joined Think Tank where I took some time to study and learn more about American political system, how to get ideas across, because America is a very confrontational society. People are arguing all the time, so some people are saying this, some people are saying that, and it’s OK. There is a lot of fighting back and forth. And then in 2000, President George W. Bush was getting ready for his president chosen, and I had known him before, because I had companied with him for his father, and I knew him also at Harvard Business School. President George W. Bush was class of 71, and I was the class of 1979, so we knew each other from that as well. You will be interested to know that I was actually supposed to get, I thought, Department of Transportation, but nominate of Department of Transportation, so I was very disappointed.

I can tell you a lesson that if you face a disappointment, NO. 1, you must always think of a long term, so even though it can be a disappointment, don’t be discouraged. If you handle the disappointment well, there will be lots of other opportunities. So indeed, I was originally not offered, but I was indicated that Secretary of Labor was a position that they wanted for me. I wasn’t very familiar with labor as much as I was familiar with transportation. So I was hoping to be appointed to transportation. When it did not happen, I was very calm and I thanked the President and his team for considering me. I wish them well in their new administration, thinking that I will not be going to be a part of it. 2 weeks afterwith, the President nominate for the Secretary of Labor position encountered difficulties in confirmation hearing. In United States, the President proposes a Secretary, and then the Congress, the Senate approves. So the original choice for the Secretary of Labor encountered difficulties in her confirmation process, and she had to drop out(退出). So the White House, the President had to find a new Secretary of Labor, someone they trusted, someone they know, can clear and gain the approval of the Senate, who had no blemish on their records, so they can go through the confirmation process very easily. They approached me again and asked me whether I would be interested in accepting the position of the Secretary of Labor, so that was how I became the Secretary of Labor.

I wasn’t the first choice because my world at that time was so small that there were so few Asian Americans in the government at that time. There was no guide, no one to tell me what to expect, but what I did find helpful was what my parents were talking, you have to have courage, interest and curiosity. I think one thing my parents talked to me a great deal of is curiosity. You have to have interest, you have to have curiosity, and if you are curious, you will go on and seek more doors and more opened and these doors opened for you, if you have persistence, planned ahead, and if you have the will to persist. The world is changing so rapidly, so you have the same opportunities for you. I can’t tell you what the opportunities are, but if you have interest, and have the will, and you have the confidence, you will have a lot of opportunities.

第二篇：小学英文演讲稿

My honorable teachers , my beloved schoolmates

Good morning everyone， may I have your attention，please? Thanks giving me such a changce to make a lecture here. Today , I will talk about English. My topic of conversation is: I love English.

As everyone knows that :English is very important today.It has been used everywhere in the world.It has become the most common language on Internet and for international trade. If we can speak English well,we will have more chance to get success .But for myself,I learn English not only because of its importance and its usefulness, but also because of my love for it.

When I learn English, I can feel a different way of thinking.When I read English,I can feel the pleasure from the book which is different from reading the translation.When I speak English, I can feel the confident from my words.When I write English,I can see the beauty which is not the same as our Chinese...

I love English, it gives me a colorful dream. With my good English, I can make friends with many people from different contries. I hope I can travel around the world ,I can see many places of great intrests. I also want to use my good English to introduce our great places to the English spoken people,I hope that they can love our country like us.

I know that Rome was not built in a day. I believe that after continuous hard study, one day I can speak English very well ！

I am quite sure that I will come true my dream!

Thank you!

尊敬的老师,亲爱的同学们：

大家早上好

感谢大家给我这个机会，让我能站在这里，今天我要谈谈英语。我的话题是:我喜欢英语。

每个人都知道:英语是很重要的，现在它已被应用于世界的各个领域，在互联网上,在国际贸易中，它已经成为最常见的语言。如果我们能说一口流利的英语,我们会有更多的机会获得成功。但是对于我,不仅因为学习英语很重要，更因为我爱它。

当我学习英语的时候,我可以感受到一种不同的思维方式；当我读英语时,我能感到来自于英语而不是汉语译文的快乐；当我说英语时,我能感到语言中充满了自信；当我写的英语时,我能领略到不同于汉语的美丽……

我喜欢英语,它给了我一个五彩缤纷的梦。说一口流利的英语能让我交到不同国家的朋友。我希望能环游世界,我希望看到世界各地的名胜古迹。我也想用我流利的口语向那些讲英语的朋友介绍我们伟大的祖国，我相信他们会像我们一样爱中国。

我知道,罗马不是一天建成的。我相信,经过不断努力学习,总有一天，我可以讲一口流利的英语。

我确信,我会实现我的梦想!

谢谢大家!