📈 Recognizing Progress

There has been a lot of progress with Yolani.

One of the things that Peter made mention of was the level of frustration —
and I told everybody from day one:

Don’t get mad at Robert. Don’t get mad at Andrew. Don’t get mad at Chris.
Get mad at me — because I asked them to make you frustrated.

🔥 Frustration with a Purpose

I believe in controlled frustration.
That’s how you learn. That’s how you grow.
I don’t want to give you the answer.

From the very first day, I held a capacitor in my hand — yeah —
and I made an analogy.

I said, “Have you ever seen Kung Fu? Remember Kung Fu with David Carradine?”
And the Zen master said:

“When you can take this pebble out of my hand, you’re ready.”

Well, I had a capacitor in my hand, and I told people:

“I’m not going to give you this capacitor.
You must take it from me.”

💪 Learning by Doing

Meaning — you must learn HVAC by doing —
not by me giving it to you,
not by Robert,
not by Andrew,
not by Chris.

That’s not how you learn.

There was a lot of frustration — especially in the first couple of weeks.
And I know that.
And I wanted that.
I strive for it.

I encourage people to become that way — for the sake of growth.

🤔 Looking Back with Understanding

And I think at this point in your life, you probably — hopefully — understand why I did that.

And like I always say:

“It’s not about your education…
it’s about my entertainment.”

So — and I appreciate that you’re here.
You’re here — and our entertainment.

🏆 A Little Tease for What’s Next

Speaking of entertainment…
The next person — I’m not going to mention any names yet —
but has a new world record when it comes to an exam.

I can’t say exactly what that is…
because this is being recorded —
and I’m not going to wink.

☕ Consistent, Committed, and Caffeinated

Completely, completely dedicated — every day — 8:00 a.m.
Mainly because she wanted the coffee… but nonetheless, here at 8:00 and always stayed.
Never complained — except when we were out of coffee. But that’s okay. I understand.
It’s been an honor and a privilege to have you here.
Without you, this program would have felt diminished.
So, come on up here, Patricia.
[Applause]

🌱 A Commitment to Growth

Here you go.
Yes, ’cause I’m trying to learn. I’m trying to rectify myself for 2025.
Everything that I feel scared to do… the things I don’t want to do — those are the things that are going to mold me into a better person.
They’ll help me build a better life — for myself, for whoever is in my family and friends — especially my mom.
She’s a very big motivator.

🙏 A Moment of Gratitude

And I just want to thank God.
Because it’s a lot — y’all don’t know. But I’m standing here today, and I’m proud of myself.
Right?
“That’s what this is.”
Me too.

💛 Appreciation for Support

Cliff — I thank you.
I appreciate you for supporting me when I didn’t even believe in myself.
For all you went through and advanced so you could get your money — I thank you.
And I thank everybody.
Thank you so much for all coming out. And… I just thank everybody.

[Applause]
It’s my head.

It wasn’t easy getting Patricia here. I know she struggled between this program and some other programs in the past, but I’m so glad you decided to come here — and I know that good things are going to happen to you. I know that.

So with that said, thank you very much.
And it’s not over — we’re still going to work together, okay?

We’re going to get everything done. And it’s like that — it’s a commitment from everybody, for everybody.

We’re still here. We’re not going anywhere.

So if you need anything — need any assistance — Andrew, Robert, Chris, myself… we’re here.

Now, the next individual — even though he is going to be moving somewhere far away — the level of dedication on his part…

I know he’s very committed to what’s going on, to his life, to his family.

It has been an honor watching you grow.
So, let’s see his video.

[Music]

🙋‍♂️ Called to the Front

Long ago, somebody said, “You—you’ve never said my name.”

Well, that may be true… so I don’t want to break that record.
So come on. No, Marsh — come on up.

Thank you so much.
Did I say it right?
“Yes!”
Yeah… not really.

🙌 Gratitude & Reflection

I don’t feel too bad, because I’m not the only one that didn’t really plan anything.
There’s a lot of people! I thought it was going to be a little thing, but it’s been… it’s been good.

I mean, I can’t even begin to find a couple words to express my gratitude.

It’s a reminder to me that time is precious —
because I remember the three months before I started this course, I was excited.
I was buying stuff. I was watching videos.
I was telling my mom, “I’m going to be the best!”

And then the whole thing just came and passed.
It’s just a reminder for me that everything in this life is only for a time… and a season.

🔧 HVAC Metaphors for the Team

Danny pretty much is the compressor —
he pumps, and it travels through the lines.

Andrew — you’re the restrictor.
And you’ve got rubber. You make sure it absorbs what it needs and releases it back to the system.

Chris? Safe to say — you’re the filter dryer.

🙏 Family, Faith, and Purpose

I’m probably the only one that doesn’t have a family member here.
My mom, dad, and sister — they’d love to be here, but it’s too far to drive.

So, I’ve got my heavenly visitors — they’re here.
You can’t see them, but they’re with me.

And I just want to lift up my heavenly Father. It’s all about God.

I could break down and share my testimony — my journey here — but it would take too long.
And I don’t want to take up everybody’s time.

🌟 Miss Lane — The Connector

They say for every good man, there’s a woman behind him —
and I didn’t forget.

The line that connects all the parts — that’s Miss Lane.
She doesn’t come out much, but she’s the one who keeps everything going.

💬 Heartfelt Thanks to the Instructors

I want to thank Danny for your goodness, your wisdom, and your sympathy.

I always try to link everything in a spiritual way…
and when I look at David, he kind of plays the role of Christ in some ways.

He goes above and beyond.

If you fail — it’s because you didn’t want to pass.
He makes it so easy. It’s amazing.

Andrew — everybody remembers Andrew.
If I’m a heat pump, he’s the one always going over things.

Sometimes it’s like, “Okay, it’s the same thing,” but we kind of got it — and kind of didn’t.

You can see in his eyes when he teaches —
he’s not just saying things. He really wants you to get it.
That’s what earned my respect for that young man.

Robert — I could always go off to the side and say,
“Hey Robert…”
Pick his brain a little bit.

That’s when you get the precious gems.
In class, it’s like, “Figure it out.”

But when you talk one-on-one — wow, he goes deep.

Chris — a phenomenal individual.

He doesn’t know everything — but what he knows, he executes well.
And he seeks out others who know more to make sure we get what we need.

👥 Classmates & Final Blessing

As for my classmates — you’ve been a real blessing.

Each of you brought something different.
Salt, pepper… all the ingredients that make a good meal.

You guys are phenomenal.

I learned a lot from each of you.

And I pray that from this point on, we go out there and be dangerous.
Andrew always says, “You’re not going to be dangerous…”

But we will be dangerous — as it relates to HVAC.

So I pray that God blesses you all, and your families —
that you go out and accomplish the purpose you were created for.

Let this be a stepping stone —
so you’ll be someone good to talk about in society.

Thank you all so much.
God bless you.
[Applause]

This individual — as I will say with all of them — had moments of distraction, but that’s okay.

Because family comes first.

As we know, family always comes first — no matter what, no matter who.

So yes, there were some distractions.
But beyond those, this individual stayed focused on his career path.
He stayed focused on what he wanted to do — and what he still wants to do — for a living.

He’s committed to making a change in his life that will affect not just him,
but his family as well… and his community.

So let’s take a look at this video.

It has been a pleasure getting to know Daniel — as well as all of them, everybody.

And I thank you, Danny, for being open, honest, and being yourself in everything that you do.

So, I would like to ask you to come up here, accept this certificate of completion from us, and say a couple of words.

All right.
[Applause]
“Like that — put me on the spot.”

I was open.

Well, first of all, I want to thank everybody — Danny, Elaine — this guy right here. He’s something else.

I learned a lot from him, though.
You know, attitude-wise… like I told my dad outside, this guy is like an encyclopedia.

So, thank you, Andrew. I appreciate you very much.
And I’ll never want you to be any different than how you were in the class. You hit it right on the nail.

I really enjoyed being here with everyone — all of my classmates.
You guys rock.

I learned a lot from you all as well.
You were very helpful, and I appreciate you guys.

God is good.
That’s right — amen.

Final Call for Remarks

Anything you want to say? Anybody else?

If not — last chance!

If no one else wants to speak… then I guess it’s time to eat.

All right.