8．
Now, I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have 41 in your lives right now that can make it hard to 42 on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what it’s like. My father 43 my family when I was two years old, and I was 44 by a single mom who had to work and who struggled 45 to pay the bills(账单) and wasn’t always 46 to give me the things that other kids had. There were times when I 47 having a father in my life. There were times when I was 48 and I felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I’m not 49 of, and I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have 50 taken a turn for the worse. But I was 51 , I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my 52 .
Some of you might not have those 53 . Maybe you don’t have adults(成年人) in your life who give you the 54 that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost his or her job and there’s not enough money to 55 the daily expense(费用). Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are 56 you to do things that you know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, 57 the circumstances(环境) of your life are, 58 of those is an excuse for ignoring(忽视) your homework or having a bad 59 in school. That’s no excuse for talking back(顶嘴) to your 60 , or dropping out of school. There’s no excuse for not trying.