欧巴马总统通过乔普林新提出的口号 “牢记、振作、重建”，敦促学生们以“豪迈的气概和力量以及对他人的承诺”应对生活的挑战。

欧巴马总统说，一年前，一场龙卷风袭击了密苏里州（Missouri）的乔普林（Joplin），导致161人死亡，当地几乎被夷为平地，但乔普林的居民们没有被降临到他们身上的灾难吓倒，展现了战胜灾难的豪迈精神。

5月21日，欧巴马总统对乔普林高中（Joplin High School）应届毕业生发表讲话，赞扬学生们不屈不挠的精神和他们的勇气，同时谈到在龙卷风袭击后有“将近5万人来到当地施以援手”。

欧巴马总统说：“其中有一个人千里迢迢从日本来到这里，因为他记得美国人在去年海啸袭击日本后奔赴日本帮助他的祖国，他说，‘他希望利用这个机会给予回报’。”

欧巴马总统说：“你们记得邻近市镇捐助了学校用品，但你们或许也记得阿拉伯联合酋长国（United Arab Emirates）送来的崭新的手提电脑—来自世界另一端的一个小国。”

欧巴马总统通过乔普林新提出的口号 “牢记、振作、重建”，鼓励学生们以“豪迈的气概和力量以及对他人的承诺”应对生活的挑战。鼓励

“就像那位从遥远的日本来到乔普林的人那样，确保在你自己的一生中给于回报。”

图为欧巴马总统在毕业典礼前与学生们合影。

In his May 21 address to graduating seniors at Missouri's Joplin High School, a year after a tornado devastated the town, President Obama hailed the students' resilience — and urged them to meet life's challenges with "grace and strength and a commitment to others."

One year after a tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 people and virtually destroying the town, Joplin’s residents are defining themselves not by the disaster that befell them, but by how they responded, says President Obama.

Speaking May 21 to graduating seniors from Joplin High School, Obama hailed the students’ resilience and courage, while recalling that “nearly 50,000 [people] came in to help” after the tornado.

“One man traveled all the way from Japan, because he remembered that Americans were there for his country after last year’s tsunami, and he wanted the chance, he said, ‘to pay it forward,’” Obama said.

“You’ll remember the school supplies donated by your neighboring towns, but maybe you’ll also remember the brand-new laptops that were sent from the United Arab Emirates — a tiny country on the other side of the world,” he said.

Citing Joplin’s new slogan, “Remember, rejoice and rebuild,” he urged students to meet challenges with “grace and strength and a commitment to others.”

“And like that man who came all the way from Japan to Joplin, make sure in your own life that you pay it forward.”

Before the graduation ceremony, the president posed for photos with students, as seen here.