Panama chief: Love your job

FAYETTEVILLE - The president of Panama told University of Arkansas graduates Saturday to do what they love, embrace life and don’t wait for the good things it can bring.

“Don’t do something just for the money,” said President Ricardo Martinelli. “Make sure you absolutely love it. … Don’t be afraid of time, and don’t waste it. Patience is not a virtue. Don’t leave the bestfor last.”

Martinelli, a 1973 UA graduate, was speaking at the All University Commencement ceremony in Bud Walton Arena. A total of 633 students, all receiving graduate degrees, were registered to walk in that ceremony, said Steve Voorhies, a UA spokesman.

UA expects to have its largest graduating class in history this spring - 3,700 students, which is about 1,000 more than last year, according to a UA news release. The final number won’t be known until June after final exams and papers are graded.

UA has eight spring commencement ceremonies - seven at different UA colleges throughout the day Saturday and one at the law school that is scheduled for Saturday.

G. David Gearhart, chancellor of the Fayetteville campus, said about 5,600 students will receive degrees this academic year.

Gearhart introduced Martinelli on Saturday as the first UA alumnus to become a head of state.

“He credits the business skills and business ethics he learned as a student at the University of Arkansas as the best preparation he received to become both a business leader and political leader in Panama,” said Gearhart.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the UA in 1973, Martinelli earned amaster’s degree from the Central American Institute of Business Administration in Costa Rica.

Martinelli returned to Panama and joined Super 99, a “small company” that he built into “Panama’s leading supermarket chain,” the chancellor said.

“The 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama to arrest military strongman Manuel Noriega led to weeks of rioting throughout the country,” said Gearhart. “Many Super 99 stores were heavily damaged, and the company faced bankruptcy. Martinelli, who now owned the company, spent five years rebuilding Super 99 to its dominant place in Panama business.”

Gearhart said Martinelli, who was elected president in 2009, oversaw the transfer of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama in 1999 when he was ministerfor canal affairs.

Gearhart said Martinelli “often joked that he considers himself to be Arkansas’ ambassador to the world.”

Martinelli told the students that there will always be problems, “but that is what makes life interesting after all.”

“Don’t be afraid of failure,” he said. “Life is too short. Embrace every moment. … In the end, nobody will remember your face, but they will always remember your successes.”

Martinelli told the students to follow their passion.

“Do what you love doing,” he said. “The only way to succeed is to work hard and passionately. And to work passionately, you have to love what you do. If you love what you do, you won’t be intimidated by the risk of failure.”

Of life, Martinelli said,“Love it and it will love you back.”

Martinelli and Lee Bodenhamer received honorary degrees during the ceremony Saturday morning.

Originally from El Dorado, Bodenhamer received a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1957 and a master’s degree in finance in 1961, both from the UA. He earned a doctorate in 1968 from Harvard Business School, where he later served on the faculty.

Bodenhamer founded First Variable Life Insurance Co. of Little Rock in 1968 and served as president until he sold the company in 1985.

Graduating senior Bethany “Claire” Chesshir of Little Rock delivered the commencement address for the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. She’s an Honors College Fellow with a double major in psychology and biology.

Chesshir spoke of “growth,” concentrating on the different definitions and how they apply to academic growth for UA students.

Chesshir said the Fulbright Honors College helped her grow through international travel.

“I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study abroad twice,” she told the crowd at that commencement, which was held at 1 p.m. Saturday in Bud Walton Arena. “I would encourage everyone to take advantage of the ways you can grow through travel.”

Caitlin and Kelly Lamb, identical twin sisters from Kansas City, Mo., both graduated Saturday. Both had 4.0 grade-point averages and the same majors, economics and political science.

Caitlin Lamb attributedtheir success to a “natural sibling rivalry.” It began with ballet classes when the girls were 4-year-olds.

“We’re pretty motivated, but I think a lot of our motivation has to do with how competitive we were growing up,” she said.

Caitlin Lamb said she wants to get a job with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as an immigration specialist officer in Kansas City and go to law school later. Kelly Lamb has an interview with Macy’s in New York City for an assistant-buyer position.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 17 on 05/12/2013

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