Dear Friends, Neighbors, and citizens of Fairfax:

Last Saturday, I gave the Commencement address at the graduation of a local business college.

The ceremony, held at Oakton High School, honored 400 students who had completed their studies in Computer Science, Business Marketing and other fields.  These students are nearly all immigrants to Virginia.  Their names and backgrounds are a living atlas, with a lean towards Africa and South Asia.

Alas, the Graduation was the same time as the U.S.-Ghana World Cup match.  While waiting for the ceremony to begin, I spied a grad watching the game on his I-Phone.  I hustled over.   He was from Ivory Coast and receiving a degree in computer systems.  His brother, a U.S. citizen, was a systems engineer living in Alexandria. 

Together we watched a soccer match (no, I don't call it "football") on a small computer made in China.  With that experience in my head, I gave my Graduation address -- "How Life Imitates the World Cup" -- on finding success in sports and in life: 

1.  Deal with bad breaks.  There are certain outrageous moments in the World Cup.  Calls made, calls missed.  Arbitrary results.  But life is like that.  The word "fairness" is not written in the U.S. or Virginia Constitutions.  We are given the circumstances of our lives and the obligation to do the best we can. 

2.  Play as a team.  The teams with great individual players (France, England, Italy) lost early in the tournament.  Why?  They didn't play together.  Other teams with modest talent (Uruguay) moved forward.  They subordinated their skills to a team result.  Stand for something larger than your own self-interest.  If you can do that, then you'll usually win. 

3.  Arrive Prepared.  Certain teams came ready to win.  And they did.  It's not enough to play hard - everyone does.  You have to be prepared to win, mentally and physically. The same principle applies to selling cars or practicing medicine or trying cases. 

4.  Play the whole game.  The U.S. soccer team played well in every match.  But too often they allowed an early score to put them behind.  You can't take time off.  You must play the whole game.  When you lose your focus, even one moment, you lose control of your destiny.

These were the themes I used on Saturday.  It's always an honor to speak to young people who are investing in their own education, especially those new to the United States. 

Their success represents the beautiful mosaic of Fairfax County.  Just like our own World Cup. 

JCP Notes.  Thanks to everyone who made "Young Lawyers" a great success.  Our photos are here.  We had over 150 people, including Redskin great Lavar Arrington, to sample the buffet and grab a "Chap Is My Advocate" coffee mug.  We raised over $50,000 for my re-election, which is a great head start on 2011.   

If you made a pledge (or wanted to donate), please note that we have deadline on June 30th.  You can donate online here or mail a check to PO Box 1066, Fairfax VA 22038 so we can count it for this quarter.  Many thanks.

I hope to see everyone at the Fairfax City parade or the Town of Vienna events for July 4.  We will be out all day on the Fourth (which is actually celebrated July 3rd this year).  I will also be door-knocking in Colvin and Sunrise precincts over the next few months.  If you see me, please give me water.

In the meantime, please feel free to contact us at kathy@fairfaxsenator.com or (703) 349-3361 with your issues, questions or suggestions.

Let us know how we can represent you better.

Sincerely,

Chap Petersen