A Navy admiral joined graduating seniors, family, friends, faculty, and staff for the 10th annual graduation ceremony of Chicago's Hyman G. Rickover Naval Academy on June 12.

Rear Adm. Matthew A. Zirkle, director, Navy Reserve Innovation Branch, N095, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, joined in this year's celebration as the event's commencement speaker.

"Over the years, we've been privileged to have senior naval leaders, both Navy and Marine Corps, provide our graduating seniors with inspirational words of encouragement and motivation as they move to the next stage in their life," said Cmdr. Mike Tooker, commandant of Rickover Naval Academy.

Tooker continued, "Rear Adm. Zirkle reinforced the importance of the core values of honor, courage, and commitment we instill in each cadet. Interestingly, he added the trait of perseverance. Additionally, he implored our graduates to put others before themselves-be a servant leader, and the importance of family. It is our hope and expectation that our graduates remember this wisdom and continually demonstrate the values we taught them."

In front of an assembled audience of over 1,000 well-wishers, Zirkle praised graduates for their collective and individual achievements. This year's graduating class is the largest in the school's 13 year history with 164 graduates.

Rickover Naval Academy continues to boast 100 percent acceptance to college, and graduates earned approximately $15 million dollars in college scholarships. Of special note, Cadet Zainab Akanni earned a prestigious Posse Scholarship, valued at over $1.2 million dollars.

Twelve cadets have decided to continue wearing a military uniform and will enlist in the Armed Forces: five in the U.S. Navy, two in the U.S. Marine Corps, one in the U.S. Army, and four in the Illinois National Guard. While only 7 percent of the graduating cadets have decided to serve in uniform, 100 percent of cadets have been inculcated with the Navy's core values.

"As you know, the Navy, Marine Corps, and Rickover Naval Academy all share the same three core values: Honor, Courage, and Commitment," said Zirkle. He then suggested an additional value-perseverance.

"There will be many obstacles in front of you as you head off to college or the world of work," said Zirkle. Some of these obstacles might seem insurmountable, however in the immortal last words of Capt. James Lawrence as he lay dying on the deck of the USS Chesapeake, "Don't give up the ship!"

For Zirkle, "You must persevere during what is a most challenging time in our nation's history. And even though this might prove to be a most difficult task, 'Don't give up the ship!'" As he said these words Zirkle walked out from behind the lectern and unfurled a large flag emblazoned with the words "Don't give up the ship" and presented it to Cmdr. Tooker.

Zirkle next connected the Rickover Naval Academy's motto, "Learning to Lead, in Order to Serve" with the idea of servant leadership and asked the cadets to put others before themselves. "Take care of your friends, colleagues and subordinates, and they will be sure to take care of you," said Zirkle.

The final theme Zirkle conveyed to the assembled cadets was the importance of family.

"Graduating from Rickover Naval Academy is an important step as you grow into adulthood. In the coming years, you will increasingly obtain independence," said Zirkle. "However, I implore you, based on my few years as an adult, to keep listening to your mom, dad, grandparent, guardian or an instructor at Rickover."

"This group is your family! Keep close ties with your family," Zirkle continued. "No doubt that your family helped you greatly with today's milestone. I know that my mom and dad were there with me on so many of these occasions-graduations, earning my Eagle Scout badge, my commissioning as an Ensign in the United States Navy."

This year's class valedictorian, Cadet Cmdr. Devin Thomas channeled the wisdom of popular author Malcolm Gladwell by introducing the idea of why it is better to be a big fish in a little pond then it is to be little fish in a big pond to the graduating class.

Thomas implored her fellow classmates to remember why they decided to attend Rickover Naval Academy. For Thomas, "I knew attending Rickover I would gain leadership skills no other school could offer. I participated in Sisters Under Sail, I became chief of operations for the battalion of cadets, helped plan senior events, played varsity softball, and received personalized attention from my teachers."

While Rickover is not the biggest pond in Chicago Public Schools it's a small pond "where we weren't lost in the crowd. It's a place where we could be successful and challenged at the same time," said Thomas.

"In life, everyone has potential," said Thomas. "But to develop that potential to do great things you need to find a place or home for yourself. You need to find a place you love and is nurturing and it's the right fit for you."

Rickover Naval Academy is the small pond that literally develops small fish into big ones.

During his time in Chicago Zirkle was also invited to the Pritzker Military Museum and Library as a special guest on their hour long televised program Pritzker Military Presents to discuss a range of topics from his 33 year naval career, leadership, and the status of Navy, especially the Navy Reserve.

"Engaging and connecting with the cadets of Rickover Naval Academy is critically important. The diversity and talent within this school is extraordinary. The return on investment the Navy makes in a program like this is incalculable," said Zirkle.

"Lastly, I want to thank John Schwan, and the team at Pritzker Military Museum and Library, for their commitment to capturing the stories of our military members-active-duty, reserve, and veterans-for posterity, said Zirkle. "The importance of these stories for breaking down the barriers and understanding between the military and civilians is vitally important to the functioning of our republic."

The mission of the Rickover Naval Academy is to empower cadets to meet and exceed academic standards through a challenging and engaging curriculum that promotes programs to prepare cadets for post-secondary education and/or independent living. Rickover Academy provides meaningful leadership training, experiences and activities to serve as a foundation for lifetime of success. The military component is woven into the entire curriculum to motivate young people to become better scholars, leaders, and citizens.