I am very proud to be able to attend my first commencement ceremony at Bermuda College and I hope everyone on the island joins with me to congratulate all the students as they embark on the next steps into their futures.

It is a special time to celebrate. I know that most of the students will have encountered, and overcome, many challenges on their road to this ceremony, so it is important to acknowledge the day and celebrate with them.

However, it is not just a time to recognise the students. We must also applaud the families, the whole village, which has helped them get to this stage.

Education is the single most important thing for upward mobility. More people are able to pull themselves up through education than any other thing; it is also proven that those with a good education earn more.

It does not have to be formal liberal arts academic education, either. The different types of vocational education that we offer at the college are equally as valuable.

Artificial intelligence is going to change the way we do so many things, but AI is not going to fix your plumbing or jack up the car to replace a wheel.

I have been the president of Bermuda College for approximately eight months, and a new strategic plan is being drafted that will build on the institution’s excellent foundations.

We asked for public feedback, and that has been invaluable in helping shape the college’s next steps.

What I have seen in the time that I have been on the island is how underappreciated the college is and the incredibly important role it plays in transfer and vocational educational programmes that further the lives of so many Bermudians.

Our alumni, who we recently honoured at a gala celebrating the college’s 50th anniversary, are leaders in their fields, leaders in the community and in government.

The college is also accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education. This is the same organisation that accredits institutions such as Harvard, MIT and Brown University.

They are not going to accredit us unless we come up to their incredibly high standards, the same standards that apply to those world-class institutions.

That is something that this community has to be proud of — that it has an institution that is being held to the highest standard out there. It is testament to our employees that we meet those standards.

It is why I say that the college is underappreciated. It is an extremely viable option for Bermudians, and with the 40 overseas partnerships we have, we can set students up for high-level education. We have people who have come through the college who have gone on to become Rhodes Scholars.

What else shows that there is quality in this institution? You have professors who engage students and who love what they do. That is another thing that is underappreciated — the breadth and depth of the teaching, whether academic or vocational.

I am not bashful, and I talk about the college at every opportunity because it is a jewel that is not being appreciated at the level that it should be.

Commencement, therefore, is a time when we show off that jewel and celebrate the students and the whole village that has helped them. I used to say that commencement for a college was the equivalent of the World Series, the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals; it is that significant, for the students and the college.

If you hear a commotion from the college grounds on Thursday, you will know why. I ask that if you do hear it, to stop and quietly congratulate those who are destined to become our future leaders.

• David Sam, PhD is president of the Bermuda College