Mark Baker, a Buckeye Community Hope Foundation Compliance Representative, recently served as a guest speaker at Riverscape Career Tech High School’s graduation ceremony. In a heartfelt commencement address, Baker delivered a message rooted in resilience, grit, and transformation – encouraging students to find strength and purpose even in the most challenging circumstances.
Reflecting on his own life, Baker shared a deeply personal story from his childhood.
“I shared a story about when I was a kid growing up in Arlington Courts (projects). On a hot, humid summer day, I watched a man get shot in my neighbor’s yard and fall face down in the mud (in my yard). I silently vowed that I would never live in the mud,” Baker told the graduates. “And I realized that if I wanted to live a good life and secure my future, I had to learn to ‘get it out the mud.’”
Instead of allowing that traumatic experience to define him negatively, Baker used it as a source of motivation. He urged students not to run from their own “mud moments”, those difficult, painful, or uncertain experiences, but to embrace them as opportunities for growth.
“I could have spent the night listing my accomplishments,” he said. “But this night was about the mud. Don’t be ashamed of where you come from. Use it. Own it. Grow from it.”
Baker’s speech centered on the lessons that adversity teaches:
- Mud teaches us how to grind.
- Mud teaches us how to believe in ourselves when nobody else does.
- Mud makes us resilient.
He concluded with a challenge to the graduates:
“When life is life-ing… get it out the mud.
When haters are hating… get it out the mud.
When it seems impossible… get it out the mud.
When no one believes in you… get it out the mud.”
Baker also reflected on a deeper symbolism behind the word “mud.” While the dictionary definition fell short, he found significance in what mud represents: the emotional and environmental layers that shape a person’s identity and beliefs. In this way, “mud” becomes more than just a metaphor, it becomes a foundation for greatness.
“I pray this inspires and encourages you,” Baker concluded. “Go be great – because great things come from the mud.”