I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. Some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could have stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning. But I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year. Every single one of you has something that you're good at. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide. Maybe you could be a great writer, but you might not know it until you write that English paper that's assigned to you. Maybe you could be an inventor, but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class. I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork. But the circumstances of your life---what you look like, where you come form, how much money you have---none of these is an excuses for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. I know that sometimes you get that sense form TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work---that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. Chances are you're not going to be any of those things. The truth is, being successful is hard. You won't lose every subject that you study. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed in everything the first time you try. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who have had the most failure. J. K. Rowling's first Harry potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
To tell students to be successful is hard. To inspire students to have a proper attitude to education. To ask students to do their projects for science class. To encourage students to become a reality TV star.