Kirk Touts Education in Face of Growing Global Environment

United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk spoke of the importance of education in the face of the “most globally integrated environment” in history when he met with students at T.C. Williams High School on Wednesday afternoon.

Kirk, who recently returned from a trip to South America with President Obama, said the U.S. must “out-educate the world” in order to compete with growing countries like China, India and Russia.

“One of the most important things we can do is make sure we are producing the best and the brightest,” Kirk said.

Kirk said he believes the growing global nature of business will place many current American students overseas once they join the workforce. He urged students to learn a second and a third language in order to place themselves higher when competing for jobs with poly-lingual candidates from other countries.

“You’re going to see 3 or 4 billion competitors in the space that used to be just the U.S. and the nations of the European Union,” Kirk said. “Learning a language will make you stronger and enrich your lives.”

Kirk spoke of the ease of learning new languages online through programs like Rosetta Stone, something he has done himself.

Along with the importance of education, Kirk urged students to get a passport. He said it’s important to see the world from a different perspective and to realize “how blessed we are” in the U.S.

“In one generation, we’ve seen a lot of change,” he said. “I’ve gone from living in segregated Texas to serving in the cabinet of the first African-American president.”

At the end of his talk, students from AP Government and Economics classes got the chance to ask Kirk questions, touching on everything from the status of trade agreements to his confirmation process.

Kirk touted the anti-counterfeiting agreement with South Korea and his hopes to curb software piracy in China, something he said is costing U.S. businesses millions of dollars.

The focus, however, was on the underlying theme for forecasting the future of the global economy. Between a few friendly jabs at the Washington Redskins, the former Mayor of Dallas and intense Cowboys fan hoped his message would position students for a bright future.

“Stay in school, invest in yourself and learn another language,” Kirk said.