00:00Now it is my honor to introduce a community member who has literally reached for the stars.
00:06Her father immigrated from India, her mother from Slovakia. She attended the U.S. Naval Academy
00:12before becoming a naval aviator and a record-setting NASA astronaut.
00:17Her message comes to us by video because she is currently at the International Space Station
00:23where she is conducting science experiments and managing the station's day-to-day operations
00:31while flying at 17,500 miles per hour, also known as five miles per second.
00:39And by the way, she knows a little something about light because she observes 16 sunrises
00:45and sunsets each day. Ladies and gentlemen, Sunita Williams.
00:50Greetings from the International Space Station. I'm NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and I want
00:58to extend my warmest wishes for a happy Diwali to everyone celebrating the Festival of Lights today
01:04at the White House and around the world. This year, I have the unique opportunity to celebrate
01:10Diwali from 260 miles above the Earth on the ISS. On this day, I specifically think about my father
01:19who immigrated to the U.S. from India. He kept and shared his cultural roots by teaching us about
01:25Diwali and other Indian festivals. Diwali is a time of joy as goodness in the world prevails.
01:33I am so thankful to have grown up in a multicultural household where our parents
01:37encouraged us to seek opportunities and reach for the stars. Thank you to the president and
01:43the vice president for celebrating Diwali with our community today and for recognizing
01:50the many contributions of our community.
01:53Oh
02:12It is about tradition. It is about culture. It is about an age-old concept that transcends
02:19cultures and communities. To consider the duality of
02:24life, the balance between darkness and light. To celebrate the light
02:32elevating us out of the darkness.
03:19Oh
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