HIA President Reminds Grads to Pay it Forward

Terri Alessi-Miceli, president of the Hauppauge Industrial Association, reminded Hauppauge High School graduates Friday, that their success will be measured not just by what they have achieved, but by what they have done for others, in her commencement speech to the class of 2013.

Alessi-Miceli is a 1979 graduate of Hauppauge High School and now leads the support base behind 1,300 companies in the Hauppauge Industrial Park, the second-largest industrial area in the nation. She is one of the most recognized voices for Long Island business and a driving force behind the area's economic growth.

While her role as a business leader puts her at the forefront of Long Island's development, she said her work in giving back to the community is what is most important.

When the business leader learned that 300,000 Long Islanders, including 110,000, children go hungry every day, she decided to start a food drive within the HIA-LI. that food drive became the second largest on Long Island, behind the U.S. Postal Service's.

In her commencement speech, she reminded Hauppauge's graduates to "pay it forward" and to have a passion for their work.

"Pay it back. Look at this world and leave it a more interesting place," she said.

Click on the video above to watch the full speech.