On Saturday, Grybauskaitė was presented with her Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from the US university for "political leadership, truth, transparency and responsibility."
In her acceptance speech, the president said that Georgetown, where she studied 21 years ago, shortly after Lithuania regained independence from the Soviet Union, marked an important milestone in her life.
"Traveling from the newly independent Lithuania, still via Moscow, and still unsure whether they will let us go. While studying here, I experienced real freedom, which meant open and friendly people, vibrant academic life, and social activity," she said.
Grybauskaitė said that it had been in 1991-1992 that she learned two important things, "First, difficulties make us stronger. And second, responsibility is not a burden."
"First, avoid Easy, embrace Difficult. My generation was destined to be born under occupation, but blessed with an opportunity to live in the times of change. We did not simply witness change, we lived the change, we were the change. And we still are. Lithuania was at the forefront, breaking down the Soviet empire. We were the first to declare independence, the first to suffer harsh consequences - human casualties and economic blockade. We were learning by doing: how to build a country, how to make it function well. Having gone through all this, we are stronger now," she said.
Grybauskaitė underlined that Lithuanians were a creative, dynamic, and determined people, not afraid to face challenges and changes.
"Next time you edit pictures on your Apple device using Pixelmator, please know that the program was developed by Lithuanians. If you want to have the fastest internet in Europe, come to Lithuania. Or if you saw Michael Phelps overtaken by someone in the swimming pool, it could have been our teenage prodigy Rūta Meilutytė, a 16 year-old Olympic gold medalist," he president said.
"Creativity, dynamism and determination are in the Lithuanian DNA. So do not shy away from challenges that will come your way. They are the wave you have to ride in order not to stay behind. Yes, it requires courage and strength, but it brings that joyful moment of 'We did it!' It brings you and your country a tiny step forward," she said.
The president noted that Europe, including Lithuania, was facing economic and financial challenges.
"Tough lessons throughout history have made us stronger, enabling to go through the economic crises which hit Lithuania once in 1998, and then in 2009. Now my country is among the fastest growing economies in Europe. But to achieve this, the Lithuanian government had to take unpopular, but necessary decisions to consolidate finances," she said.
Georgetown University is the oldest school of international affairs in the US and the largest university of international studies in the world. Grybauskaitė studied at the university in 1992.
