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Graduation Speech During Pandemic: ‘To Forgive and Be for Giving’

Testimonials

Aleksandra Shcherbakova

Master of Management

“I have met some truly impressive talents and kind personalities among our lecturers."

Angelica Balajadia

“I have found my people here, I have networked here. I am open to doors opening and so many doors are opening already."

Wiranpatchara (Sandy) Wongchanapai

Master of International Business

"Whilst studying at ICMS, I was able to have a strong work/study life balance".

Cameron Colvin

Bachelor of Business (Marketing)

"My work experience boosted my confidence and allowed me to apply theoretical knowledge in practical settings."

Taylor McLeod

Bachelor of Business (Sports Management)

“The small, intimate environment in my lectures makes me feel like I am being heard and that I am getting the most out of my studies."

Julie Williams

Bachelor of Business (Fashion and Global Brand Management)

"I chose ICMS because they have provided me with the opportunity to kickstart my career through their many industry partners".

Keegan Du Preez

Bachelor of Business Management (Accounting)

"ICMS is realistic. They understand the realistic expectations of various markets. It’s not just textbook knowledge, especially compared to every other competitor".

Michaela Mayes

"ICMS' Work Integrated Learning gave me the ability to gain real life experience before I even graduated".

Alana Williams

Bachelor of Business (Accounting)

“I worked full time whilst studying, with ICMS allowing for such a great work to study ratio and balance, where I was flexibly allowed to do both.”

Juliette Wilson

"I think the biggest thing is that you get a personalised experience, and you’ll be treated like a person, not a number".

Calum McKnight

“Very quickly, ICMS gave me a circle of friends who are pretty driven – but who also like to have fun – and when I see where they are now it’s pretty exciting and it drives me further.”

Ewan Metcalfe

"Through being at this college and the geographical location, it always reminded me to stay grounded, keep working hard to further improve my life and stay happy".

April 22, 2021

A good graduation speech should have two objectives: be memorable, and leave your audience with two or three takeaways.  At the April 2021 ICMS graduation ceremony  Dyan Suaco’s  speech did just that. The petite Filipino graduate stood before the Class of 2021, Board Members and Faculty – as well as over 7000 online viewers – and made them laugh – then cry – as she shared her moving and deeply personal story.

Not only was it a memorable speech but Dyan gave the audience an “important insight into the resilience of international students and the sacrifices that achieving one’s goals can sometimes demand,” according to ICMS CEO Rowan Courtney O’Connor.

Beginning her ICMS journey in 2018, Dyan made the move from her home country of the Philippines to the ‘Castle on the Hill’ in Manly. She has notched up an extensive list of successes during her time at ICMS, including receiving a Postgraduate Innovation Scholarship , becoming the 2018 Student Representative Council (SRC) Vice President, and working as a volunteer Student Experience Associate.

She has made such a good impression at ICMS that in February 2021, she was offered a staff member position in the City Campus as a Student Engagement and Administration Officer.

Dyan’s graduation speech titled ‘To forgive and be for giving – a graduation amidst the global pandemic’ has touched the hearts of fellow graduates, community and staff members here at ICMS. In the speech, Dyan explained her transfer from the Philippines to Australia, her adjustments during COVID-19 as well as the struggles she faced whilst studying, including those of the passing of her mother.

Three takeaways from Dyan’s Graduation Speech: ‘To Forgive and Be for Giving’

• When life is tough, it is important to forgive yourself if your path to achieving your goals is not a straight one. 
• Sacrifices may need to be made. Forgive yourself for making difficult decisions.
• Sometimes the best way to ‘give back’ is to keep working towards your goal.

We are extremely proud of Dyan and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

Please Watch and Read Dyan’s Graduation Speech Below:

WATCH DYAN’S SPEECH HERE

‘to forgive and be for giving a graduation amidst the global pandemic’, by dyan suaco.

“I would like to begin by recognising our parents, families, and loved ones, especially my mum and dad, who, may not be physically present with us, but who are, as always, cheering us on from the screens of the Great Hall or on their devices; our lecturers for imparting their wisdom – who have recently acquired the number 1 spot in the recent QILT survey across NSW; all faculty and staff whom I have witnessed first-hand display their resilience amidst these unprecedented times; Ann Whitelock Courtney O’Connor for spearheading the various scholarship opportunities; Rowan Courtney O’ Connor our CEO, and Daryl Courtney O’Connor our founder and chairman who have been ever-present in three graduation sessions throughout the day.

On behalf of the Graduates of 2021, thank you all for being our foundation and support system. And of course, to my fellow graduates, congratulations! We have finally reached the culmination of our postgraduate journey. The past months have certainly been tough and unforgiving but if there’s two things I can take away from everything, it is to forgive myself and be for giving towards others.

3 years ago, I was in this same chapel. Sitting and watching in awe for my orientation in what would be an extended stay in the International College of Management, Sydney . You see, I didn’t start my degree with this cohort. My first term was in February 2018, so I was expected to complete by November 2019. But as we’ve all experienced, nothing can ever be set in stone – heck, even Keeping up with the Kardashians reached a series finale.

My mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just before my 2nd term in ICMS. This began the gruelling episodes of doctor’s appointments, surgeries, pharmacy runs etc. etc. It was in this time that I was most thankful for the college which allowed me to take numerous leave of absences and eventually also submit my assessments offshore.

During the day, I would tend to my mum’s medical visits – taking down notes from the doctors and assisting with her chemo. After 9PM, I would work on my reports. And by 4AM, I would get ready for bed to then start the day again at around 7 or 8 in the morning. You see, the Philippines doesn’t have the best medical facilities or benefits in the world. That is one of the main reasons I decided to come here to Australia – that one day I can enjoy the advantages of a first world country. Funny enough, I got into a castle on a hill – like finally becoming a royal. I guess this is what Meghan Markle felt when she married Prince Harry.

As an international student, much like almost everyone in this room, we live within limited capacity. As much as we want to work and fund our education ourselves, we are constricted by legalities. Some have thus resorted to cash only jobs. While others have ultimately been extorted by their employers. We would do anything to make ends meet. I don’t know about you. But I distinctly remember picking up my first microwave from the streets here at Manly.

As an international student, I had to be away from my family to pursue my dreams. I had to leave my ill mum to finish my education. I had to persistently apply for a scholarship for me not be a financial burden. As an international student, I felt how unfortunate my country was. As an international student, I had to remain in this country.

Yet remaining in this country is the safe option. It has been a haven from the conditions around the world. Every day, thousands of cases of COVID-19 are in the headlines of the US, Brazil, India, France, Russia, South Africa, the Philippines. During my mum’s medical journey, I have witnessed how many Filipinos have had to wait in line just to get in a private room – some of whom have been on a wheelchair outside the hospital for 48 hours. Treatment was and still is not a right but a privilege.

Our experience with COVID was far different from this. I still remember that final day just before the shift to online classes at the halls of the City Campus. There were ongoing questions of, “how will this work?”, “will I be able to focus?”, and “are we getting a refund?” We’ve gone from classrooms to bedrooms, corporate clothes to pyjamas, and excursions to breakout rooms. There were times we would wake up 5 minutes before class, cook lunch while the lectures were ongoing, or here that faint sound, “this train is stopping at Strathfield” in the background of our Zoom classes.

We were in lockdown. Locked down from social events and work. Locked down from what could have been boundless opportunities. Locked down from the benefits of being a citizen of a country we live in. And a good number of us, chose to leave and return to our home countries.

We are graduating in the midst of a global pandemic.

As international student, now an international representative, I have a binary if not a multitude of perspectives of the situation around us.

My mum passed away just before the pandemic even began. There has not been a day that I have not forgotten saying goodbye at the airport or sitting by her bedside on the final days of her life. But I stand before all of you today because I try to remind myself that while the universe can be unforgiving, I have to learn to forgive myself. Because the ongoing trauma in my mind has moulded the desire for me to empathise with those who are still suffering, wailing, and hoping for change. Because as someone who had the privilege of earning a second degree through the immense support of this international college, I hope for the chance to change the globally divided system.

I am leaving this chapel with a new batch of ICMS graduates. We shall now officially step down from the hill towards a world far different to how we once perceived it. You and I have persisted amidst our own personal journeys and towards the greater and more perplex communal journey among us.

To the graduates of 2021 here before me and behind the screens, I have shared with you my story, our story, and the current conditions that span the world. May we all continue to conquer our battles be it within us and among us. And if the world has been and would certainly be unforgiving, may we all remember to forgive and be for giving .

Maraming Salamat po. Thank you very much”.

________________________________________

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Words of Inspiration from Two Dozen NYU Graduation Speeches

While continuing COVID-19 safety considerations kept us from gathering in person this spring to celebrate this year's grads in the traditional ways, virtual Commencement festivities took a variety of creative and moving forms, with many graduation ceremonies including heartfelt messsages to the Class of 2021 from prominent figures in NYU community and beyond. The All-Unversity Commencement boasted remarks from NYU Law's Deborah Archer, national president of the ACLU, as well as actor and alum Daniel Dae Kim, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and others, while school and cultural graduations featured everybody from Anthony Fauci , the face of the national pandemic response, to Adam Mosseri , the head of Instagram—along with our own impressive students and faculty. We've collected some of their words of wisdom below.

All-University Commencement

Deborah Archer, NYU Law Professor and ACLU President

"There is no problem in this world, no crisis, no injustice, that we cannot solve together. If history tells us anything, it is that the impossible is possible. Your accomplishments today are proof of that fact. There’s a saying in the Black community that we are our ancestors’ wildest dreams. And I believe that and I have felt that so many times. Each and every one of you should feel that powerfully today. You have achieved things that your ancestors would never have imagined. You are the dreams of those who have fought so that this world could be more free, so that I could be in this place and have the opportunity to serve. So that you could be in this place and have an opportunity to lead. YOU are proof that the impossible is possible."

College of Arts and Science

College of dentistry, gallatin school of individualized study, graduate school of arts and science, grossman school of medicine.

• Leonard N. Stern School of Business - Graduate
• Leonard N. Stern School of Business - Undergraduate

Liberal Studies

Nyu abu dhabi, nyu shanghai, robert f. wagner graduate school of public service, rory meyers college of nursing, school of global public health, school of law, school of professional studies, silver school of social work, steinhardt school of culture, education, and human development, tandon school of engineering, tisch school of the arts.

Cultural Graduations

APID/A Graduation

Black graduation, latine graduation, lavender graduation, native graduation.

Karen Silvera ('89), member, CAS Dean’s Advisory Council

"The expectations of what was possible, the answers you thought you had, or the advice that you thought was applicable is most likely no longer true. Instead, we the adults are now looking to you as the generation that will arrange the pieces to make things fit better. You will be the leaders of figuring out a better way of doing things."

Vera Tang (DDS '00), clinical assistant professor of periodontology and implant dentistry, NYU College of Dentistry

"Unexpected, unprecedented, unheard of—all of these have become habitual phrases over the last year as you have all navigated one of the hardest times in your life, both professionally and personally. As dentists, with every tool in place, every appointment scheduled, and every second of your day crunched for time between the clinic and home, I have found that it's the unexpected that gives our life purpose and direction."

Adam Mosseri (Gallatin '05), Head of Instagram

"Being encouraged and even forced to define my own path, not necessarily fall into a pre-existing category or story or narrative, I thought was really tough, actually, but really exciting and interesting when I was back in school and I brought that to all that I do and I encourage you to do the same."

Paul Mensah (M.S. '21)

"Take everything that you've learned, all of the skills you've that built upon and all the things that've you've learned about yourself and apply that in meaningful and effective way as you embark on any journey ahead of you."

Robert I. Grossman, MD, chief executive officer of NYU Langone Health and dean of NYU Grossman School of Medicine

"We are here today to celebrate your graduation as a student and the commencement of your medical career, a feat you accomplished under the duress of a pandemic, in a city that bore the brunt of the blitz, and at an institution that was strained beyond its capacity."

Leonard L. Stern School of Business (Graduate)

Roger W. Ferguson , Jr., President and CEO, TIAA (retired)

"Envision your career as more of a climbing wall than a ladder. Be a continuous learner, and embrace change and the opportunities that it brings."

Leonard L. Stern School of Business (Undergraduate)

"The key is to be clear about what you want but also be willing to put in the work to go out and get it."

"Times of great change accelerate trends, which in turn creates opportunities."

"Be honest with yourself, both in what you're good at and in what you love to do."

Fanny Yayi Bondje ('21)

"One thing that I've learned is that people who love you—truly care and want the best for you—don't love you in spite of your imperfections but through them."

Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s First Elected Female Head of State and Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

"As ambassadors of NYU Abu Dhabi, you have a duty to represent its commitment to inclusion, cohesion, and change. Therefore I urge you to set out to achieve the highest levels of your professions and to continue to distinguish yourselves as change-makers. Never settle for what the existing conditions around you may be knowing you can change it for the better."

Dr. Zhang Wenhong , infectious disease expert leading Shanghai’s response to COVID-19

"I believe that in the future, we will definitely encounter greater challenges of uncertainty. Cooperation and sacrifice are still our weapons to overcome all difficulties. The spirit of cooperation and teamwork cultivated by New York University Shanghai will become the fundamental power for you to overcome all difficulties in the future."

Israel Rocha Jr. (EMPA '18), Health CEO, Cook County, Illinois

"Today every day we see our community grow more divided. We use technology to talk at each other and not to each other….This approach has allowed technology algorithms to screen our news and shape our politics. My request to you: help us remember our humanity. Find ways to help us understand one another. Help us find the beauty in our differences. Help us listen and not react. Be the catalyst that leads to the disempowerment of fear and hate."

U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Underwood of Illinois

"My hope for you as you begin your careers is that the spirit of service that drew you into nursing will stay with you and will carry you through the hard days ahead – because as our nation has seen throughout this pandemic, there will undoubtably be hard days. But your passion for helping others, particularly the most vulnerable, is a light that will help you see in the dark."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

"The expertise, energy, passion, and commitment you soon will bring to the world amid COVID-19 come at a most opportune time. Rarely before has the world so badly needed the skills inherent in the many disciplines represented by this class."

Bridget McCormack ('91), Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court

"This is an exciting time to be graduating law school. As a result of the pandemic, we have seen more change in the profession in the last 14 months than in my entire career. And at the same time, we are reckoning with questions of race and access to justice more significantly than ever in my career. The combination of these has us at a critical inflection point for the institutions and policies that make up our systems of justice."

Madeline McIntosh, CEO Penguin Random House

"The period of crisis is transitioning into a period of transformation, one that provides the ideal circumstances for new leaders to emerge in all professions and work together to build a stronger foundation for society going forward."

Elisha Mudley (MSW ’21)

“This year has turned us inside out, and as I sit here with you all here today, my peers, my extraordinary, inspiring peers, I can’t help but feel filled with a newer, more profound kind of hope. Pride, resilience and hope. I’ve watched you all carry one another through the last two years—more or less, depending on your MSW pathway—and carry me through my last two years and it feels surreal and blissful to say to you, we made it...We’ve crawled up the branches, we’ve built our nests and now it’s time for us to take flight. Graduates, the world has never needed us more. To the class of 2021, congratulations and happy graduation.”

Tarika Barrett (PhD '10), CEO, Girls Who Code and NYU Steinhardt 2021 Dorothy Height Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

"Dorothy Height was an extraordinary leader, but her power to make change wasn't hers alone. It came from an entire thriving community of activists, advocates, and ordinary people who believed in the cause of social justice and who are still carrying her work forward even today. So I'd like to dedicate this award to the community and to all of you who aren't content to wait around until the time is ripe. This work will outlast all of us, just as it outlasted Dorothy Height. But I can't imagine a greater, living legacy. And I'm so thrilled and so honored to be a part of this community that's helping to keep it alive."

Ruth D. Lyle (PhD '98), Principal Technical Patent Architect at NVIDIA

"Take these great relationships from Tandon with you moving forward… Be courageous, be collaborative, and be generous. The problems that we face—that the world faces—will need generous people with insights, with the ability to think out of the box, with vision."

Chandra Wilson ('91), actress and director

During a pandemic, you still managed to create films, and write—even if you had to move in together and create a pod in Bed-Stuy. You danced in masks and invited us to watch online, you made theater but for the camera. Even with everybody looking like the chick from Wonder Woman with the masks, Urinetown was excellent theater. Performed with excellence. Directed and designed with excellence. There is no such thing as an unconquerable obstacle. You've proven that."

"These obstacles to art made you get back to what brought you to the arts in the first place—in its most simplistic form, your initial purpose for pursuing art, the thing that motivated and inspired your talent. The thing about your art that first made you smile. Remembering what that is will be the cornerstone to your individual journeys going forward as graduates."

Alex Lee, Assemblymember for California's 25th Assembly District

“But let’s remember that when our family faced war, famine, poverty, and uncertainty, they looked into the future for us and manifested new worlds out of their love, even though they had no vision of what it would look like in actuality when they got here. And even though those hardships didn’t end when they came here, they fought. And that’s what I want you to do. I want you to fight for your future as well.”

Shelley Worrell, Creator of IamcaribBeing

"Once you know your fit, hold on to it and stay perceptive on how it can manifest."

"No one could understand how a first generation daughter of afro Indo immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago, who did not go to an ivy league school, and did not have a trust fund, could quit her job .... If you had the most expensive shoes in the world and they hurt your feet, would you still wear them?"

Carolina Contreras, CEO of Miss Rizos Salon

"You dont have to be fearless, you just have to learn to do it afraid."

"Growing up I remember walking into the toy section of my local stores and never seeing dolls brown like me. I watched telenovelas desde siempre and noticed that none of the protagonistas looked like me. I was in love with disney princesses and only to realize that none of them had my kinks, my curls, and my coils.

"I turned my pain into power... Your thoughts really truly become your reality so please take the time to fill it with affirmations and with manifestations of all the amazing things you want to do."

Chris Mosier (Steinhardt '12), athlete, activist, and founder of transathlete.com

"One of the beautiful things about challenges, about disruptions, is that we must innovate. It is in these moments of challenge and hardship that we see who we truly are, and we catch a glimmer of what we are truly capable of. In times like this we have the opportunity to shake up the system. We have the opportunity to ask ourselves, 'Why?' To demand change. This is what excites me."

Students recognized: Sinéad Pauahi Nora Kailihiaokamālamalamaonalani Anae and Paige Carmen Kakeh'niiosta Cook

Resilience: Class of 2021 Graduation Remarks

In this section.

• Dean’s Remarks

May 27, 2021

Hello everyone. I am Doug Elmendorf , the Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Welcome to the graduation of the amazing Harvard Kennedy School Class of 2021. This class includes students from around the world, so I know that you are joining our celebration at many hours of the day and night. I wish you “good morning,” “good afternoon,” or “good evening.”

With the conferring of degrees by Harvard President Larry Bacow earlier today, the members of the Class of 2021 are officially graduates of Harvard Kennedy School. Congratulations! We are proud of you and excited for you. Congratulations as well to the families and friends of the graduates—to the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, spouses, partners, children, and all of the loved ones who have supported today’s graduates and helped to make this moment possible. This year has been especially hard for many families, so your continuing encouragement of the graduates deserves special recognition. I ask the members of the Class of 2021 to reflect on the people who have nurtured you and supported you. If they are with you now, please turn to them and give them your thanks.

We have gathered virtually for this graduation rather than in person because traveling and convening in large groups still pose significant risks to people’s health. I am so sorry that Harvard cannot offer its typical Commencement today, and I hope that you all will join us in the future when we can safely celebrate the Class of 2021 in person. I am sorry as well that members of this class have been able to spend only limited time, or no time at all, on our campus. Having to learn and interact online has made this past year and a quarter unusually difficult, but the Class of 2021, like so many people in our communities, rose to the occasion. You showed up enthusiastically to class sessions, bringing your whole selves and, in some cases, your families and pets as well. You found ways to build community with each other outside of class, undeterred by differences in geography and time zones. You should be very proud of what you have accomplished.

I want to pause here to recognize David Hicks, a student in the joint program between the Kennedy School and Harvard Law School, who passed away this month after a hard battle with cancer. Dave will be missed so much by all who knew him, and by those whom he would have served after graduation.

Around the world, many people have felt the pain of loss this year, as we continue to experience human suffering on a horrific scale in this pandemic. My heart goes out to everyone who is hurting and grieving—in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. I offer my deepest sympathy to all who have become ill or lost loved ones and to all who have endured the social and economic consequences of the virus. I also offer my profound gratitude to the health care professionals, first responders, essential workers, government employees, scientists, and all who have been serving others—in some cases, with the sacrifice of their own lives.

Our ability to endure the pandemic—as individuals and as a society—depends on our resilience. Resilience is often defined as an ability to recover from or adjust to misfortune or change. Misfortune is common, and change even more so, and this means that resilience—the ability to cope with misfortune and change—is enormously important. The ability of the Class of 2021 to learn and grow this year, despite the obstacles, is a testament to resilience.

Resilience depends on both individual characteristics and societal characteristics. Some of these characteristics can be influenced by our individual or societal decisions, while others cannot.

For example, a person’s resilience in the face of physical or emotional setbacks may depend partly on their age. As we grow older, our bodies can become more vulnerable to diseases such as Covid-19. Yet, age also brings experience, and some experiences increase our psychological fortitude, which can improve our ability to deal with illnesses and other difficulties. Many other individual characteristics can affect resilience as well.

But resilience is not just a matter of individual characteristics. A person’s resilience depends crucially on the characteristics of the society in which the person lives. These societal characteristics include both specific public policies and broader aspects of relationships between people.

For example, when someone becomes sick, can they take time off work and receive health care? If a person cannot take time off and get care, then society is not helping them to be resilient. When someone loses a job because of economic shifts, is other work or a public safety net available? If not, then society is not enabling resilience. Is someone’s life treated as fully worthy of respect and dignity regardless of that person’s race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or physical abilities? If not, then society is profoundly unjust and is undermining people’s resilience. When people’s lives and livelihoods are being hurt by changes in the environment, is society acting resolutely? If not, then resilience is being reduced rather than increased.

 I urge the members of the Class of 2021 to build resilience in your own lives and to help build resilience in your communities, your nations, and our shared world.

Resilience will be important for you personally, because life can be hard, and public service, in addition to its deep satisfactions, can bring demanding challenges. Serving the public interest requires a commitment and sense of urgency to improving the lives of others, but it also requires patience and perseverance. In my long career in government, I saw at close hand that progress is often two steps forward, one step back—or sometimes one step forward and two steps back, before making adjustments and trying again to move forward. Being able to cope with setbacks is essential. 

The obstacles to progress in the public sphere are many. Some obstacles are people who are self-serving, dishonest, or unjust in their treatment of others. In those cases, anger may be a natural reaction, but it often does not generate needed change by itself; instead, skills and knowledge must be brought to bear as well, and that takes time and involves setbacks. Moreover, many obstacles to progress stem not from bad intent but rather from complexity, uncertainty, and scarcity. In those circumstances, discouragement may be natural, but that also does not produce change; instead, rigorous analysis, mental flexibility, and adaptive action must be brought to bear—work that, again, takes time and involves setbacks.

So, in your lives of advancing the common good, being resilient will be hugely important.

Resilience is also hugely important for societies. When a society can recover from misfortune or change, and can adapt effectively, people can have better lives. And we might broaden the definition of societal resilience to include not only responding well to problems but also avoiding inflicting problems on ourselves. 

This past year offers many examples of the importance of strengthening societal resilience through better public policies and through improving the way we treat each other. 

Consider the tragedies caused by the pandemic. The extent of deaths and suffering in different places has depended in significant part on whether underlying living standards facilitate good health broadly, whether public health systems have been ready to step up, whether scientific expertise and safety measures have been widely accepted, and what other policies have been used. In other words, some places have been much more resilient against Covid-19 than other places, and that difference has mattered.

This past year has also brought tragic deaths and much suffering in the United States arising from racism against Black Americans, Asian Americans, and other people of color, and arising from bias and discrimination against women and members of other groups. Marginalized people in other countries have been subject to terrible violence as well. If society can reduce and ultimately eliminate racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination, the advance of justice will lessen the pain and grief we experience; we will create a more resilient society.

Attacks on democracy have intensified this past year in a number of countries. As Harvard’s deans wrote last fall, the success of democracy depends on “the right to vote, a free and independent press, checks and balances, the peaceful transfer of power, and the rule of law with equal justice for all.” When citizens and leaders stand by those crucial elements of democracy, accountability and social cohesion can make societies resilient in addressing challenges. But when citizens and leaders abandon those elements of democracy in hopes of short-term advantage, resilience is diminished.

Similarly, the climate crisis is a test of societal resilience. Over time, our degrading of the natural world is causing more illness and death, displacement of vulnerable populations, spreading of disease, intensified resource conflicts, and other damage. Moreover, the harms are often borne disproportionately by people who suffer from injustices of other sorts. A resilient society would act decisively to slow and buffer those changes.

For the problems I have mentioned and others, making society more resilient can create an enormous positive difference in people’s lives—and making a difference in other people’s lives is your enduring commitment, graduates. Please use the skills and knowledge you have developed during your time at the Kennedy School to help build resilience in our world.

 Members of the Harvard Kennedy School Class of 2021, we will miss you very much, and we hope that you will stay in touch as alumni. We are excited that you will always be members of the Kennedy School community.

I used to watch a television show called The Amazing Race, in which teams of contestants race each other around the world. We are less able to travel around the world right now, but the sentiment with which the host begins each race still applies. He says to all of the contestants, and I say now to all of you: “The world is waiting for you. Good luck, travel safe, go!” 

Thank you, and congratulations!

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Oprah to Class of 2020: ‘What Will Your Essential Service Be?’

With the usual pomp and circumstance put on hold, Ms. Winfrey and scores of celebrities feted graduates with a virtual celebration on Facebook.

‘There May Not Be Pomp Because of Our Circumstances,’ Oprah Tells Students

Oprah winfrey addressed graduates in the class of 2020. more than 75 other celebrities joined her..

Of course, this is not the graduation ceremony you envision. You’ve been dreaming about that walk across the stage your family and friends cheering you on. The caps flung joyously in the air. But even though there may not be pomp because of our circumstances, never has a graduating class been called to step into the future with more purpose, vision, passion and energy.

By Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Hugging friends? Nope. Class photos? Afraid not. Instead, in place of the usual pomp and circumstance, Oprah Winfrey on Friday asked America’s graduates — the “pandemic class,” she called them — to consider what their “essential service” in this world would be.

The online commencement ceremony, hosted by Facebook and featuring scores of celebrities, was one of several this week that would replace stage walks and cap tosses for the nation’s nearly 3.7 million high school seniors and some 3 million college graduates .

With a critical phase of their lives upended by the pandemic, the class of 2020 will receive their diplomas in the mail or on their phones. Recognizing the need to offer extra inspiration, big names have made even more appearances than usual as commencement speakers this year — via webcams, instead of onstage — including the actor and coronavirus survivor Tom Hanks.

He told graduates at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, that their lives would be marked by the pandemic in the same way that previous generations experienced wars.

The new normal will continue on Saturday, when former President Barack Obama will give two commencement addresses , the first at 2 p.m. for graduates of historically black colleges and universities, and another in prime time for high school graduates, airing on all the major television networks.

On Friday, Ms. Winfrey challenged graduates to not just rebuild society after the pandemic, but to create a more just world as the nation recovers. And as many graduates look warily at the grim job market , she highlighted the service of essential workers, and asked graduates to contemplate how they would use their own passions to benefit those around them.

She also made an apparent reference to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery , a 25-year-old black man in Georgia whose death in February led to murder charges last week .

“For every person burdened by bias and bigotry, for every black man and woman living in their American skin, fearful to even go for a jog , inequality is a pre-existing condition,” Ms. Winfrey said.

Next month, Ms. Winfrey will also headline a graduation ceremony for high school seniors in Chicago, where she filmed her top-rated talk show for more than two decades.

Here are Ms. Winfrey’s remarks from the Facebook event, in full:

Hello, everyone.

I know you may not feel like it, but you are indeed the chosen class for such a time as this — the class of 2020. You’re also a united class, the pandemic class that has the entire world striving to graduate with you. Of course, this is not the graduation ceremony you envisioned. You’ve been dreaming about that walk across the stage, your family and friends cheering you on — woop! woop! — the caps flung joyously in the air. But even though there may not be pomp because of our circumstances, never has a graduating class been called to step into the future with more purpose, vision, passion, and energy and hope.

Your graduation ceremony is taking place with so many luminaries celebrating you on the world’s Facebook stage. I’m just honored to join them and salute you. You know, the word “graduate” comes from the Latin gradus, meaning “a step toward something,” and in the early 15th century, “graduation” was a term used in alchemy to mean a tempering or refining. Every one of us is now being called to graduate, to step toward something, even though we don’t know what. Every one of us is likewise now being called to temper the parts of ourselves that must fall away, to refine who we are, how we define success and what is genuinely meaningful. And you, the real graduates on this day, you will lead us.

I wish I could tell you I know the path forward. I don’t. There is so much uncertainty. In truth, there always has been. What I do know is that the same guts and imagination that got you to this moment — all those things are the very things that are going to sustain you through whatever is coming. It’s vital that you learn, and we all learn, to be at peace with the discomfort of stepping into the unknown. It’s really OK to not have all the answers. The answers will come for sure, if you can accept not knowing long enough to get still and stay still long enough for new thoughts to take root in your more quiet, deeper, truer self. The noise of the world drowns out the sound of you. You have to get still to listen.

So can you use this disorder that Covid-19 has wrought? Can you treat it as an uninvited guest that’s come into our midst to reorder our way of being? Can you, the class of 2020, show us not how to put the pieces back together again, but how to create a new and more evolved normal, a world more just, kind, beautiful, tender, luminous, creative, whole? We need you to do this, because the pandemic has illuminated the vast systemic inequities that have defined life for too many for too long. For poor communities without adequate access to health care, inequality is a pre-existing condition. For immigrant communities forced to hide in the shadows, inequality is a pre-existing condition. For incarcerated people, with no ability to social distance, inequality is a pre-existing condition. For every person burdened by bias and bigotry, for every black man and woman living in their American skin, fearful to even go for a jog, inequality is a pre-existing condition. You have the power to stand for, to fight for, and vote for healthier conditions that will create a healthier society. This moment is your invitation to use your education to begin to heal our afflictions by applying the best of what you’ve learned in your head, and felt in your heart. This moment has shown us what Dr. King tried to tell us. Decades ago, he understood that “we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny.” That’s what he said .

Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. If humanity is a global body, every soul is a cell in that body, and we are being challenged like never before to keep the global body healthy by keeping ourselves healthy in mind and body and spirit. As all the traditions affirm, the deepest self-care is at once caring for the human family. And we see this so clearly with essential workers. Look who turns out to be essential: teachers — your teachers, health care workers, of course, the people stocking grocery shelves, the cashiers, the truck drivers, food providers, those who are caring for your grandparents, those who clean the places where we work and shop and carry out our daily lives. We are all here because they, at great and profound risk, are still providing their essential service. What will your essential service be? What really matters to you? The fact that you’re alive means you’ve been given a reprieve to think deeply about that question. How will you use what matters in service to yourself, your community and the world?

For me, it’s always been talking and sharing stories. For you, well, that’s for you to discover. And my hope is that you will harness your education, your creativity and your valor, your voice, your vote — reflecting on all that you’ve witnessed and hungered for, all that you know to be true — and use it to create more equity, more justice and more joy in the world. To be the class that commenced a new way forward, the class of 2020. Bravo. Brava, brava, brava.

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reports on national news. He is from upstate New York and previously reported in Baltimore, Albany, and Isla Vista, Calif. More about Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Valedictorians worked years to land 2020 graduation speeches – only to deliver them to empty rooms, cameras

As she smiled and addressed her classmates for one final time, Madison Voinovich reflected on the Class of 2020’s historic moments.

They’re the first group to graduate from the new Olentangy Berlin High School in Delaware, Ohio, so everything they did, in a sense, was a new chapter in the school district’s history.

“We have taken our vow to be ’historic’ to levels we couldn’t have even imagined,” Voinovich, 17, joked about the pandemic that derailed their senior year – including the most successful streak of “senior skip days” ever.

There was no laughter from her 278 fellow graduates.

Instead of delivering her speech from center stage inside the Schottenstein Center on Ohio State University’s campus, Voinovich, the valedictorian of her class, spoke in her school’s empty auditorium for a film crew.

“It was definitely strange to give a speech to a bunch of lights and microphones instead of a live audience,” she said. “But it was a really fun experience.”

Coronavirus graduations: Despite coronavirus, New Jersey schools plan in-person graduations in 2020

Traditional graduation speeches are yet another casualty of the new coronavirus, which has silenced many arenas, football fields and other sites across the country normally electrified this time of year with the sounds of graduation: whoops, whistles, well wishes.

After schools were closed down to slow the spread of COVID-19, some districts converted graduations to drive-thru affairs or delayed them to when mass gatherings would be permitted again. In Ohio, schools went with virtual graduations that students and family will watch from their homes.

At past graduations, Brenna Hammond watched in the audience as speakers delivered quips and advice, envisioning herself behind the mike.

The senior from Cincinnati's Clark Montessori High School hoped to be one of two student orators, selected by teachers, at her own in-person graduation this spring. The valedictorian probably would have urged her peers to embrace life's "small moments," employed an analogy about an eighth grade trip and savored the rush of standing at the center of such a major event.

"I don't get like that final bow on the package, I just feel like I have some loose strings," Hammond said. "I probably saw some of the people from my graduating class for the last time, and I didn't know I was seeing them for the last time."

'Going to see massive cuts': Without more coronavirus relief, schools slash budgets, prep layoffs

Despite Cincinnati Public Schools hosting " drive-thru " graduations to cap the year off for grads, Hammond said the absence of a traditional ceremony made for an anticlimactic end to high school when her school held its virtual graduation last month.

The graduation speech she'd hoped to give would have served as a segue between school and summer, work and rest, high school and beyond.

"It's sort of a goodbye speech," she said, "and it's also ... a goodbye speech from the graduating class to the teachers as well."

Nadezhda "Dezzie" Niemann, the second valedictorian graduating from Cincinnati's Clark Montessori, attended her school's 2019 graduation. During the speeches, she felt a closeness with her community, something her school emphasizes.

She looked on as the 2019 grads stood in a circle. Each student held a candle and passed around the flame until all wicks were lit.

To cope with missing out on such rituals, Niemann – who will attend Oberlin College in the fall – remained in contact with friends and classmates. She noted the irony of how, after being separated from her classmates, she'd come to understand some of them even more. During virtual lessons, she observed how some must care for a sibling or run errands for their families. Different levels of privilege had been apparent before among her classmates, she said, "but this has opened my eyes a little bit more."

What reopened schools will look like: Scheduled days home, more online learning, lots of hand-washing

Sarah Morbitzer, 18, valedictorian of Hamilton Township High School in Columbus, Ohio, lamented the loss of the “last time we’ll do this together moments” that every other high school senior experiences.

Instead of walking the halls together, she and her friends had to arrange a video chat to even see each other’s faces. They didn’t get dolled up for prom, compete in spring sports or travel for a class trip.

Daniel Ortiz Fifonte, 18, valedictorian of East High School in Columbus, will record his speech from home for his school’s virtual graduation ceremony June 27.

To Fifonte, being a top scholar is about much more than a graduation speech.

“You’re someone that everybody looks up to, and they often look to you for advice,” Fifonte said. “I think that having the chance to become valedictorian has given me a really good opportunity to be a leader.”

For Voinovich, being valedictorian was something she'd worked toward for years, juggling courses on Otterbein University’s campus with her other coursework and responsibilities as a class officer in charge of communication. She will attend Ohio State in the fall to double major in economics and public policy and hopes to enroll in law school.

“I’ve always been a public speaker, so being able to give that speech at graduation and have that distinction was something that was important to me,” Voinovich said. “It’s an ‘epitome of high school’ type thing.”

Her virtual experience was still memorable, but she understands why it may not offer her classmates as much closure as a traditional graduation ceremony.

“Not having a final moment, being able to see everybody – that’s the biggest thing,” Voinovich said. “I want to make sure that they all know that what they accomplished in high school isn’t lessened by what’s happening right now."

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The Coronavirus Crisis

Dear class of 2020: graduation messages from front-line workers.

Barry Gordemer

Listen: Ashley Robinson reads her graduation message

Carlos Rodriguez (left), Ashley Robinson, Nick Schlatz and Haley Watts are front-line workers who shared their insight for 2020 graduates. Carlos Rodriguez, Ashley Robinson, Nick Schlatz and Haley Watts hide caption

Carlos Rodriguez (left), Ashley Robinson, Nick Schlatz and Haley Watts are front-line workers who shared their insight for 2020 graduates.

Front-line workers are the mostly unsung heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their jobs are critical and can't be done from home. They're nurses and orderlies, grocery store workers and letter carriers. They run warehouses, deliver packages and drive trucks, buses and trains.

These workers may have been required to be on the job during the pandemic, but many — often guided by a sense of duty, commitment, compassion and honor — are proud to do it.

Duty, commitment, compassion and honor. These are thematic cornerstones of high school graduation speeches, so NPR asked everyday workers, who normally would not be asked to speak at a commencement ceremony, to offer insight forged by the simple act of showing up every day and doing what needs to be done.

Ashley Robinson, nurse

Dear Class of 2020,

My name is Ashley Robinson and I have been a nurse for nine years.

Working on the front line during this pandemic has had its ups and down.

My co-workers and I worked hard to adjust to the increasing volume of patients coming to be treated for COVID-19. We had to become creative in finding ways to take care of the influx of patients.

Ashley Robinson, 37, is a clinical supervisor in the emergency room at New Orleans East Hospital. Ashley Robinson hide caption

Ashley Robinson, 37, is a clinical supervisor in the emergency room at New Orleans East Hospital.

During this pandemic I have learned to be more compassionate for patients because they were alone, scared and without their family.

One day the ER was filled to capacity. We were taking care of patients in the hall because they were too sick to leave in the lobby. Once I became so overwhelmed, I had to remove myself. I walked out on the ramp and FaceTimed my husband and I broke down. At that moment I felt defeated and wanted to give up. But I realized the situation was much bigger than me. As a leader, I had to stay strong because not only the patients depended on me, but my co-workers also.

You will have to learn to be strong as well. I know you all had to adjust to this pandemic also. Your senior year ended early and you did not have a prom or graduation ceremony. Even though your celebration isn't traditional, it's still joyous and memorable.

So stay strong and continue to persevere. Take this time to reflect on the labors of the past, the accomplishments of the present and the possibilities of the future. Congratulations, Class of 2020, the world is yours.

Nick Schlatz, warehouse worker

My name is Nick Schlatz. Congratulations!

This building here is 1.2 million square feet and employs more than 2,000 full-time associates.

Nick Schlatz, 26, processes and ships merchandise at an Amazon warehouse in Fall River, Mass. Nick Schlatz hide caption

Nick Schlatz, 26, processes and ships merchandise at an Amazon warehouse in Fall River, Mass.

Listen: Nick Schlatz reads his graduation message

We process a lot of larger sized items: canoes, rafts, furniture, bikes, ladders. But suddenly that all started to change and my team started seeing paper towels, masks, cleaning supplies, disinfectant wipes.

That's when I started to realize this was a serious global issue, and we were working to help our community stay safe and stay at home.

I have roommates that are working from home every day, and I notice that their routine has come out of place. And that's when it really stood out to me that what I was doing was considered an essential role.

We had a shift one night; we were overstaffed, so the manager who was on shift was asking his associates to go home, see if they wanted to cut out. And the responses he was getting was simply, no, I'm going to stay. I like what I'm doing. I'm making a difference.

Now, there was a quote that I came across in college that really stood out to me. And that quote is "Adversity introduces a man to himself." That means you really show yourself when there is no plan. That's when you find out who you really are. We weren't ready for this. We weren't expecting this.

This is not an ideal situation to be in for anyone, especially you guys as graduates. But looking to yourself, look into what you've done and look to what you're about to do. Those next steps are going to determine the rest of your life. And that starts right now.

Again, graduates of 2020, congratulations. Excellent work.

Carlos Rodriguez, mail carrier

We are in the middle of an unforeseen crisis that you and I have been cast into. On many occasions, natural disasters have decimated Puerto Rico. The COVID-19 pandemic is the new disaster. We are getting to know too well.

I have taken a few words which I have made pillars of my life, and I hope they help any of you that I can reach.

Carlos Rodriguez, 55, is a mail carrier in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Carlos Rodriguez hide caption

Carlos Rodriguez, 55, is a mail carrier in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

Listen: Carlos Rodriguez reads his graduation message

The first one I'd like to say: resilience. The key to being resilient is being able to adapt to your reality. Using rainwater to wash clothes. Reading by candlelight in the dark. Walking miles to get a few gallons of gasoline for a small generator that keeps a simple refrigerator running.

Try to be resilient while sustaining a positive outlook — not only for your sake, but also the sake of those around you.

This brings me to kindness. A small hello with a smile. Simple consideration for the elderly. Sharing enthusiasm for a small child's bicycle. These are seemingly small gestures that can provide some comfort to another person who might need that small act of kindness.

This brings me to commitment. I have a commitment to deliver supplies to my community in Guaynabo. I would have had more than enough reason to hide from the risks and just stay home. My reward for this commitment: the face of hope. Every person who sees my little white truck with red and blue stripes and the eagle with the words "United States Postal Service" can see that we are committed. And that fills my heart with pride.

This brings me to balance. Work, rest, recreation and family create a balance in your life. Balance affords you the opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest.

So these four words — resilience, commitment, kindness, balance — have helped me through the most trying situations.

In Puerto Rico we have a phrase that unites the whole island to stand together against any adversity: Puerto Rico se levanta — Puerto Rico will rise.

To you I say, El mundo se levanta — the world will rise.

You're here because you, too, have seen trying times and endured them. You're capable and can take on your next challenge. You have my respect. I take my hat off to you and congratulate you.

Haley Watts, grocery store cashier

My name is Hayley Watts. I have been a Kroger cashier since 2019. It didn't take long for me to form what I consider to be lifelong friendships.

But when the pandemic started, everything changed. We couldn't get together and just enjoy the outside air after shifts. I couldn't hug the customers that I had a bond with because it wasn't safe. Even helping to bag groceries when the store got busy became a challenge because I didn't want to get in anyone's space and make them uncomfortable.

Haley Watts, 18, is a Kroger grocery store cashier and a graduating senior at Chamblee Charter High School just outside Atlanta. Haley Watts hide caption

Haley Watts, 18, is a Kroger grocery store cashier and a graduating senior at Chamblee Charter High School just outside Atlanta.

Listen: Haley Watts reads her graduation message

My most memorable moments came in the earliest days of the pandemic. I'd survived Black Friday and Christmas, but nothing could have prepared me for the sea of people that filled our store in the coming weeks. This is not the world we graduates envisioned. It feels like our accomplishments are somewhat incomplete because we didn't get our time to dress up, or down, wear our caps and gowns and walk across the stage with our friends. We didn't get to do senior activities, class pictures or college athletes signing day.

My sisters and I spent a good handful of nights crying.

But what I want to say is whether we had a graduation ceremony or not, you totally earned your diploma and you definitely worked hard for your degree. Nobody can take that from you.

As for my future, I will be attending Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., majoring in nursing. During this pandemic, I haven't been afraid of being surrounded by so many potentially sick people. Instead, I felt compelled to help. My job as a Kroger cashier, assisting people in getting the medicine and other household items they needed, has solidified my dream to be a nurse. I had to exercise compassion, patience and quick thinking under pressure. And I am so very grateful for that experience.

What I hope you graduates have learned from this experience is that you have to be in the moment and live for today. Have goals and dreams. But be adaptable. Congratulations, Class of 2020. We did it. And I wish you the best.

Photos From Pandemic Prom: High School Seniors Show Us Their Style

No Caps, No Gowns: For Many In The Class Of 2020, Commencement Is Called Off

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clock This article was published more than  2 years ago

High school valedictorians put a year like no other in perspective

Of the 3.5 million or so high school seniors graduating this spring, a few — a very few — will be named valedictorian, that most elusive of high school honors.

Top of the class. The crowning academic achievement of years of grueling study and homework, papers and projects, quizzes and tests.

And then another hurdle. Step up in front of classmates and deliver the speech of a lifetime. A young lifetime, to be sure, but still. There’s pressure to find words to put the final year of school in context for your fellow graduates. To craft a message that will resonate, reassure, maybe even inspire, as life after high school looms.

That’s difficult enough in a normal year. But this year, when school often didn’t feel like school at all, when classmates and teachers were mostly thumbnail images on a flickering screen, when faces and emotions were masked and the country shrouded in disease, death and discord, finding the words to make sense of it all and find shards of light and purpose has been all the more challenging.

Valedictorians are encouraged to think big and bright. With their speeches, they are expected to summon optimism and tap into an idealistic vision for the future.

The word valedictorian comes from the Latin vale dicere or “to say farewell.” So it is a goodbye speech, but also a “Look at what we’ve done” speech. And what seniors have done this year has never been done before. From start to finish, this school year has been under a cloud. At some schools, the doors never opened and learning took place not in thousands of classrooms but in millions of bedrooms and kitchens, on back porches and in parking lots or wherever the WiFi signal was strongest.

Partly hidden by isolation, many of the nation’s schoolchildren struggle with mental health

For those lucky enough to have classes in-person, the experience was masked and distanced, tracked and tested, and always a small coronavirus outbreak away from everyone being sent home. Anxiety was a constant, especially for administrators and staff and teachers — God bless the teachers — but also the students who didn’t want to bring covid-19 home to their parents and grandparents, who didn’t want to be part of worsening the worst health crisis of their lives.

So, yes, vale dicere to all that. Goodbye and good riddance. But also . . . look at what they’ve done.

As uncertainty swirled around them, they stayed focused. They adapted their learning. They finished their assignments. They passed their tests. They supported one another. They gutted and gritted it out even when the end seemed out of reach.

“I’ve witnessed a lot of burnout in my school, inside and outside of the classes, just because of how this environment has kind of exhausted a lot of people,” said Grayson Catlett, who is graduating at the top of his class at Central High School in Chattanooga, Tenn.

But the difficulties of learning during the pandemic and witnessing and experiencing the racial and political tumult the country has endured over the past year has had another effect as well, Catlett said. It has made him and his classmates more resilient, and he plans to reflect on that in his speech.

“We’ve been through a lot and just graduating high school in general this year is rewarding,” said Catlett, who will study political science at the University of Pennsylvania. He plans to end his speech saying, “If this is all the stuff that we could overcome, I’m finding it hard to imagine what we can’t.”

How a rural Virginia town came together for an unforgettable pandemic prom

In addition to building resilience, the past year has provided context and opportunities for reflection for Catlett and his cohort of seniors throughout the country. It has made them think more, they say, about the world and their place in it. And their purpose in it.

For Lana Lubecke, valedictorian at Kalani High School in Honolulu, the pandemic and the political and social turmoil of the past year gave her a stronger sense of what she wanted to do.

“Before the pandemic, I felt like I was stretched really thin,” Lubecke said. “And when basically everything was canceled, I kind of got the time to sit back and be like, what do I care about? What activities do I want to prioritize? What are the most meaningful and how do I think I can make the most impact? And I think I learned a lot.’

With time to step back and assess, Lubecke said she realized she wanted to become more civically engaged in her community. She has spent part of the past year advocating for education equity and making better educational opportunities available for more students.

There is wisdom to be gleaned from these young minds and perspective beyond their years and the accolades they’ve accumulated.

Being a high school valedictorian isn’t a sure ticket to fame and fortune, but some have become famous and fortunate. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was first in her high school class. Same with sociologist and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois and actress Natalie Portman. “Weird Al” Yankovic too. Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post and many other things, was valedictorian at Miami Palmetto Senior High in 1982 and told the Miami Herald at the time that he wanted to “build space hotels, amusement parks, yachts and colonies for 2 or 3 million people orbiting around the Earth.”

Valedictorians are encouraged to think big and bright. With their speeches, they are expected to summon optimism and tap into an idealistic vision for the future. It’s a final pep talk for classmates, many of whom will never see one another again once their mortarboards are tossed in the air.

But a rosy outlook can be hard to summon for seniors who have come of age in the past decade. The pandemic is only the latest in a parade of events that have disharmonized their young lives.

“I wonder if adults, you know, realize that people my age were 13 and 14 during the 2016 election?” said Carmelina Komyatte, a senior and the valedictorian at Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond, Ind. “Like, I remember I was 13 years old watching the ’Access Hollywood tape’ of Donald Trump, you know, admitting to sexually assaulting women. . . . And I was 14 for Charlottesville, and I was a freshman for the Parkland shooting. So, I think no one can say that our generation is idealistic about politics. We’re definitely not.”

But if not idealistic, they are determined. Komyatte, who will attend the University of Notre Dame in the fall, said her message to her classmates is to not be discouraged or defeated by the challenges they have faced. She and her cohorts, she said, need to go into the next chapter of their lives “with purpose and with the intention to help others and to make an impact and to use your gifts and your opportunities and your resources, you know, to do all the good that you can do.”

Many school districts have ended the practice of designating a student as valedictorian. Competition for the top spot had become unhealthy, they said. Students sued if they weren’t named valedictorian or if they had to share the title. Yes, that really happened. Schools didn’t need the headache. So goodbye to all that, too. But there is a reward for those schools that have continued to award the top student and allot five minutes for a farewell speech. There is wisdom to be gleaned from these young minds and perspective beyond their years and the accolades they’ve accumulated.

“Being the valedictorian, like, that’s not that’s all I am as a person,” said Ben Barnes, a senior at Energy Institute High School in Houston who will attend the University of Virginia this fall. “And even if someone is at the bottom of their class, that’s not all they are as a person. There’s so much more to people than what they’re doing after high school.”

In interviews with The Washington Post, 10 valedictorians from high schools across the country discussed their path to the top spot and shared their thoughts on the challenges of the past year and what they plan to say to their fellow seniors at graduation.

Benjamin Barnes

Energy Institute High School in Houston.

Being valedictorian was never a goal for Ben Barnes.

“It’s a huge honor, of course. And I’m really proud, but I kind of have to keep it in perspective, because I really have been blessed in way that a lot of people haven’t been fortunate enough to have been blessed.”

Barnes credits his family, teachers, friends and God for his accomplishments. In his speech, he plans to emphasize that where you graduate in your class isn’t a defining characteristic.

“As much as it has been drilled into our heads that grades and test scores and things like that are the most important measure of the person, I kind of want to challenge that stance. . . . There’s so much more to people than what they’re doing after high school or their SAT test scores. And I just want to convey that and, I guess, encourage people in that way.”

He will attend the University of Virginia.

Grayson Catlett

Central High School in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Grayson Catlett says he hopes his generation brings more honesty to politics and to debates about issues. He has seen how the past year has deepened divides and torn communities apart. He plans to address the discord and the role his fellow graduates might have in mending rifts.

“In my speech, I’m going to be bringing up how, kind of, all of these adversities have helped my class build resilience. Because there’s just been so much going on, from the pandemic to protests and everything else that, you know, it’s kind of setting our expectations for the world that’s lying ahead of us.”

He will attend the University of Pennsylvania.

Susana Chavez

International High School at Langley Park in Bladensburg, Md.

When Susana Chavez moved from Guatemala three years ago to live with her brother in Maryland, she didn’t even realize she would be able to attend high school. She was 16, and her goal was to get a job. But her mother and brother encouraged her to go to school, and on June 1, she’ll graduate as the valedictorian.

During her first two years in high school, Chavez spent eight to 10 hours a day on weekends cleaning houses and landscaping. Now, she’s a clerk in a shop. She’s used to hard work. She has been doing it since she was 6, when she helped her mother plant crops, take care of farm animals and collect wood to sell. One day, she wants to return to Guatemala to make sure impoverished kids there have a better life.

“I know that my mom, she will be proud of me, because my mom, she can’t even write and read. She told me, if you go to school, it’s an opportunity for you to learn to do something different. She said, ’Do something different if you don’t want to work hard as me.’ So I was like, ’yeah, I will.’ ”

Chavez will attend Prince George’s Community College.

Johnny Cortez

East Early College High School in Houston.

Johnny Cortez will attend Duke University this fall to study computer science and business. His parents came to Texas from Mexico when they were in their teens and Cortez, the youngest of seven children, will be the first in his family to attend college out of state.

“Coming from a big family of immigrants and going to school on a full ride, that’s a big deal for us,” he said. Being valedictorian was also a big deal and something he wanted throughout school.

“Honestly, it’s just great, because I feel like I’m in a position where, you know, a lot of people are kind of looking at me for an example,” Cortez said. “And I want to represent our school and try to be the best example for others.”

He’s worried about the lingering effects of the pandemic, but he is most concerned about this country’s justice system.

“The way the justice system works, I think there’s so many flaws in it. You know, the U.S. has one of the largest prison populations of any country, despite being only 5 percent of the world’s population. I think there needs to be a huge reform of how the prison system works and with policing. I don’t think the iron fist should be the solution to all our problems. And I don’t think we should just throw everybody in jail.”

He will attend Duke University.

Diana Flores Valdivia

Chula Vista High School in Chula Vista, Calif.

Diana Flores Valdivia came to Southern California from Mexico with her sister and parents in 2016 when she was 13. She spoke English but not well, and she took extra classes to become fluent. Her mother works in a hotel, and her father drives for Uber. What they want most for her, Flores Valdivia said, is an opportunity.

Five years after coming to America, Flores Valdivia is graduating from Chula Vista High School in Chula Vista, Calif., at the top of her class of 500 or so students. She knows what that means to her parents. And she knows what she wants to say to her fellow graduates.

“During these hard times, especially with the racial division, me graduating and being valedictorian, I feel proud because I feel like I’m representing my community,” Flores Valdivia said. “And I’m showing that Mexicans and Latinos, we come here for a better life, and we do not come here to steal but rather to contribute to this country. We work hard and we’re honest. And that’s what I want to show with my accomplishments. I also want to inspire people in my community and let them know that if I can do it, they can do it. And if anything, our background only makes us stronger.”

She will attend Cornell University.

Carmelina Komyatte

Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond, Ind.

It’s not a stretch to say that being valedictorian runs in Carmelina Komyatte’s family. Her older brothers were also valedictorians, making this the third year in a row that a Komyatte was the top student at Bishop Noll Institute.

Following a year where the country has been engulfed by the pandemic, protests over racial injustice and a bitter election, Komyatte says she wants to offer words of support to her classmates as they move from the small universe of their high school to the world beyond.

“I think it’s important we don’t get discouraged because of everything that’s happened and know that it is our job and our responsibility to create the world we want to live in and to demand better from society and from the world. You have to demand the things that you want to see. Demand respect and dignity and equal treatment and equal opportunities for people.”

She will attend the University of Notre Dame.

Lana Lubecke

Kalani High School in Honolulu.

As high school seniors graduate at what everyone hopes is the end of the pandemic, Lana Lubecke says she is feeling excited about the future.

“I’m a little nervous, but I’m optimistic right now that with the vaccine rollout, hopefully there’ll be some sense of normalcy,” she said. “And I hope that all the discussions that have been raised during the pandemic about political polarization and about racism in this country, I hope that that’s kind of opened doors to make more real change in the near future.”

Her message to her fellow graduates is “to find something that motivates you and do something about it. Even if what you do doesn’t work out, at least you’ll learn something and you’ll end up in this place where you’re ready to try again or try something new.”

She will attend the California Institute of Technology.

Casen Miller

Emery High School in Castle Dale, Utah.

In his rural Utah high school, Casen Miller has been able to attend school masked but in person for almost his entire senior year. He’s grateful for that. But the year has sometimes been a struggle, and Miller says the pandemic and politics have put America to a test.

“We’re just not a very peaceful country right now,” said Miller. “There’s a lot of like fighting going on, disagreeing opinions, riots, outbreaks, all that kind of stuff.”

But Miller is confident the country can heal.

“I think for the next couple of years it’ll be hard, because it’s so divided right now,” he said. “But I feel like in the future, we will be able to find a way to come together.”

In his speech to his fellow graduates, Miller wants to talk about how everyone’s journey is different.

“I’m definitely going to address how not everyone is going to take the same path,” Miller said. “Some people are just going to graduate high school, go straight to the workforce. Some people are going to go all the way through college. Some are going to go to college and realize it’s not for them. But we don’t all have to take the same path to be successful.”

He will attend Utah State University.

Onovughakpor Otitigbe-Dangerfield

Albany High School in Albany, N.Y.

For Onovughakpor Otitigbe-Dangerfield, being valedictorian wasn’t just a personal achievement, it was a historic one. The senior at Albany High School in Albany, N.Y., became the first Black valedictorian in the school’s 152-year history. Next month, she’ll graduate at the top of her class of more than 600 students.

She wants to highlight how the support of family, mentors and friends is essential to anyone’s success.

“There’s an African proverb that if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. And that’s really like the most perfect way I could put my experience. This honor is definitely a reflection of the constant support that I’ve had from family, from teachers, my guidance counselors, coaches, friends, all of that,” Otitigbe-Dangerfield said. “And I think sometimes, you don’t learn early enough how important it is to develop a cohort of allies of people in your corner that can offer you a perspective that you don’t see yourself and then also advocate for you and let you know of opportunities. Because I honestly didn’t do this alone at all.”

She will attend Harvard University.

Livingston High School in Livingston, N.J.

For Rosa Xia, the entire school year has been virtual. In many ways, Xia said senior year left her feeling disconnected, and it made her sad to not be able to spend more quality time with her friends or have meaningful conversations in person. But, she said, “I’ve kind of accepted that that’s just how it is.”

Speaking at graduation will be the first time since March 2020 that she will see most of her fellow seniors. And in many cases, it will be the last time. She has been trying to not think too much about her valedictory speech.

“I really don’t like speaking in front of people that much,” she said, laughing. Still, she has an idea of what she wants to convey.

“We suffered through a lot this year because of the pandemic. And I guess we’re stronger than we think we are. Even when we were all remote, everyone put a lot of effort into trying to stay engaged and trying to make classes engaging and trying to relate to each other.”

Photo editing by Mark Miller. Copy editing by Melissa Ngo. Design by J.C. Reed.

The pandemic school year

Students, guardians and teachers experience a very different school year as the coronavirus disrupts the country’s education system..

Schools reopening: Safety concerns | Fall “normalcy” | CDC’s road map | Inside Biden’s reopening promises

Current school year: Staying at home | Asian American students missing from classrooms | Schoolchildren struggling with mental health

Higher ed: Living on campus during the pandemic | Education Department extends pause on federal student loan payments | Mental health crisis on college campuses

The latest DMV news: Random coronavirus testing at D.C. schools | Alexandria adopts 3-foot distancing in classrooms | In-person learning expands in D.C., but mostly at wealthiest schools | Four days a week of in-person learning in Fairfax

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16 Best Graduation Speeches That Leave a Lasting Impression

By Kristi Kellogg and Noor Brara

Some of the most impactful and inspiring sentiments are shared during graduation speeches delivered by the leaders we look up to. Graduation speeches from celebrities , entrepreneurs, authors and other influential thinkers are motivational, inspiring, thought-provoking and just might make you reach for the nearest tissue. After four years of hard work, stress, and exhausting self-discovery, lucky graduates are privy to a life-changing speech to top it all off.

Here, we rounded up up 16 of the best graduation speeches of all time, including words of wisdom from Natalie Portman, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and more.

1. Steve Jobs: Stanford, 2005

"You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

2. Michelle Obama: Tuskegee University, 2015

"I've found that this journey has been incredibly freeing. Because no matter what happened, I had the piece of mind knowing that all of the chatter, the name-calling, the doubting...all of it was just noise. It did not define me, it didn't change who I was, and most importantly, it couldn't hold me back."

3. Natalie Portman: Harvard, 2015

"I just directed my first film. I was completely unprepared, but my own ignorance to my own limitations looked like confidence and got me into the director's chair. Once there, I had to figure it all out, and my belief that I could handle these things, contrary to all evidence of my ability to do so was half the battle. The other half was very hard work. The experience was the deepest and most meaningful one of my career."

4. Amy Poehler: Harvard University, 2011

By Angie Jaime

By Liv McConnell

"What I have discovered is this: You can't do it alone … Listen. Say 'yes.' Live in the moment. Make sure you play with people who have your back. Make big choices early and often."

5. Meryl Streep: Barnard College, 2010

"This is your time and it feels normal to you but really there is no normal. There's only change, and resistance to it and then more change."

6. David Foster Wallace: Kenyon College, 2005

"Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about quote the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master."

7. Barack Obama: Howard University, 2016

"You have to go through life with more than just passion for change; you need a strategy. I’ll repeat that. I want you to have passion, but you have to have a strategy. Not just awareness, but action. Not just hashtags, but votes."

8. Kerry Washington: George Washington University, 2013

"You and you alone are the only person who can live the life that can write the story that you were meant to tell."

9. Conan O'Brien: Dartmouth College, 2011

"There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized. Today I tell you that whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality … Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen."

10. J.K. Rowling: Harvard, 2008

"I stopped pretending to be anything than what I was. My greatest fear had been realized. I had an old typewriter and a big idea. Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

11. Oprah Winfrey: Harvard University, 2013

"Learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are. And then figure out what is the next right move. And the key to life is to develop an internal moral, emotional G.P.S. that can tell you which way to go."

12. Joss Whedon: Wesleyan University, 2013

"You have, which is a rare thing, that ability and the responsibility to listen to the dissent in yourself, to at least give it the floor, because it is the key—not only to consciousness–but to real growth. To accept duality is to earn identity. And identity is something that you are constantly earning. It is not just who you are. It is a process that you must be active in. It's not just parroting your parents or the thoughts of your learned teachers. It is now more than ever about understanding yourself so you can become yourself."

13. George Saunders: Syracuse University, 2013

"Do all the other things, the ambitious things … Travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes, swim naked in wild jungle rivers (after first having it tested for monkey poop)—but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness."

14. Nora Ephron: Wellesley College, 1996

"Be the heroine of your life, not the victim."

15. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Wellesley College, 2015

"As you graduate, as you deal with your excitement and your doubts today, I urge you to try and create the world you want to live in. Minister to the world in a way that can change it. Minister radically in a real, active, practical, get your hands dirty way."

16. Admiral William H. McRaven: University of Texas at Austin, 2014

"If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right."

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By Emma Sarran Webster

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These are the 15 most uplifting commencement messages celebrities and icons from Oprah Winfrey to Tom Hanks gave the class of 2020

• In light of the coronavirus pandemic, this year's graduating class of 2020 missed out on traditional milestones like prom and physical graduations.
• They also face a grim economy , with many of them losing jobs and internships as well as summer plans.
• To uplift and instill hope in this year's graduates, speakers like Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks have shared motivating messages for remote commencement events.
• Actors and entertainment icons like Cardi B, Matthew McConaughey, and Awkwafina also offered advice for soon-to-be graduates along with inspirational leaders like educational activist Malala Yousafzai, and US Olympic athlete Simone Biles.
• Keep reading for a selection of messages from leaders and stars for this year's graduates.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories .

"I know you may not feel like it, but you are, indeed, the chosen class for such a time as this," Oprah Winfrey said in a moving speech shared on Facebook and Instagram.

"I know you may not feel like it, but you are, indeed, the chosen class for such a time as this, the class of 2020," Winfrey said, opening her commencement speech. "You're also a united class, the pandemic class, that has the entire world striving to graduate with you." 

She continued: "Even though there may not be pomp because of our circumstances, never has a graduating class been called to step into the future with more purpose, vision, passion, and energy and hope."

"I wish I could tell you I know the path forward, I don't. There is so much uncertainty," Winfrey said.

"In truth, there always has been. What I do know is that the same guts and imagination that got you to this moment, all those things are the very things that are going to sustain you through whatever is coming. It's vital that you learn, and we all learn, to be at peace with the discomfort of stepping into the unknown," the host continued.

"It's really OK to not have all the answers," WInfrey said. "The answers will come for sure if you can accept not knowing long enough to get still and stay still long enough for new thoughts to take root in your more quiet, deeper, truer self. The noise of the world drowns out the sound of you. You need to get still to listen."

Watch Oprah Winfrey's full speech here.

In a recent commencement speech, Tom Hanks also called this year's graduates "chosen ones."

"Congratulations to you, chosen ones," Hanks said in his commencement speech for graduates of Wright State University in Ohio earlier in May. "I am calling you 'chosen ones' because you have been chosen in many ways.

"First, by the temperament and discipline you've lived by, by the creative fires that are inside of you, and the instinctive lunges of your desires," Hanks said.

Hanks continued: "The future is always uncertain, but we who celebrate what you have done, who celebrate all of your achievements, we are certain of one thing on this day: You will not let us down."

Watch Tom Hanks' full speech here.

Education activist Malala Yousafzai, who's graduating from Oxford University, shared words of wisdom to fellow graduates.

"Like all of you, I'm also graduating this year, and I did not expect my university's last few months to end like this — being at home with my two little annoying brothers," Yousafzai said in a Facebook and Instagram video address.

"I know that we are heading into an uncertain future, and everyone says that things will not be the same as they were before, but I know they will be better, because when we go through some tough challenges we learn about who we are and what we value in our life," Yousafzai said. "So, I'm hoping the future will be even better as we become more responsible people."  

"I'm so excited about all of you who are graduating, and I wish you good luck in everything that you do."

Watch Malala Yousafzai's full speech here.

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles said to this year's graduates: "You've already won."

"As an athlete, there is nothing quite like the bus ride home after a win. You're exhausted and could probably use a shower," Biles said in her speech for Facebook and Instagram. "But bottom line, you're happy."

"Well, graduates, today is your bus ride home. Your victory lap. It is our chance to tell you that we know how hard you worked to bring home that diploma. I know you're missing what is supposed to be your medal ceremony, but that ceremony doesn't change a thing. You've already won," the Olympian said in her address.

"We are so proud of everything you've accomplished," Biles said. "You did it."

Watch Simone Biles' full speech here.

"It's more than a diploma," Cardi B told graduates. "It's knowledge, it's knowing that you did it."

"I just want to say congrats to all my high school and to all my college graduates," Cardi B said in her video address for Instagram and Facebook. "Congrats congrats congrats! And don't let no Coronavirus, no nothing, take this special moment from you."

The singer also shared her advice to college-bound students.

"When you go to college, they just offer you so many different classes, and it's so fun, but make sure the class you're going to take is going to benefit you," Cardi B said.

She continued, offering a message for college graduates: "I also want to tell you guys it's more than a diploma, it's more than graduation, it's knowledge, it's knowing that you did it."

"Now you're about to start your life," Cardi B said. "You're about to make some money, you're about to show your skills on what you worked for."

Watch Cardi B's full speech here.

"Live in a way now where you can look back later and say 'I think I handled that pretty well,'" Matthew McConaughey said in his address to the class of 2020.

"You are originals! Enjoy that," McConaughey said in his Facebook and Instagram video message to graduates.

"The big learning is coming in the future for you, I promise, the experiential learning where you get to put what you learned in school to test," he said. "This is when it gets fun. This is when it gets hard."

"Don't bother yourself too much if you're not quite sure what you want to do in life," McConaughey said. "I'm 50, I have many days where I'm still not quite sure what I want to be. But I work on it, I stay in the process."

"Live in a way now where you can look back later and say 'I think I handled that pretty well.' Congratulations, self," the actor concluded his speech.

Watch Matthew McConaughey's full speech here.

Sterling K. Brown said that he hopes graduates will "look back on this event with the clarity of 20/20 vision and recognize it as a beautiful beginning."

"All your hard work has finally paid off and you're moving on to the next phase of your education, or for some of you, into the real world," Brown said in a Facebook and Instagram commencement video. "Where you start in life does not dictate where you end up."

"And while the circumstances of your graduation may not be ideal, you will look back on this event with the clarity of 20/20 vision and recognize it as a beautiful beginning to where you are now," the actor continued.

"Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose. A little 'Friday Night Lights' for you," Brown said. "Go out and be brilliant."

Watch Sterling K. Brown's full speech here.

"Keep on trucking," said actress Awkwafina, who joked that her other piece of advice was to never microwave metal — "not even a tiny spoon."

"I know that you guys are graduating under very unusual and not ideal circumstances, but you guys made it. And making it is not always an easy thing to do," the actress and comedian said in her speech to the class of 2020.

"I was one of those students who was always kind of barely making it. I think I did summer school for gym," Awkwafina joked. 

"Some other tips and advice I can give you: Just keep on trucking, keep on going, move in to the moon, do not microwave metal, not even a tiny spoon," she said.

The "Crazy Rich Asians" actress ended her speech by saying: "You're great, you made it, I love you."

Watch Awkwafina's full speech here.

"Keep the faith, keep on moving, keep climbing," Miley Cyrus said, referencing her famous song "The Climb" in her address to the graduating class.

"I'm truly honored to celebrate each and every one of you high school and college seniors and all that you've accomplished," Cyrus said in her Facebook and Instagram video.

"As I was thinking about you, the class of 2020 and how you inspire me, I knew I wanted to share this song with you. It feels full of a new meaning. Keep the faith, keep on moving, keep climbing, here's 'The Climb.'"

Watch Miley Cyrus' full speech here.

"Listen to Oprah," said Hugh Jackman in a video for the class of 2020.

"To the graduating class of 2020, congratulations. I have one major piece of advice for you: Listen to Oprah. About everything," Jackman said in a Facebook video shared Saturday.

The actor known for "The Greatest Showman" added: "And one more thing. Wear sunscreen. I mean it."

Watch Hugh Jackman's full video here.

Steven Spielberg encouraged graduates to hold tight to their dreams.

During an early May episode of John Krasinski's YouTube series "Some Good News," Spielberg told graduates to believe in their dreams.

"Dreams are a great test, because a dream is going to test your resolve, and you're going to know a dream from a pipe dream," Spielberg said. "You're going to know a dream from a casual brush with something that you got excited about, and then it evaporates."

He continued: "A real dream is something that not only hangs on to you but you will hang onto it. And it will power you through every obstacle that people and your environment will throw against you."

"If we're in service of our dreams versus our dreams being in service to us, it becomes something greater," Spielberg said. "It allows us to be game, and it allows us to get over our fear to go forward no matter what obstacles are thrown in our path."

Watch the "Some Good News" graduation special here.

"No generation has been better positioned to be warriors for justice and remake the world," said Former President Barack Obama.

"If the world is going to get better, it's going to be up to you," Obama said in his "Graduate Together" speech, which was published Saturday.

"With everything suddenly feeling like it's up for grabs, this is your time to seize the initiative. Nobody can tell you anymore that you should be waiting your turn, nobody can tell you anymore that this is how it's always been done. More than ever this is your moment, your generation's world to shape," he continued.

"You've got more role models, more road maps, more resources than the civil rights generation did. You've got more tools, technology and talents than my generation did," Obama said.

He added: "No generation has been better positioned to be warriors for justice and remake the world."

Listen to Barack Obama's full speech here.

"Rejection doesn't feel like something you want to embrace, but rejection is never permanent," said Chelsea Handler.

"Embrace rejection, whether it's from a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a coworker, or a boss. Rejection doesn't feel like something you want to embrace, but rejection is never permanent," said comedian Chelsea Handler in a speech for iHeart Radio's "Commencement" podcast .

Handler continued: "Just like success is never permanent, and the sooner, you can embrace rejection, the sooner you get through it. Usually, rejection catapults us all into this ball of despair, and insecure thoughts, and this self-consciousness, and have I ever made any right decisions, and am I fake? Am I even good at my job?"

"We have to remember that when we go through those times in our lives, those are thoughts that are happening in our heads," Handler said. These thoughts are only our thoughts. No one else defines you but you."

She continued, saying: "Your perseverance and your tenacity is what people will remember. It's not that you will fall down because we know everyone falls down, and it is how you get back up, and that you continue to get back up."

"What other people think of you is never as important as what you think of yourself."

Listen to Chelsea Handler's full speech here.

Apple CEO Tim Cook told the class of 2020 to embrace times that reveal "what really matters."

"When I joined Apple in 1998, I couldn't believe my luck. I was going to get to spend the rest of my professional life working for Steve Jobs," Cook said on an episode of iHeart Radio's "Commencement" podcast . "But fate comes like a thief in the night. The loneliness I felt when we lost Steve was proof that there is nothing more eternal, or more powerful, than the impact we have on others."

"Those of us who can look back on this time and remember inconveniences and even boredom can count themselves lucky. Many more will know real hardship and fear," he continued. "Others still will be cut to the bone. And while we turn to our loved ones and friends for comfort, think hard about those whose impact on your life is more distant, but no less meaningful."

Cook added: "Memorialize in your heart the way in which these times reveal what really matters: the health and well-being of our loved ones, the resilience of our communities, and the sacrifices made by those—from doctors to garbage collectors—who give their whole selves to serving others."

Listen to Tim Cook's full speech here.

Megan Rapinoe told graduates to "leave their mark" and touched on the importance of voting.

The US professional soccer player told graduates during the virtual special "Graduate Together" to unite and "demand better together."

"For many of you this year will be the first time you've cast a ballot," Rapinoe said. "I urge you not to miss the importance of who makes the decisions in times of crisis and in times of triumph. From your local mayor to your governor, your senator, to the President of the United States. Who is leading, matters."

"I know first-hand the power of a movement led by and for the next generation. You are that next generation. Take the torch and leave your mark. Put your stake in the ground and build the future that you want and you believe in and fight like hell to do it," Rapinoe said.

Watch the full "Graduate Together" special here.

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• 12 Tom Hanks quotes that will brighten your day
• Barack and Michelle Obama will host 3 virtual graduation events for the class of 2020

• Main content

• Campus Life
• Commencement
• Messages to Graduates

Congratulatory Messages to Graduates

The entire New York Tech community congratulates the Class of 2021 on their achievements!

Well Wishes from Faculty and Staff

Roary New York Tech’s Mascot

Brian Beatty Associate Professor College of Osteopathic Medicine

Congratulations to you all! This is a huge step toward your future, and I can’t wait to see what becomes of it. I hope you’ll all come back and tell us, visit campus, and share your news and hard-won wisdom with the students yet to start here. I wish I could be with you for graduation, but I hope you know that I’m thinking of you and wish you the best. Cheers, Brian Beatty

Jonathan Goldman Professor College of Arts & Sciences

Dear Students, Congratulations on your success, overcoming 15 tremendously challenging months! Look out for one another in the future, and best of luck! Dr. Jonathan Goldman

Carol Lane Associate Director Strategic Communications & External Affairs

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! Best wishes for a rewarding and successful career!

Lisa Sparacino Chairperson, Department of Nursing School of Health Professions

Congratulations to all the New York Tech Nursing Graduates! I wish you health and happiness in your career as a registered nurse. I have confidence that with continued hard work, you be able to pass NCLEX-RN on the first attempt. Remember, I am always here to help. Dr. Sparacino

Hallie Zwibel Associate Professor College of Osteopathic Medicine

Class of 2021, you completed school in the midst of a global pandemic. No doubt your life was disrupted. No doubt there was added stress. No doubt there was uncertainty. Despite these challenges, or more accurately because of them, you are stronger. You are a stronger student having tested yourself. You are a stronger job applicant as you have overcome the unexpected and persevered. You are a stronger person finding the ingenuity and resolution you did not know you had.

Marie Aldridge Senior Career Advisor Student Services

Congratulations Class of 2021! I wish you continued success and happiness in all you do. I know how hard you have worked throughout your time at NYITCOM, and I am so proud of you. Your accomplishments are even more impressive as you carried them out during a worldwide pandemic! Believe in yourselves as I believe in you—you will make competent, empathetic, and trusting resident physicians, and I look forward to working with many of you again when you pursue your fellowship! Best of luck, Class of 2021!

Susan Sternberg Admin. Asst. School of Architecture and Design

Dear Interior Design Seniors, Congratulations on your graduation! It has been my absolute pleasure to watch you develop as people and designers. I wish you well and look forward to hearing about your future endeavors. All the best, Sue

Patricia Brustman Senior Specialist School of Management

Hello: Best wishes to all graduates! The future is approaching! Enjoy what is ahead of you and best of luck!

Samantha Mon Assistant Director Career Services

Congratulations, Class of 2021! As you cherish the fruits of your hard work, I wish that success keeps following you in everything that you do. Dream new dreams, embark on who you are, embrace life with passion, and keep reaching for the stars. Shine on and go for it!

Lucy Gironda Director of Student Accounts Bursar

Congratulations. You did it! Good luck and best wishes on all your future endeavors.

Eftihia Christoforatos Administrative Assistant Digital Art & Design-NYC Campus

To the Class of 2021, you all are all awesome! Congratulations! The transitions you have made, your resiliency, the effort you have put to be at the top of your game!…Go change the world and please keep in touch!!

Donna Darcy Clinical Associate Professor, Nursing School of Health Professions

Congratulations, graduates! You have come far, worked hard, and achieved your goal. Now go out there and make your mark on the world. Nurses, take good care of your patients… their lives depend on you!!

Patthara Chandaragga Student Advisement Specialist School of Management

It has been an honor to see you grow personally and professionally while pursuing your college career here at New York Tech. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your journey. I am really proud of our Class of 2021, and I cannot wait to see all your accomplishments in the next chapter.

Susan Heim Director of Residence Life Office of Residence Life

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 on your graduation. All of your hard work and perseverance have led you to this proud moment in your lives. Best wishes on your next adventure!

Lynn Rogoff Professor Arts & Sciences

To All My Students, With immense pride, I congratulate my dear students on a job well done. Having gotten to know you over the last few years has enriched my life. I know you will go out into the world with confidence in your abilities to communicate and analyze the world you encounter. Remember, you can always reach out to me for counsel. With faith that you will affect great change in the world, I wish you the best of luck. Stay in Touch, Professor Rogoff

Lucille Notaro Administrative Assistant College of Osteopathic Medicine Office of Admissions

Dear Students, Congratulations Class of 2021! You are healers and will improve your patients' quality of life. What a wonderful career as Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. All the best!

Robert DiGangi Assistant Director Residence Life

Congratulations Class of 2021!!! It has been a pleasure working with you, and I wish you the best of luck on your next journey. Go Bears!!!

Maria Plummer Associate Professor College of Osteopathic Medicine

Class of 2021 - you are a special class. You have had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and its global impact and you have shown great fortitude, resilience, and perserverance. I have been blessed to know you and to have seen your remarkable growth. I know you will all be superb physicians with great knowledge, compassion, and empathy. In the words of William Osler, "The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease". You are all great physicians. Be well.

Christopher Olagunju Assistant Director - International Education Enrollment

I am wishing the best for all graduates during this pivotal time in your lives. Take time to celebrate as your hard work and determination has lead you to this point. Now is the time for seize the future as you venture in a new normal as there are a number of opportunities available to you all. We all look forward to hearing of your future successes and accomplishments.

Alexandra LaMagna Assistant Director Office of Admissions

You all should feel so proud of your accomplishments and perseverance in the most uncertain of times. Now it's time to take that same determination and apply it to your next chapter! Congratulations!!!!

Fritz Petit-Frere Doctor of Physical Therapy School of Health Professions

Congratulations! All your hard work matters and today you get to celebrate it! I sat in your seat not that long ago, and all I can say is: keep working hard to achieve what you want, it’s not that far away !

Corinne Greene Budget Auditor Financial Affairs

A quote by one of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln: "And in the end it's not the years in your life that count; it's the life in your years." May God bless you all.

Nelson Eng Assistant Dean of Clinical Education College of Osteopathic Medicine

To the Class of 2021, FDR once said "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." What a tumultuous 4 years it has been as you faced the challenges of medical school, family and a global pandemic. You are joining a noble profession. People will look to you for reassurance, for help in times of need.They literally will entrust their health and lives to you. Congratulations on your graduation! I wish that your careers are rewarding both professionally and personally

Jamel Vanderburg Adjunct Professor College Of Arts and Science- Interdisciplinary Studies and Social Science

To the Class of 2021: Despite a global pandemic, uncertainty in the job market, and the transition to a virtual reality, despite the shifts in your academic and personal lives, you all have made it. I truly wish you the best in your future endeavors, and remember to never accept the status quo, always ask questions, be critical in your thinking, and always bring your true authentic self to every room and conversation. Change the world, but never be changed by the world.

Mary Bachmann Associate Registrar College of Osteopathic Medicine

Good luck in your future careers.

David Oroza Assistant Director, Admissions College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dear Class of 2021, Congratulations! Here's to an exciting new future ahead of you. Wishing you happiness as you celebrate your achievements. Well done!

Jerry Balentine EVP Administration

Congratulations and Good Luck to all the great New York Tech graduates!

Adrienne McNally Director, Experiential Education

Congratulations Class of 2021! Best of luck in your future endeavors!

Michael Landsman Director, Client Services and Engagement IT

Graduates, I know this past year hasn't been easy, but I wanted to offer my congratulations and well wishes for the future! Your hard work and perseverance should be applauded, and you should be very proud of yourself for reaching this monumental accomplishment. All the best for a happy, healthy, and prosperous future wherever your career takes you. Michael Landsman

Briana Bronchick Director, Student Communications Enrollment Management

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! Best wishes for your future!

Rosemary Gallagher PY, D.P.T., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physical Therapy School of Health Professions

Congratulations DPT Class of 2021! We are so proud of you! Go out and make a difference!

Paul Ferrante Assistant Director for Student Engagement Student Engagement and College of Arts and Sciences

Congratulations Graduates! You have accomplished some amazing things at Tech, and I know you will bring your innovation and drive for everyone else to see! To the graduating Fraternity & Sorority Life members, thank you for being such amazing students and being so incredible. You inspire me everyday and remind me to always wear my letters. You’ll always have a place here. To my School Counseling cohort, it won’t be the same but you’re all amazing counselors! Good luck and congratulations!!

Suzana Rebecca Senior Specialist School of Health Profession/Physician Assistant Studies

Congratulations, M.S. Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2021 - YOU DID IT! Your perseverance, hard work, and strength of character have taken you to this moment, ready to use your training and knowledge to make the world a better place for the rest of us. It has truly been a privilege and an honor for me to have had my small role in your 3-year journey. Onwards to the PANCE. Wishing you the best for all that follows in your life and career, and please stay in touch!

Love, Suzana

Scott Friedberg Instructor Arts & Sciences

To my students - I wish you the greatest success. I wish you continued growth, continued insight, and to find every path possible for you to reach your goals and your potential. I wish you growth both as a person and as a professional. It was my great honor to teach you and it is my hope that you found something valuable in our time together. Never forget the importance of decency and integrity. Mix purpose with a sense of humility as you strive to become the great person inside you.

Advising & Enrichment Center (LI & NYC)

To the Class of 2021, on behalf of the Advising & Enrichment Center (AEC), we CONGRATULATE you on one of your greatest achievements to date! While we know this is just the beginning of many great things to come, this accomplishment shouldn’t be taken lightly. Your dedication to the successful completion of your degree is proof you can achieve anything. We are grateful that you allowed us to be a part of your academic journey and wish you the best in all your future endeavors. -The AEC

Bobbie Dell'Aquilo Executive Director, Strategic Messaging SCEA

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 and thanks for inspiring us every day…best of luck!!!!

Daniel Cinotti Director of Counseling Programs College of Arts & Sciences

Congratulations to all of our School Counseling graduates! We are so proud of the work that you have done and so excited about the work you will do. We wish you the best, and do not forget you always have a home at New York Tech!!!

Dr. Eleni Nikitopoulos Associate Professor College of Arts & Sciences/Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences

Congratulations, grads! This year was unprecedented—tough and you made it! Best wishes and much success!

Felipe Henao Dean of Students Student Development & Engagement

Felicidades to the Class of 2021! Best wishes as you embark on the next chapter of your life. Thank you for allowing New York Tech to be part of your academic journey! We can't wait to welcome you back to campus some day. Your perseverance and determination will only propel you to new heights. Para Adelante/Forward with joy & pride!

Robert Gallagher Clinical Associate Professor School of Health Professions

Tribute to the OT Class of 2021! Three years ago, you had a vision to pursue a career to become an Occupational Therapist. Each of you should be proud of your accomplishment. Dream big and go far. Let not fear sway you from your passion. Dream a dream of greatness and then pursue it. Let wisdom, faith, and your heart guide you. Have faith in yourself, and you can be whatever you want to be and go wherever you want to go. Think it, pursue it, and you will be able to live it.

Kate E. O'Hara Associate Professor College of Arts & Sciences

Congratulations! Wishing you all the best! Be sure to keep in touch!

Cheryl Hall Chair, Program in Physical Therapy School of Health Professions

Dear DPT Class of 2021 It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have been part of your journey over the past three years, but your greatest, most fulfilling work lies ahead. Go into the world & leave your mark on peoples' hearts & in their lives. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said it best, "‚Make each day your masterpiece." On behalf of the faculty & staff of the New York Tech DPT Program, we wish you success & happiness always. With love & best wishes, Dr. Hall

Jason Van Nest Associate Professor or Architecture School of Architecture & Design

Congrats to all this year's School of Architecture graduates! Know that you make all the architecture professors very proud, and we can't wait to see what new ideas you bring into the world. Where ever you go, what ever you do, remember to work smart (not hard), and please keep in touch!

Rachel Morrison Counselor HEOP

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! You have succeeded in completing your degrees in a very unusual environment, and now you are ready to go out there and face whatever the world has to offer. Remember that those of us who supported you as students are still very much rooting for you to find success in your future. To my HEOP students especially, I expect updates and random visits once the office is open again!

Ghulam Mehmood DMSc, PA-C Adjunct Professor NYIT-PA Studies NYIT School of Health Sciences - Physical Assistant Studies

Congratulations! You guys came this far and soon you will be the first point of patient care. Keep your head up and enjoy the journey ahead. Stay focused and best of luck in representing the future of the profession. Dr. Mehmood

Colleen Kirk Associate Professor of Marketing School of Management

Many congratulations, graduates! You have worked hard to achieve this milestone. It's been made more challenging during the pandemic, but think about the stories you will have to tell in the future about studying and graduating during the great pandemic of 2020-21! Warmest wishes for personal and professional happiness and success.

Lori Jirousek-Falls Associate Professor of English College of Arts and Sciences

Congratulations to the New York Tech Class of 2021! The faculty are so proud of you! Stay lifelong learners. We know that you will accomplish wonderful things!

Sebastien Marion Librarian III New York Tech Libraries

Once your librarian, always your librarian. It’s been a tremendously difficult year and we are so very proud of you. As you move forward remember that you do so as a member of our family. Ask yourself what you want and then work backwards. Have enough self-confidence to try new things and enough self doubt to question. I hope that each day will be magic for you.

To Shan Li Faculty College of Osteopathic Medicine

Congratulations on all your hard work and dedication to achieve this important milestone! May your minds, hearts, and hands lead you to deliver the best care possible for your patients.

Cecilia Dong Associate Professor

College of Engineering and Computing Sciences Congratulations Class of 2021! You did it. We are proud of your accomplishments and resilience. I wish you the best as you take on new challenges in life and may all your dreams be fulfilled.

Joanne West Director, Student Engagement and Development Administration and Operations Student Engagement and Development

Congratulations Class of 2021! I am excited to have you share the title of "Proud New York Tech Alumni" with me. During the difficult times that we have experiences these 14+ months, you have persevered. Bring that level of perseverance into the next chapter of your life and you will thrive. I wish you continued success and best wishes!

Harsh Mehta Assistant Director of Admissions Admissions

These past few semesters have been tough, but you have made it, and it deserves a celebration! Every individual of you has carried the mantra of New York Tech! Because of you, I am proud to be part of the New York Tech family made up of self-starters, doers, markers, healers, and innovators! Good Luck on all your future endeavors CLASS OF 2021!

Steven Shapiro Professor Finance School of Management

Savor this moment! We gone through some tough times, but you have persevered. All the best in your future pursuits.

Xun Yu Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering and Computing Sciences

Congratulations, class of 2021! So proud of your achievements, especially under the pandemic situation in the past year and half! Best wishes to your future career!!! Hope you will come back and we will be excited to hear your success!

Swapna Gantasala Assistant Professor School of Management

Dear Class of 2021, Congratulations!!!! You did it… Such tough times around the world, but nothing stopped you from achieving what you desired for… You are an inspiration for everyone around and wish you all the best in all your future endeavors… You fought the worst, so, there is no challenge out there that you cannot win over… Have an amazing time with your loved ones… Blessings and prayers for each of you… CONGRATULATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS.

Karen Vahey Dean, Admissions & Financial Aid Enrollment Management

Make us proud!

Deborah Y. Cohn Professor, Senior Lead School of Management

Congratulations to the Class of 2021!!! You persevered through these difficult times in order to reach this momentous day. I am proud of your achievements. Now is the time to celebrate!! The class of 2021 is strong and resilient. You are career-ready to take on the new normal of the business world. With much respect and admiration for all of you. Congratulations to the Class of 2021!!!!

Niharika Nath Professor College of Arts & Sciences

Congratulations to all graduating students! You achieved so much through your motivation and energy. You stayed focused in coursework and volunteer- or course research whether in-person, online or remote. You contributed to the college community by your engagement in clubs and career service activities, and in various committees, SGA and Senate participation; the pandemic didn’t stop you. You are New York Tech! I wish you a bright career and many successes!

Tanya Patterson-Stanley Assistant Director College of Osteopathic Medicine Financial Aid

My how these years went by so quickly. Many of you had so many concerns on day one but look at you now. Remember what you were taught and remember that you not only represent NYITCOM, you represent your families and friends who supported you along the way. Remember to always keep learning and listening and sharing. Congratulations and best wishes in this new chapter of your lives. You are always able to contact us if should anything or just to say hi.

Victoria Pfeiffer Executive Director, Operations and Planning Academic Affairs

CONGRATULATIONS and BEST of LUCK to the Class of 2021 for all your great accomplishments and a bright future ahead!

Edward Guiliano President Emeritus and Professor College of Arts & Sciences

Felicitations. Earning an NYIT degree is an important signpost and benchmark on a life-long journey to academic, practical, personal and emotional growth. Keep learning and benefiting. I wish you the best of luck on this journey.

Rosemary Burgos-Mira Director of Library Services Library

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! You did it! Wishing you the best in all your future endeavors.

Deitra Diggins Administrative Specialist College of Osteopathic Medicine

Congratulations Class of 2021. Wishing you the very best as you enter the next chapter of your lives!

Thomas Shea Associate Director - Undergraduate Admissions Enrollment Services - Admissions

To all of our graduating Student Ambassadors from the admissions office, Congratulations on this excellent achievement and all the hard work you have accomplished to get to this point! You will all always have a special place in the New York Tech family. We look forward to keeping in touch with you and seeing all of the great things you go on to do. Best of luck with all future endeavors!

Michael Terzella Associate Professor College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dear Class of 2021, Congratulations on your graduation! You met all the challenges - academic, personal, and pandemic - and overcame them all. Whether you are moving on to a residency program, a graduate program, or a getting a job related to your course of study, I wish you all well. To the COM graduates: Yoda said, "DO or DO not. There is no try." Go out there and DO what you were trained to DO. Your patients will reap the benefits of your labors.

Nicole Klein Manager, Events & Conferences Strategic Communications & External Affairs

With much respect, admiration, and awe, I congratulate you all on your graduation for New York Tech! Best wishes for happiness and success!

Nicole Sheehan Manager Advising and Enrichment Center

Congratulations Class of 2021! You should be proud of the accomplishments you have achieved in such a unique time. Your hard work has paid off! Wishing you all success in your future!

Anthony Normil Lab Academic Technician Information Technology

You all should be proud of not only graduating but for also following your instincts during this journey into the future you. It brings me great pleasure to be able to witness a outstanding group of successful people. We all are watching and wishing you all the best as you live out your truths while enjoying life.

Jane Polizzi Assistant Dean Administration and Operations College of Engineering & Computing Sciences

Congratulations to all of the wonderful students of New York Tech as we celebrate your graduation and accomplishments! Special congratulations to Jessica Polizzi on her BS in Life Sciences. Wishing all much future success and happiness.

Diamando Afxentiou Professor school of Management

Congratulations to all graduates and especially to the ones from the School of Management!!! Best wishes for personal and professional success!!!

Ingrid Russo Associate Bursar Bursar

You have so much to be proud of - sending wishes of good luck, success and happy landings!

Jeffrey Ting Adjunct Prof Electrical Engineering

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve worked hard and should be very proud of yourselves. Please stay in touch and let me know how you’re doing!

Peter Goldsmith Adjunct Assist. Professor College of Engineering & Computing Sciences

May all your startups be successful, and keep trying if first you don’t succeed.

Todd Cohen Chief of Cardiology College of Osteopathic Medicine

I am so proud of this graduating class of 2021! May your exciting medical education journey continue, and your passion reignite as you enter this new phase of your life. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and remember that you will always have a special place in my heart (no pun intended). Sincerely, Todd Cohen MD

Thomas Zimmerman Associate Professor of Family Medicine College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dear Class of 2021, This year has presented numerous challenges above and beyond those that medical school typically provides. Despite it all, you have all persevered and proven yourselves through hours of hard work, dedication to your own education, and support of your family & loved ones. Remember that medicine is a career of lifelong learning and that there is always an opportunity to improve your knowledge and skills. Reach for the stars and you will achieve your goals. Congratulations!

Venugopal Prabhakar Gantasala Program Director MBA School of Management

What a momentous occasion for you to celebrate and be proud of. Many congratulations on your well-deserved graduation. On this day you are setting out to work in ways that positively influence the Planet, its People and towards your own Self-actualization. Never Forget your family and teachers who have Undeniably made you the Complete and Knowledgeable person that you are today, go out to Find your dreams with Open hearts, be Leaders of Example, and Yours is the earth and all that is in it.

Eve Armstrong Assistant Professor College of Arts & Sciences, Physics

Dear Grads, I pulled off crazy stuff as an undergrad, like living off twizzlers and peanut butter and pulling three all-nighters in a row. But I can’t imagine having done it over zoom. It is beyond me, how you mustered the will, focus, and drive to persevere in an environment designed for a robot rather than a creative mind. I bow to you. And so now I can only conclude that you are going to be able to do *anything*. Evidently, our world’s future is in good hands. Thank you.

Reem Abu-Sbaih Do College of Osteopathic Medicine

I’m so proud. Look how far you’ve come. From when you didn’t t would ever end… To now on the precipice of what lies ahead. Be the best physician you can be for you and your pts. You. Veve chosen an enriching path. ASwgsearch for truth. Be patient and kind. Physician to thine own self be true. And heal thyself.. You will be helping others when you model self-care. Lifes short. Do the things you want to do. Remember we are here as a resource. Keep in touch. You’ll be missed.

Robert Sherwin Associate Professor College of Arts and Science

Congratulations and very best wishes in all future endeavors to graduating Communication Arts students. May the force be with you!

Stella Leandrou Administrative Assistant Interdisciplinary Health Sciences

Dear Health Graduates, We are so proud of you, congratulations on your determination and dedication. The health care professions are fortunate to have you on their side! Good luck in your future.

Mindy Haar Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Affairs/Chair, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences School of Health Professions

Congratulation to all of our graduates! We are so proud of your accomplishments and wish you much luck and satisfaction in your next chapter. Best, Dr. Haar

Thomas Troisi Adjunct Assistant Professor of School Leadership and Technology Liberal Arts

My best wishes to the Class of 2021!  You have worked diligently through some difficult times and achieved your academic goals. Best wishes for continued success!

James Fauvell Associate Professor College of Arts & Sciences

Congratulations to all of the Comm Arts students graduating today. In this time of covid, you have distinguished yourselves by adapting with honor and creativity, I am in aw of all of you! Always remember the responsibility you carry with you as media experts. Remember the role you play in the world as an artist and communicator and most important, remember that life is all about the journey you chose and the people you take along with you. Be kind, remain accepting and change our world.

Patrick Minson Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Office of Development and Alumni Relations

Congratulations to each and every one of you on this remarkable achievement. It gives me great pleasure to celebrate your graduation with you and welcome you to a global network of over 100,000 alumni. I hope you are as proud of yourselves as we are of you. I cannot wait to see you back on campus and hear about your professional and personal accomplishments.

Sabrina Polidoro Director Office of Development and Alumni Relations

CONGRATULATIONS Class of 2021! On behalf of the Alumni Association Board, I am so excited to welcome you to the association; a powerful network of more than 109,000 alumni worldwide. Remember that life is a journey, not a destination. Your journey has only just begun and as your continue on this adventure, I share with you the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail." Best wishes on much success! Go Bears!

Bonnie Love Prof. Bonnie Love College of Arts and Sciences

Wishing all the graduates the best of everything the future holds. You have worked hard to reach this milestone, so enjoy the day!

Elisabete Ferretti Director, Branch Services - NYC Library NYC Library

Warmest congratulations on your graduation! You did it!

Rose Anne Urban Adjunct Lab Faculty Health Professionals

All of your hard work has led to this day. Class of 2021!! It has been a pleasure to teach you about the profession I treasure most—Nursing. Please take with you the learning experiences I have shared in the Nursing Lab. Good luck in your future endeavors and may you show, all people you care for, compassion and attention when they need you the most. Success to all!

Maria Lapadula Perez Chairperson and Associate Professor, Behavioral Sciences College of Arts & Sciences

Congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2021! The past year has presented many unique challenges and you have all persevered and succeeded. This is an amazing accomplishment and should be celebrated. Best of luck in all of your future endeavors.

Tiffani Blake Assistant Provost for Student Engagement & Development Academic Affairs

Congratulations on this major accomplishment! May all that you have learned during your academic journey at New York Tech provide you with a career filled with success, joy and an opportunity to help others. Please remember to stay in touch and engage with us as a New York Tech alum!

Dong-Sei Kim Assistant Professor & Assistant Chair School of Architecture and Design

A huge congratulations to the Class of 2021 and their families! I wish you my very best for your next endeavors! Keep in touch!

Patricia Lauren Instructor College of Arts & Sciences

Dear Graduating Students, You have worked arduously. You have not only added to your repertoire of knowledge, but also contributed insight and knowledge to us. As you walk through the Door of Limitless Possibilities Smile and Enjoy. Congratulations!

Eileen Gazzola Senior Grant Coordinator & IRB Administrator Sponsored Programs and Research

Congratulations to the 2021 Graduates! Best wishes and continued success in all of your future endeavors!

Beatrice Figueroa Online Program and Design Manager Center for Teaching and Learning

Dear New York Tech Students, Congratulations on earning a University degree! Never a small achievement and certainly a great one in our times. You are each amazing in your own individual way. This is evident in the care, commitment, and creativity that are reflected in your accomplishments. Stay well and inspired to do what you do best, make a difference, and innovate! Best wishes.

Junius Gonzales Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Academic Affairs

To all graduates and their loved ones, Felicitations and kudos for your accomplishments, especially with the challenges of the last year plus! You are already inspirations for others, and go and catalyze more positive change!

Tracey Segal-Nachamie Adjunct Assistant Professor College of Arts and Sciences

Congratulations to the New York Tech Class or 2021. It has been an honor and privilege to be part of developing the next generation of School Counselors. As Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". As you move on to the next chapter of life, you will make a difference in the world one child at a time.

Vanessa Viola Associate Director / Architecture Librarian Education Hall Art & Architecture Library

Dear Graduate School of Architecture & Design Students, Congratulations on all you have accomplished! Believe me—it’s just the beginning! Revel the adventures ahead; build upon what you have learned. Take Care.

Christine Kerigan Department Coordinator Digital Art and Design

Dear 2021 Graduates, You did it! You had to deal with a lot of change and new ways of dealing and growing in your college degree and did so with grace. To the students in the Digital Art and Design department - congrats, this is the moment you have been waiting for! Now you have to take charge, be creative and never stop reaching for the stars Congratulations.

Michaelson Eustache Assistant Director of Admissions Admissions

To all of our graduating Student Ambassadors from the admissions office, Congratulations on this excellent achievement and all the hard work you have accomplished to get to this point! The admissions team truly appreciates all of your hard work and dedication, you will all always have a special place in the New York Tech family. We look forward to keeping in touch with you and seeing all of the great things you go on to accomplish. Best of luck with all future endeavors!

Joseph Boccagno Senior Front-End Developer Strategic Communications & External Affairs

Congratulations to the class of 2021 on your well-deserved success! It took a lot of hard work to reach this goal and we are all so proud of you. Good luck in your future endeavors. Go Bears!

Nicole Calma-Roddin Assistant Professor, Behavioral Sciences College of Arts and Sciences

Congratulations, Class of 2021! I am so glad to have gotten to know so many of you and am excited to see all you will do!

Isaac Kurtzer Assistant Professor College of Osteopathic Medicine

What adventures you’ve surely had and will surely have ahead! Congratulations, best luck, and keep trucking!

Well Wishes from Alumni

Soukaina Himmi Class of '15 Entrepreneur School of Management

Congratulation class of 2021! I wish you all the success in your professional career! Keep on shining ✨

Frank Bruno Class of '85 Chief Executive Officer School of Management

Dear Graduates! Congratulations on your achievement! I know many of you probably worked in the business world as you earned your degree. That makes your accomplishment all the sweeter! I can attest that a degree from New York Tech has great value. I’ve been a city manager, a university vice chancellor, and a CEO thanks to my M.S. and the rigor of the coursework. Never doubt your worth and keep learning throughout your life! Best! Frank W. Bruno Boulder, Colorado

Jim Powers Class of '82 Architecture

Dear Graduates, As a proud alum, adjunct professor, and a FRIENDS board member, I want to wish you the best of luck on your graduation and your future careers. Now that you're part of the family, stay involved with your family. Don't burn any bridges, as you know they're hard to design and build. Continue to learn…that never stops, even if you don't earn 3 credits for the time. Don't forget to give back and/or pay it forward…by mentoring, teaching, contributing. Best, Jim Powers, AIA '82

George Rodriguez Class of '00

As a 1985 B.F.A. graduate and an M.B.A. graduate in 2000, I have very fond memories of New York Institute of Technology that I still cherish. The education I received has helped me in my career and, although not evident in my early years, it has made a difference in my later years professionally. Congratulations on your well-deserved success! "The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B. King

Jennifer Kelly Campbell Class of '99 School of Management

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! You have demonstrated resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges and are prepared to contribute your unique skills to the workforce and your community. Earning a college degree is a prestigious milestone without the complications of a global pandemic. You are the toughest, strongest Bears to graduate in Tech's history! Stay in touch with your New York Tech family, we are proud to welcome you into the the alumni community! All the best to you!!!

Jeff Pavell Class of '20 Attending physician PM and R/ Englewood NJ School of Management

To the senior students, The students that rotated with me were some of the best we have had. The office staff and physician colleagues still comment how good they were. Congrats. Dr. Jeff Pavell Chief of Rehabilitation Medicine Englewood Health

Sonia George Class of '12 D.O College of Osteopathic Medicine B.S./D.O.

Congratulations and best of luck to the Class of 2021! Special shout out to Dr. Reshma George and Dr. Stephanie Jose. I have had the pleasure of watching them both grow up to be young, smart, beautiful, and successful women. I have no doubt you will both achieve whatever you put your minds to.

Keith Burger, II Class of '01 School of Architecture

Congratulations to the Class of 2021…Dream and Achieve!

Bishara Abdul-Hamid Class of '15 Full-Stack Software Engineer Director of Technology/E-Learning Designer and Information Technologist. New York Institute of Technology

Congratulations Graduates! With steadfast perseverance and determination, you have found a way to make a way. Don't just consume. Learn how to tell your own story. Commit to service. Promote critical thinking and problem-solving. Continue to achieve your goals and focus on how you can be the change you want to see. "Excellence is never an accident."

Russ Gordon Class of '73 Former Owner of Innovative Media Works, inc

When you move into the working world, sometimes you'll fall a few steps, but then you'll learn more, you'll ascend higher and higher. Remember " it's easy to win but losing will show you the direction you must take to become a winner". Look at successful people. They didn't always achieve success without having first failed miserably. Take some chances and don't look back. Best of luck in your personal journey. Life is all in front of you now. Enjoy it.

Brian Kramer Class of '20 General Manager Hyatt Hotels and Resorts

I would like to wish graduating class of 2021 the very best as they begin the next chapter of their professional careers. You have been given a gift to be a New York Tech graduate that I know you will put to good use. We are all proud of you and look forward to hearing about all the great things you will accomplish in your lives. Congratulations Graduates!

Frank A.J. Krawiecki Class of '70 Collage of Engineering - Thermodynamics, Long Island Campus

Congratulations to the graduation class of 2021! Your hard work has finally paid off and now you’re ready to embark on your chosen careers. Always remember, determination is the secret of success! My best wishes for a long and fruitful life ahead. Go Bears! Frank A. J. Krawiecki, ARM, B.S., M.B.A.

Bernadette Riley Class of '05 D.O. College of Osteopathic Medicine

Wishing you all the best in your osteopathic medical career. Congratulations on your accomplishments! Please stay connected in your advocacy for your patients, healthcare, and in your profession.

Rajendra Rao Class of '14 Vancouver Campus

Dear Class of 2021, I can relate to the feelings you went through on your first day at New York Tech. It took me to the days when I started my journey, and I still remember the pleasant feeling of meeting my new colleagues and professors. Everyday was an adventure. I feel blessed that I chose New York Tech to make my dreams come true. I wish you all a wonderful and productive time on your journey with so many dreams in your mind. May you all be blessed and get success in life!

Ayana Walker Class of '00 Senior Systems Analyst

Staying the course this past year had some challenges, however you persevered and made it through. Continue to go forward and be great in all that you do!! Sending a huge CONGRATULATIONS to the Class of 2021!

Mark Baran Class of '68 Communication Arts

I’m very proud to see the many accomplishments by the college in the past 60 years. Congratulations to all of the 2021 graduates. May they reach their respective goals in the coming years.

Abdulaziz Abaalkhail Class of '18 Communication Art

Dear students, It was a difficult year with the current circumstances, but now you see the achievement, congratulations for graduation!

Julie Piccione

Congratulations to NYITCOM's brightest upcoming docs! We love you Rachel, Emily and Aaron!! With love, The Doods Family

Riddhi Patel Class of '19 Software Engineer College of Engineering and Computing Sciences - Info, Network & Comp Security

Warmest congratulations on your graduation and all the very best for future adventures. Past year had been difficult but you kept your spirit up and made it through. Graduation is very proud moment so enjoy it in your best possible way. Keep rocking! HAPPY GRADUATION!

Qi Sun Class of '01 Dir. Global Sourcing Business

Wish all the students have a great time at the commencement and bright future in career. It has been difficult for everybody for the past year, but it's the dark before the dawn. Looking forward to the brightness. Cheers!

Beverley Hanson Class of '20

It is a pleasure to extend my congratulations to the class of 2021. Your tremendous hard work brought you to this exhilarating moment. Please take the time to bask in it as your achievement is well-earned. I wish you great success as you move forward.

Peter March Class of '84 NBC Universal Scheduling Technology Manager

Your success will pay off in spades in your life as it has for me.

Ruyu Hua Class of '20 College of Engineering and Computing Sciences

Congratulations to the graduation class of 2021! Really proud of you!!! Go Bears! Good Luck with all your future endeavors. Wish you continued success and best wishes!

Andrea Coladner Class of '20 DO College of Osteopathic Medicine

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Continue to work hard throughout your residency, be honest with yourself regarding what you want out of this career, and make time every day to laugh.

Edward Pino Class of '72 BS/MS Behavioral Science/Counseling

Congratulations to the class of 2021. Good luck!

Tony Jean Class of '04 Cinematographer Communication Art

Congratulations to the class of 2021, I have found memory’s Of NYIT. My career with ESPN and MSG Network would not be where it’s at without out the skilled and connections I made at NYIT. Never stop dreaming and continue striving for the best.

Greg Saggio Class of '94 Dr. College of Osteopathic Medicine

Congratulations to all the grads. What a great achievement. Work hard. Always be available for your patients. Always be honest and always be humble. Learn to communicate well with all your patients and their families. Always have a good work life balance. Good luck. We are very proud of you.

Danny LaVardera Class of '92 Lead Engineer in NY

Congratulations to the Class of 2021!! You accomplished alot in this unusual year of a Global Pandemic. You have much to be proud of. Your future is bright.

Colin Montoute Class of '99 Director of Architecture School of Architecture & Design

Dear Class of 2021. You are leaving school at a time where your skills, knowledge, and ability to shape the future are more needed than any in recent memory, if ever. Use your powers to create a more compassionate, considerate, and equitable world. It is your time!

James Schlichting Class of '89 D.O. College of Osteopathic Medicine

Congratulations on your incredible achievement, today is a day you can look back with such pride on all that you have accomplished. The challenges you have faced this past year in the battle with covid have been immense, and you are to be commended for how you have emerged from them. Lots of good luck moving forward in all your endeavors. I cannot wait to hear more about the accomplishments of the class of 2021 moving forward. Sincerely, James P. Schlichting, D.O., Psy.D

Donna Baldassare Class of '08 DO College of Osteopathic Medicine

Best of luck to all of you!!!

Nihallipal Reddy Sripathi Class of '17

Chase your Dreams Burst out at the Seams Never stop Trying Never stop Learning Live life to the Fullest Give it nothing but your Best! Congratulations on your Graduation! Being graduated from NYIT is the best thing that ever happened to me. Today I work as Robotics Engineer at a Financial institution and I'm able to achieve it because of the knowledge I received from the research, practical labs and professors from NYIT. Proud to be the #Alumni NYIT

Judy Burns Class of '86 Mrs. New York Institute of Technology MBA

Congratulations for a job well done! You have made it through some challenging times, which will only help you thrive as you navigate around our “new normal!” Best wishes for continued success!

Cindy Begel Class of '79 TV writer-producer New York Tech Communications Arts M.A.

You did it! Congratulations to the Class of 2021. The education I got at NYIT helped me rocket towards my career goals which seemed impossible. Now it's your chance to turn your dreams into reality. Say YES to every opportunity, find mentors who are doing what you want to do, dismiss the naysayers, and with passion and perseverance forge your path. Make the world a better place. If you need an alumnus for a hand up, we're here!

Any ODonnell Class of '05 School of Management

Congratulations on the culmination of your hard work!! Wishing you all a lot of luck with your future endeavors. Don't forget to dream and keep your eye on your goals!!

Stephen Cannizzaro Class of '90 Sentinel, Sons and Daughters of Italy in America New York Tech Business School

I'd like to wish everyone in the graduating class my best wishes and continued success in your endeavors.  Good results come in good time.

Aziz Tetou Class of '11 Contracting Officer

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! You have achieved something truly amazing already by graduating this year during this pandemic. I wish you all good luck and success in your future endeavors!

Simrat Nijjer

Wishing everyone Congratulations on your Graduation. Wishing that bigger opportunities comes your way and you achieve success in all of them. It's time to celebrate all the hard work that led to this joyful occasion.

Scott Fitchett Class of '01

God bless you all with repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Congratulations to all graduates and a special thanks to the professors, administrators, and all boards for your hard work. Thanks again.

Debra Tripptree

Congratulations and best wishes to my daughter, Taylor Tripptree, and all of the graduating students of NYIT.  Your hard work, commitment, and dedication to your studies has paid off! Wishing you a very bright future. Enjoy and celebrate this wonder occasion!

Nancy Bono Class of '92 Chair / Associate Professor  College of Osteopathic Medicine

Special Congratulations to the Class of 2021! With joy, I want to congratulate each and every one of you for your success, achievements and growth. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and cherish your future endeavors! The future is yours, go conquer it!

Corri Wolf Interim Chair, Department of PA Studies School of Health Professions

Dear Class of 2021, The Department of PA Studies is very proud of all you have accomplished. We know you will be a great success and an asset to your healthcare team. Best of Luck!

Mitin Verma Class of '06 Library Associate College of Osteopathic Medicine

This is an amazing accomplishment for the class of 2021 and I am honored to share in the excitement of your graduation day, congratulations on your well-deserved success. Your hard work, talent and vision makes a tremendous difference.  As a alumni myself you will always remember this day. I extend best wishes for continued success and opportunities that lie ahead.

Claudia Finkle Class of '19

Congratulations on becoming the latest bears to join the alumnus group. I hope that you feel as prepared, as I did, to embark on your new adventure. Congratulations class of 2021!

Felix Ajuonuma Class of '16 Dr Capefear Valley Hospital

Congratulations to the great class of 2021. You have come a long way. You also witnessed the pandemic and it’s impact and changes to our lives and the practice of your profession now and in the future. Continue to strive for the best and be a good ambassador to our great NYITCOM. Go forth and conquer. Congratulations.

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2020 Valedictorian Speeches: Turn Your ‘I Would Haves’ Into ‘I Dids’

May 21, 2020

The Class of 2020 didn’t get the closure they were expecting. They had to leave the rhythm of high school or college abruptly, and join a world full of uncertainty.

And that is what the top students from Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School in Nashville decided to write about as part of our series of 2020 Valedictorian Speeches. Mert Sekmen and Neeraj Namburu say they’ve learned to turn the “I would haves” into “I dids.”

Listen to their collaborative speech or read the transcript below:

M: Hey, it’s your co-valedictorian, Mert. N: And your other co-valedictorian, Neeraj. M: We’d firstly like to say hello to the teachers, parents, friends, and of course the talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular, and never-the-same MLK Class of 2020. We’ve finally made it to the day that many of you, if you’re like me, have had marked on your calendar since you were little. But man, even though we’ve come to this day I’ve anticipated for God knows how long, sitting here writing this speech, I find myself speech-less. Many of us were robbed of our Senior Nights, our last recitals, our last musical productions, our last civic engagement events, our last prom, and the list could go on and on and on. Worst of all though, we were robbed of our valuable last moments with each other, because it was never about what the Class of 2020 was doing, but it was about the fact that we were doing it together. N: This one year never has, and never will be able to define who we are, and who we will be as a class. What defined us as a class, was … well … us. I know that for the last four years — well, 3.75 years — every time I looked up during lunch I always saw: Courtesy of Mert Sekmen Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School’s class of 2020 poses for a class picture. The athletes, reminding us about physical and mental perseverance. The civic leaders, showing us to fight for what we believe in. The musicians, demonstrating that practice makes perfect. The techies, teaching us about the innovations of tomorrow. And the artists, who showed us you can express yourself in whatever medium you want. These were the people that we learned from, and even though we might not always be with each other in the future, the lessons we learned will. Find your moment, and use the lessons you learned to live life how you want it. M: I know it also feels like when you reach the end in the fashion that we did, it’s easy to focus on the “would haves:” I would have played harder than I ever had during my last soccer game to the point my legs would fall off. N: I would have wanted to take in all the bustling sounds of a class change before I had to rush across the whole building. M: I would have said goodbye one last time to my dearest friends and teachers who have shaped who I am today. Courtesy of Neeraj Namburu Neeraj Namburu and his classmates enjoy a field trip to the zoo. N: Instead of being bogged down in the “would haves,” just take a step back and breathe, remember to enjoy every moment in the present because you never know if that moment you just had, was really your last. Turn your “I would haves” into your “I dids.” M: As Benjamin Franklin once said, “There are three things certain in life: death, taxes, and changes to the lunch schedule every year.” To build off of that: The only thing we know about the future is that it is unknown. However, we know that everyone here will accomplish fantastic things in the future, and our relentless perseverance in the face of difficulty is testimony to that. N: Thanks! M: Congratulations! N: And remember to wash your hands! M&N: Class of 2020 out!

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4 High School Graduation Speech Samples That Inspire

You made it to your senior year! And the next step in your life is graduation. Congrats on being chosen to speak for your class on the big day. While public speaking can be a bit intimidating, we know you have what it takes to do an awesome job. All you need is a little inspo for your high school graduation speech. 

Not to worry. We have your back. So take a deep breath, check out our high school graduation speech examples and tips, and get ready to wow your classmates, faculty, and families. You've totally got this. 

Sample Speeches for High School Graduation

While you probably won't want to use these speeches exactly, they're definitely a great place to start. Use our sample graduation speeches to help inspire your own creativity. Click to download and edit them for your own use. If you have any trouble downloading, please review the troubleshooting guide .

Helpful Hack If you like the style or sentiment of a particular speech, think of how it applies to your own high school experience, and use that as the basis for an original speech of your own.

Sample One: How We'll Measure These Years

You're not the same group of people you were in your freshman year. And our first sample is a speech that talks about how things have changed over your high school years.

My fellow students, we only arrived here four short years ago, and now it's already time to leave. How did it all go so fast? It seems like only yesterday that we were skinny little freshmen fighting with the locks on our lockers, trying to figure out where our next class was, and looking generally clueless to all the upperclassmen. Now, we are the upperclassmen — the seniors who stand here ready to graduate and move forward in the world. Yet at this seminal moment, we can't help looking back. 

How do we measure the time we've spent in high school? In the beginning, we measured it in class periods, counting down the day to eventual freedom. As the days and weeks passed, we measured it in semesters and later in years as we moved from being those clueless freshmen to becoming sophisticated sophomores who thought they had it all figured out. By the time we reached our junior year, we were confident that we were prepared to take over for the graduating seniors, and we couldn't wait to "rule the school." 

And now here we stand. Our rule is over, and it's up to the next class to step into our shoes and take over. I know that as I look out at all of you, I will measure my time here in a much different way. I will measure it in all the friendships I've enjoyed these last four years. Some were pretty casual, and others were much closer, but I'll remember each one fondly, as I'm sure you all will, too. And when many of our high school memories begin to fade, that's how we'll ultimately measure the time we spent here, not in periods or semesters or years, but in the friendships that we made and the times we shared together. 

Congratulations my fellow graduates of the class of (Insert year). Wherever we go and whatever we do, may we always be friends when we meet again. 

Sample Two: The Future Is in Our Hands

The second example focuses more on what the future holds for a high school graduate.

We stand here today on the precipice of the future. It's not a distant reality anymore. It begins here. It begins today. 

We began high school as children, but we're leaving here as adults. We've completed a basic education that will serve as the platform we use to launch ourselves into our futures. Some of us will go on to college, and others will go straight into the workforce, but each of us will travel our own path. 

No matter where we go or what we do, there are challenges ahead of us. What I'm asking from each of you, and from myself, is to meet those challenges straight on with our heads held high and our hearts wide open. It's not enough to simply try to get by in life. That doesn't move the world forward. We must try to excel in everything we do; strive for excellence in every task, large or small. 

Although it may not be easy to see, every accomplishment we achieve is added to the world's accomplishments. Our individual successes benefit society as a whole because when we succeed, we lighten the burden on our fellow man. When we succeed, we are in a position to give rather than take. 

Imagine if every individual lived up to their own potential. Think about how amazing that would be, and how much better off the world would be. Now imagine if just half of those individuals lived up to their potential. The world would still be an awesome place. If even 1/4 of those individuals worked to make their lives successful, they could still make some amazing contributions to society. 

Well, we may not have the power to inspire the entire world to strive for success, but we do have the power to try to achieve it for ourselves. My challenge to each of you and to myself is to do all that we can to reach our full potential. If each of the (Insert number) students in this graduating class is able to do that, just imagine the effect that would have. The future is truly in our hands, so let's make the most of it. 

Sample Three: A Debt of Gratitude

Nobody's accomplishments are 100% their own—there's always someone there to provide support, inspiration, and motivation. The third sample is about giving thanks to those who have helped everyone successfully graduate from high school.

I'd like to welcome everyone to this solemn and joyous occasion. It has been a long four years, but here we are, ready to graduate. We worked hard to get to this point, but we didn't do it by ourselves. 

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the following people. To our teachers, thank you for so unselfishly sharing your time, talent, and knowledge with us. Yes, we know it was your job to do it, but what you did for us went beyond the call of duty. You took the time to explain assignments, sometimes repeatedly because we weren't paying attention. You allowed us to come to your classroom after school for extra help when you could have gone home to spend time with your family. You put in the effort to make lessons more interesting so we wouldn't just tune out. You demanded excellence from us whether or not we wanted to give it. You set the bar high and challenged us to live up to it. 

To our parents, thank you for supporting us in more ways than it's possible to count. You dragged us out of bed each morning and made sure we were fed and clothed for school. You herded us out the door to the bus stop or drove us to school yourselves. You helped us with homework, paid our class fees, and listened to our complaints. You came to our plays, attended our sporting events, and chaperoned our dances. You commiserated over our daily dramas, but you tried to give us enough space to learn how to work things out for ourselves. These are just a few of the thousands of ways you've supported us on our journey. 

To our coaches and advisors, thank you for making school about more than just classwork. Through sports, we learned how to power on through adversity and give it our best effort, win or lose. We learned the importance of discipline and good sportsmanship. Through other activities like participating in clubs, school plays, and service projects, we learned how to work closely with others to achieve a common goal, and we had a lot of fun doing it. 

To our custodial staff and lunchroom attendants, thank you for keeping our school clean and safe. You know better than anyone else what slobs we've been. You actually deserve some kind of medal. 

To our principal, vice principal, and all the office staff, thank you for keeping things running smoothly so our teachers could concentrate on us. We're better off for it. 

To our guidance counselors, thank you for listening and trying to keep us on the right track for graduation. Without your help, some of us might not be graduating today. 

As you can see, behind each graduate there must have been at least a dozen people providing support in at least a dozen ways. The best way we graduates can show our gratitude is to make the most of the opportunity we've been given and go forward into the world with the intention of making it a better place for the generations that follow us. We'll pay that debt of gratitude forward. 

Sample Four: Inspirational Moments for Life

You're getting ready to head out into the world as adults. Adulting can be hard, but you'll find all the inspiration you need inside yourself. This last sample speech is an inspirational high school graduation speech that asks each student to look back on some of the moments from high school that will inspire them forever.

While the last four years were filled with friends, classes, teachers, and work, there were also tiny inspirations hiding in plain sight. In those moments, we were too busy, too distracted, too young to notice them. As we take a retrospective look at our high school years, I hope we will all see them clearly now. 

Close your eyes and imagine, if you will, that one thing that one teacher said to you that didn’t mean much at the time, but means something now. If you can’t hear it, think harder. This is one of your inspirational moments from high school.

Now, imagine that one scary moment with that one friend inside the school walls. Think about how you both acted and how it all turned out. If you can’t see it, think harder. This is one of your inspirational moments from high school. 

Imagine, one more time, that time when you felt so proud of yourself. Think about what you accomplished and how you did it for yourself. If you can’t feel it, think harder. This is one of your inspirational moments from high school. 

The most amazing things happen in high school when we least expect them. Although we're different people with different lives, we all experience these inspirational moments that happened in high school and stay with us for life. As we look toward our future, I encourage you to take time and look for these moments. They’ll be your inspiration for life. 

Example of a Humorous Valedictorian Speech

The following video offers a great example of a graduation speech that really speaks to the graduates while being humorous, appropriate, and entertaining. If you have a natural gift for humor, a funny speech like this will be remembered long after other graduation memories have begun to fade.

Tips for Writing a Graduation Speech

Whether you're writing a speech for your homeschool graduation, as the class Valedictorian, or as a graduation thank you speech , there are a few tips for speech writing that can make your talk meaningful and memorable.

Related: Inspirational Graduation Speeches and Themes

Know Your Audience

Even though parents, faculty, and members of the community will be on hand, the focus of your speech should be your classmates. Speak to them!

Grab Their Attention

A good speech grabs the audience's attention and never lets it go. Start off with an attention-grabbing question or a humorous first line, or make a strong statement that provokes curiosity about where the speech is going. Feel free to add appropriate humor liberally. Having a theme for the speech is also helpful.

Tell Stories

Don't just read your speech. Tell your speech by interspersing emotional stories that tug at the heartstrings or inspire positive actions for the future. You might even want to include an original poem to help express your feelings.

Include Everyone

Don't just speak to the academic achievers, sports stars, or popular crowd. Your topic should be all inclusive of your graduating class.

Keep It Short, but Not Too Short

Knowing how long a high school graduation speech should be is important before you start writing. Student speeches at high school graduations are generally between five and 10 minutes long, but closer to five is ideal.

End With a Memorable Message

High school graduation speeches by students and special guests often end with a memorable and actionable sentence that encourages the audience to do something great. It's customary to end by saying, "Thank you" in your graduation speech, which you can do after your memorable one-liner.

Don't Wear Out Your Welcome

A really great commencement speech is enjoyed, not simply endured. Put some serious thought into your speech, say something meaningful, and stick to your topic so your message doesn't get lost. Above all, don't talk too long. Remember that everyone wants to receive their diplomas, shed those caps and gowns , and get on with the celebration.

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K2 graduation in pandemic: How to make it meaningful for your kid

SINGAPORE - When Mrs Hilwah Brown watched daughter Yasmin Aurora, then six, perform at her Kindergarten 2 graduation concert last year in front of over 300 people, she became emotional.

"I felt very proud that my girl could perform on stage. The concert boosted the kids' confidence level," says Mrs Brown, 44, who runs a maid agency and has an elder daughter aged 10.

She was impressed that her daughter memorised the script for her lead role in a Willy Wonka inspired English segment and was able to sing Mandarin songs even though she is not Chinese.

As her youngest child and only son, Harris, six, prepares to graduate from the same MapleBear pre-school this year, Mrs Brown admits that his first school milestone is a bittersweet one.

"I cannot be there to witness my boy receiving the graduation certificate from the principal," she says. "Harris wants mummy and daddy to be there to clap for him and take pictures, so he is a bit sad."

Across the island, pre-schools have been coming up with creative ways to make the year-end ceremonies safe yet meaningful for the more than 34,000 children graduating from K2 during the pandemic.

Gone are the grand, auditorium-scale events that almost resembled pop concerts, with their elaborate sets and throngs of eager family members jostling for yet another photo of their precious little ones.

Following guidelines set by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), this year's ceremonies will be held at class-level with no visitors, no mixing of classes and safe distancing even during performances.

Brass and wind instruments are not allowed, while microphones, costumes and props cannot be shared. Graduation photos must be taken individually and each child's gown must be laundered before it can be reused.

An ECDA spokesman explains: "As pre-school premises are generally smaller and more compact compared with other premises, there will be more impact on families in the event of any transmission within the pre-school."

Despite the many restrictions, childcare centres are rising to the challenge.

"Graduation this year may not look the same. But with a little creativity, we can honour our children's accomplishments and focus on celebrating," says Mr Ng Yi Xian, executive director of the EtonHouse group.

It will have a live-stream feed for the 200 pupils graduating in December from its EtonHouse pre-schools, with live and pre-recorded segments. Parents are invited to share speeches virtually during the ceremony, Mr Ng adds.

Its K2 pupils will also showcase their graduation projects: including one on their EtonHouse memories and staging a Mandarin play titled The Resilient Seed.

Over at its E-Bridge Pre-School, which offers affordable child care under the Anchor Operator Scheme, teachers involved 560 K2 children in the planning of their graduation productions, which will be recorded for parents and at some centres, broadcast live.

Kinderland, which used to hold its K2 concerts at venues such as the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre with an audience of more than 1,000 people, is determined to make sure "our children get the best chance to still have as much normalcy and as many experiences despite the pandemic", says Dr Carol Loy, its director of Curriculum and Professional Development.

Over 200 graduating pupils will showcase values such as teamwork and friendship with performances such as playing musical instruments in a group and dancing during its virtual ceremony.

Similarly, MapleBear Singapore aims to continue its tradition of glitzy productions with a concert inspired by the musicals Annie and Oliver Twist, titled The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow. CEO Patricia Koh says that the school "will continue to make it special" for its 350 graduates.

A number of pre-schools are getting parents involved in the graduation experience as well.

Some centres under MY World Preschool, which has almost 900 K2 kids across 40 centres, are encouraging their pupils to give a speech at home, which their parents will record. At other centres, parents can record well wishes for their kids, which will be shared as a surprise segment during the ceremony, says Dr May See, its senior general manager.

At least one pre-school chain has adjusted its ceremony with the economic situation in mind. Star Learners Group, which has about 630 K2 pupils across its 41 centres, will live-stream its concerts for free, and will forgo make-up and costumes.

"We understand that these are difficult times and hope not to place any additional financial stress on our parents," explains cluster principal Audrey Chen. Its centres will still proceed with individual graduation photos and digitally stitch them together for the class collages.

Inclusive pre-school Kindle Garden will give its 20 graduating children a collage of class photos and a video montage at no charge, says its principal, Ms Sandy Koh.

The centre, which organised a free overnight camp and adventure walk for its K2 pupils last year, scrapped plans for a physical event this year but is considering holding a virtual session for its graduation ceremony after receiving feedback from parents.

Meanwhile, photo studios report a spike in the number of inquiries from parents about K2 graduation pictures this year. Photographer Melody Lin, who runs Oh Dear Studio, says she has "at least double or thrice the amount of interest and number of actual shoots" this year as parents look for something more than "static" school visuals.

Mr Daniel Kuan, lead photographer at Pixel Workz Photography, has seen a 40 per cent increase in the number of inquiries for such studio shoots, but has had to turn them down as it lacks a physical studio and conducts shoots in schools instead.

All the pre-schools interviewed say parents have taken the changes in their stride.

Sales consultant Teo Tian You, 36, says that apart from "slight disappointment we can't see it live, we are still trying to make my daughter feel like it's a big event".

Rui Ling, five-and-a-half, is still excited about her rehearsals even though her E-Bridge centre is giving parents a recording of the proceedings. Last year, she and her family watched her older brother Shen Jie's concert live at an auditorium. He is now seven.

"Perhaps the kids are still too young to see the difference between doing it externally and doing a scaled-down version," says Mr Teo, who has two other children aged three and seven months.

As educators wrap up an extraordinary year, they marvel at the tenacity and grit their young charges have shown throughout every complication.

"Even though it was a challenge to choreograph concert items with safe distancing measures in mind, the children enjoyed the process and were very cooperative during their regular practices," says Ms Chen of Star Learners.

Dr See of MY World Preschool adds: "We couldn't be prouder of the children graduating this year as they have shown themselves to be extremely resilient."

Make the most of your child's K2 concert

The conditions may not be ideal, but parents can still make sure that their child's Kindergarten 2 concert has "meaningful closure", says Mrs Dianne Seet, principal of The Ascension Kindergarten, which has 145 graduates this year.

She suggests the following tips for both live-streamed and recorded ceremonies.

Live-streamed concerts

Technical preparation is key: Make sure you have a strong Wi-Fi signal and that your device has a large enough screen so you can spot your child, who may be wearing a mask or face shield. Avoid using more than one device in the room to avoid audio feedback.

Before the event: Give your child a hug and share words of encouragement. Let your kid know that you will be supporting him or her as you watch the proceedings.

After the ceremony: Receive them with joy and ask them how they felt. Teach them to reflect on it without judging them - no matter how the experience went, there is something to learn.

Pre-recorded concerts

Make it family time: Arrange to watch the ceremony as a family and affirm your child on how he or she has grown.

Reflect with your child: K2 children are mature enough to reflect on their experiences, so use this opportunity to talk about how they displayed values like perseverance and resilience while they were preparing for the graduation. These life skills will serve your kid well as he or she enters primary school.

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A graduation speech to a residency class

I feet truly honored to have been asked to speak at your graduation and to have a chance to share on this day with all of you. We are experiencing a truly singular moment, and I imagine you are hoping that I might say something that would be comforting or inspiring, and I really can’t think what that could possibly be.

For the last half of your third year of residency, we have been consumed by a pandemic with no coherent leadership or plan for resolution.  The last few months have been marked for you by stretches of time on the frontlines in the hospital where you are consumed with incredible stress, fear, and exhaustion caring for critically ill patients with no clear algorithm for how to save their lives. This has been bookended with periods of guilt and helplessness with you feeling trapped on the sidelines sheltered in your homes facing hours and days of nothing specific to do, worrying about colleagues, loved ones, and your own lost opportunities to learn what you need to learn before becoming independent attendings.

In reflecting on this time, I am struck by this all-consuming sense of loss.  Loss of patients, loss of loved ones, loss of our lives as we knew it. Loss of security in our safety and of the plans for the future we had so carefully envisioned.  Together we feel like everything we thought we knew has been stripped away, and we are facing the abyss of the unknown.  We need the space to grieve all of that loss.  What does it mean to let go of everything we thought was secure without knowing what comes next – whether it will be better or worse?  Where will our place be in that world?  Will we ever return to “normal”?

As I was beginning to process these feelings for myself, I began to consider the cracks of our society laid bare by the pandemic: the disparities in our health care system, the atrocities of an economy so fragile that it could not withstand even two months of people staying home, the vulnerabilities of those with housing insecurity, crowded living situations, an overpopulated prison network.  I reflected on all the policies that had been slipped into our democracy to allow this to happen. And then, in the midst of all of that came the horrifying and gut-wrenching murder of Mr. George Floyd.

To be clear, we all know, what happened to Mr. Floyd was nothing new.  What happened to him had been happening over and over for decades in almost every community in every corner of this country.  But this time what we were witnessing happened in this almost perfect storm of a country full of people who had been trapped alone in their homes for over two months, many unemployed, many home from school, anxious and angry with nowhere to go and nothing to do.  And we now had front row seats to one of the most inhumane and grotesque of murders on a video that went on and on for 9 minutes listening to the cries of desperation not just from the victim but from the bystanders begging for it to stop.  And it was as if the universe was finally forcing us to really face who we are – with no option to look away, no option for our normally busy lives to pull our attention, no more excuses – this is what we are, what we have decided is ok for us to be.  Would we finally decide it was time to act? To quote JFK who, I believe, was paraphrasing Hillel the Elder:

“If not us, who?  If not now, when?”

And finally, for the first time in our lifetimes in any broad-reaching, significant and sustained way, we seem to have woken up. Every city and every town all across the country, people from all backgrounds in all stages of life joined together, and we marched.  And the world joined our cries, and together we stood up and said, “Enough.”

Around this time, I came across a beautiful essay written by the brilliant author Arundhati Roy who said this:

… in the midst of this terrible despair, it offers us a chance to rethink the doomsday machine we have built for ourselves. Nothing could be worse than a return to normality. Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. -->

It feels as if we can finally see a glimpse of what we might be able to leave behind as we journey through the portal.  We are having long-overdue conversations all over the country at every level in every organization about white supremacy, racism, police brutality.  But also about our dysfunctional and stratified health care system, our housing crisis, our failing economic structure.  Are we finally waking up to the brutal failings of our political infrastructure that has allowed the powerful few to create laws and policies that benefit their own wealth and greed, leaving the majority of the U.S. to struggle and fight over the scraps left behind?  Over centuries we have built a capitalized system that has consistently chosen wealth over humanity, do we finally have the opportunity to choose differently?

If each of us thinks about how we want to seize this moment and where we want to advocate, it is almost an overwhelming smorgasbord of options that could benefit from our efforts.

Have no doubt, as practicing physicians, every one of you carries enormous power. You are graduating into a world desperate for your voice and your expertise.  Almost everything that is wrong in the structure of our society ultimately leads back to impact the health of its citizens. The enormity of this responsibility can feel almost paralyzing at times.  But this is absolutely something every one of you has the talent and the skill to do.

And so I guess what I would say to you on this day of your graduation – allow for the space to grieve the loss.  Acknowledge the pain and the fear and make space for the times when you need to rest, to escape, and to find support.  But I would also encourage you to draw on your strength, alone and together to latch onto whatever piece of this world that inspires you the most to change and transform as we step through the portal and envision the world the way that it should be.

I will leave you with a final inspirational quote I am sure you have seen – it is a modern paraphrase of a statement attributed to an ancient rabbi in the Talmud: “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”

Deborah Edberg is a family physician.

Image credit:  Shutterstock.com

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