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Break down walls. Vanquish villains. Stand up and speak out. Facts and truth matter.

6 past harvard commencement speakers offer inspiring messages of justice, courage, resilience, empathy.

Harvard graduates this week will hear from two high-profile leaders, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Thursday and Sunday. Ahead of the ceremonies, we look back at Commencement addresses from recent years.

“My philosophy is very simple. When you see something that’s not right, not fair, not just, stand up, say something, and speak out.”

U.S. Rep. John Lewis

2018 The Civil Rights icon delivers a powerful message on the importance of truth, justice, and equality at a time when those values have come under assault.

Thank you so much for those kind words of introduction. I must tell you that I’m delighted, very pleased and really happy to be here. You look good! The weather is good, rain stayed away. I’m happy. It’s good to see each and every one of you. Fellows of Harvard University, members of the Board of Overseers, members of the alumni board, distinguished deans, guests, faculty and all of the students, all of the wonderful graduates, and madam president, thank you. Thank you for your leadership, thank you for getting in good trouble! Necessary trouble. To lead this great University.

I want to take just a moment to honor the tenure of a great leader, who, through her courage and vision, worked to lead this historic university to even higher heights. Madam president, thank you for being a friend, but more importantly, thank you for using your office to move Harvard toward a more all-inclusive institution. Somewhere along the way, you realized that the brilliant mind is not confined to one discipline or one way of thinking.

In fact, true genius sees connections and relationships across barriers, to build a new understanding of the world around us. Creating one Harvard is much like the work I dedicated my life to. Ever since as a young girl you wrote a letter to President Eisenhower as a little girl, you have been responding to the cry for human dignity that rings out in our world. You used your vision and your talent, you used the great resources of this university to respond to that call, and I thank you. Thank you for your contribution to human unity in our world.

Today I say to each and every one of you who graduated from this University, you must lead. You’re never too young to lead, you’re never too old to lead! We need your leadership now more than ever before. We need it! We must save our country! We must save it! We must save our democracy. There are forces in America today and around the world trying to take us to some other place. Our foremothers and forefathers brought us to this place. Maybe our foremothers and our forefathers all came to this great land in different ships but as the late great A. Philip Randolph said “we are all in the same boat now” and we must look out for each other and care for each other. You’re never too young or too old to lead! To speak up! Speak out! And get in good trouble, necessary trouble. You cannot afford to stand on the sidelines.

Another generation of young people and people not so young are inspired to get in the way. Students from Harvard, Dr. Cole, who I have been knowing for many years came to Mississippi, came to the South and gave everything you had. During the 63 young men that I knew, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwermer, and James Chaney gave their very lives while they were helping people to register to vote. The vote is precious. It’s almost sacred. It is the most powerful, nonviolent instrument or tool we have in a democratic society and we must use t if we fail to use it, we will lose it.

So during this election year, I urge you, I plead with you to do what you can to save and rescue America. To do what you can to save the planet! Save this spaceship we call earth and leave it a little cleaner, a little greener, and a little more peaceful. For generations yet unborn. We have a mission and a mandate to go out there, play a role and play it so well as Dr. King would say, that no one else can play it any better. Some of you have heard me say from time to time that I grew up in rural Alabama on a farm, picking cotton, gathering peanuts, gathering corn. Sometimes I would be out there working and my mother would say, “boy, you’re falling behind! You need to catch up.” And I would say “this is hard work.” And she said “hard work never killed anybody.” And I said “well it’s about to kill me!” We need to work hard! There is work to be done. These smart graduates will lead us. High school students lead us, and guys, I say to you, if you’re not mindful, the women are going to lead us! It is my belief, it is my feeling as a traveler of America that the women and young. People, high school students, elementary school students and College students will lead us as part of a nonviolent revolution. We will create an America that is better, a little more humane and no one, but no one can deny us of that.

I just want to say one or two words to the graduates. Take a deep breath and take it all in. But tomorrow, I hope you roll up your sleeves, because the world is waiting for talented men and women to lead it to a better place. During the 60s, people literally put their bodies on the line! Many came from this University, came from Cambridge, from Boston, throughout the state and throughout America. Just think a few short years ago that Black people and white people couldn’t be seated together on a Greyhound business or trailway bus, leaving Washington, D.C., to travel through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi. We were on our way to New Orleans to test a decision of the United States Supreme Court. We were beaten, arrested, and more than 400 of us were jailed. My seatmate was a young white gentleman from Connecticut. We arrived in a small town in South Carolina. We were beaten, left bloody. But many years later, and this was May 1961, same year that Barack Obama was born, but many years later, one of the guys that beat us came to my office in Washington. He got information from a local reporter. He was in his 70s, his son came with him in his 40s. He said, “Mr. Lewis, I’m one of the people that beat you. Beat your seatmate. I’ve been a member of the Klan.” He said “will you forgive me? I want to apologize. Will you accept my apology? Will you forgive me?” His son started crying, he started crying and I said, “I forgive you. I accept your apology.” They hugged me, I hugged them back, and I cried with them. It is the power of the way of peace, the power of love, it is the power of the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. We need to create a society where we can be reconciled and lay down the burden of hath for hate is too heavy of a burden to bear.

Fifty years ago the man that I admired, the man that was like a brother, Martin Luther King Jr., was taken from us. When we heard that Dr. King had been assassinated I was in Indianapolis, Indiana, campaigning with Bobby Kennedy. I cried. Stopped crying and I said to myself “we still have bobby.” Two months later Bobby Kennedy was gone. And I cried some more. Today we’ve got to get rid of our are tears and not be down. And not get lost in the sea of despair. We’ve got to be hopeful and keep the faith and turn the ship around. We can do it and we must do it!

Here at Harvard you’ve been well trained. You must lead. You must get out there and as Dr. King would say, be a headlight, not a taillight! It’s your time, it’s your calling. During the 60s I got arrested a few times, 40 times! And since I’ve been in Congress another five times! And I’m probably going to get arrested again! My philosophy is very simple, when you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, stand up! Say something! Speak up and speak out!

When I was growing up as a young boy in rural Alabama, 50 miles from Montgomery, I had an aunt by the name of Seneva and my aunt lived in a shotgun house. Here at Harvard you never seen a shotgun house, you don’t even know what I’m talking about. One way in, one way out. What is a shotgun house? Old house, dirt yard. Sometimes my aunt Seneva would go out on the weekend, Friday or Saturday, and take a brush broom made from dogwood branches and sweep the yard very clean. One Saturday afternoon few of my brothers and sisters, cousins, about 15 of us young children were playing in her dirt yard. And an unbelievable storm came up. The wind started blowing, the thunder started rolling and the lightning started flashing and she told us to come in. We went in. The wind continued to blow, the thunder continued to roll, the lightning continued to flash, and the rain continued to beat on this old tin roof of the shotgun house. And we cried and cried. And in one corner of the old house appeared to be lifting up. And my aunt walked over to that side to hold the house down with her body. When the other corner appeared to be lifting she had us walk to that corner, we were children walking with the wind, but we never, ever left the house! I say to each of you, each and every one of us, the wind may blow, the thunder may roll, the lightning may flash, and the rain may beat down on an old house. Call it a house of Harvard, call it a house of Cambridge, call it a house of Boston, call it the house of Washington, or Alabama or Georgia, we all live in the same house. We all must hold our little house down. So I say to you: Walk with the wind. Let the spirit of history be your guide.

Thank you very much.

“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

J.K. Rowling

2008 Drawing from her own life story, the “Harry Potter” author urges graduates not to fear failure but to learn from it and emphasized the power of empathy and imagination.

Read the speech.

“If we break down the walls that hem us in, if we step out into the open and have the courage to embrace new beginnings, everything is possible.”

Angela Merkel

2019 Like the Berlin Wall, “anything that seems set in stone or inalterable can indeed change,” Germany’s first woman chancellor said.

Herman Hesse wrote, “In all beginnings dwells a magic force for guarding us and helping us to live.” These words by Herman Hesse inspired me when I completed my physics degree at the age of 24. That was back in 1978. The world was divided into east and west, and it was in the grips of the Cold War. I grew up in East Germany, in the GDR, the part of my country which was not free at that time, in a dictatorship. People were oppressed and under state surveillance. Political dissidents were persecuted. The East German government was afraid that the people would flee to freedom. And that’s why it built the Berlin Wall, a wall made of concrete and steel. Anyone caught trying to overcome it was arrested or shot dead. This wall, which cut Berlin in half, divided a people and it divided families. My family was also divided.My first job after college was as a physicist at the Academy of Sciences in East Berlin. I lived near the Berlin Wall. I walked towards it every day on my way home from my institute. Behind it lay West Berlin, freedom. And every day, when I was very close to the wall, I had to turn away at the last minute in order to head towards my apartment. Every day, I had to turn away from freedom at the last minute. I don’t know how often I thought that I just couldn’t take it anymore. It was so frustrating.

Now, I was not a dissident. I didn’t run up and bang against the wall. Nor, however, did I deny its existence, for I didn’t want to lie to myself. The Berlin Wall limited my opportunities. It quite literally stood in my way. However, there was one thing which this wall couldn’t do during all those years. It couldn’t impose limits on my inner thoughts. My personality, my imagination, my dreams and desires, prohibitions or coercion couldn’t limit any of that. Then came 1989. A common desire for freedom unleashed incredible forces throughout Europe. In Poland, in Hungary, in Czechoslovakia, as well as in East Germany, hundreds of thousands of people dared to take to the streets. The people demonstrated and brought down the wall. Something which many people, including myself, would not have believed possible became reality. Where there was once only a dark wall, a door suddenly opened. For me, too, the moment had come to walk through that door. I no longer had to turn away from freedom at the last minute. I was able to cross this border and venture out into the great wide open.

During these months, 30 years ago, I experienced firsthand that nothing has to stay the way it is. This experience, dear graduates, is the first thought I want to share with you today for your future. Anything that seems to be set in stone or inalterable can, indeed, change. In matters both large and small, it holds true that every change begins in the mind. My parents’ generation discovered this in a most painful way. My father and mother were born in 1926 and 1928.

When they weren’t as old as most of you here today, the betrayal of all civilized well values that was the Shoah and World War II had just ended. My country, Germany, had brought unimaginable suffering on Europe and the world. The victors and the defeated could easily have remained irreconcilable for many years, but instead, Europe overcame centuries old conflicts. A peaceful order based on common values rather than suppose at national strength emerged. Despite all the discussions and temporary setbacks, I firmly believe that we Europeans have United for the better. And the relationship between Germans and Americans, too, demonstrates how former wartime enemies can become friends.

It was George Marshall who gave a crucial contribution to this for the plan he announced at the commencement ceremonies in 1947 in this very place. The transatlantic partnership based on values, such as democracy and human rights, has given us an era of peace and prosperity of benefit to all sides, which has lasted for more than 70 years now. And today, it will not be long now before the politicians of my generation are no longer the subject of the exercising leadership program, and at most will be dealt with in leadership in history. Harvard class of 2019, your generation will be faced with the challenges of the 21st century in the coming decades. You are among those who will lead us into the future.

Protectionism and trade conflicts, jeopardize free international trade, and thus the very foundations of our prosperity. The digital transformation affects all facets of our lives, wars and terrorism lead to displacement and forced migration, climate change poses a threat to our planet’s natural resources, it and the resulting crises are caused by humans. Therefore, we can and must do everything humanly possible to truly master this challenge to humankind. It’s still possible. However, each and every one of us must play our part. And I say this with a measure of self criticism, get better. I will therefore do everything in my power to ensure that Germany, my country, will achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Changes for the better are possible if we tackle them together. If we were to go it alone, we could not achieve much. The second thought I want to share with you is therefore, more than ever our way of thinking and our actions have to be multilateral rather than unilateral, global rather than national, outward looking rather than isolationists. In short, we have to work together rather than alone.

You, dear graduates, will have quite different opportunities to do this in future than my generation did. After all, your smartphone probably has considerably more processing power than the copy of an IBM mainframe computer manufactured in the Soviet Union, which I was allowed to use for my dissertation in East Germany in 1986.

Today we use artificial intelligence, for example, to search through millions of images for symptoms of diseases.In order, among other things, to better diagnose cancer. In future, empathetic robots could help doctors and nurses to focus on the individual needs of patients. We cannot predict today which applications will be possible. However, the opportunities it brings are truly breathtaking.

Class of 2019, how we use these opportunities will be largely up to you as graduates. You are the ones who will be involved in deciding how our approach to how we work, communicate, get about, indeed, our entire way of life will develop. As federal chancellor, I often have to ask myself, “Am I doing the right thing?” “Am I doing something? Because it isn’t right? Or simply because it is possible.” That is something you two need to keep asking yourselves. And that is the third thought I wish to share with you today.

Are we laying down the rules for technology or is technology dictating how we interact? Do we prioritize people as individuals with their human dignity and all their many facets? Or do we see in them merely consumers, data sources, objects of surveyance. These are difficult questions.

I have learned that we can find good answers even to difficult questions if we always try to view the world through the eyes of others. If we respect other people’s history, traditions, religion, and identity. If we hold fast to our inalienable values and act in accordance with them. And if we don’t always act on our first impulses, even when there is pressure to make a snap decision.

But instead take a moment to stop. Be still. Think. Pause. Granted, that certainly takes courage. Above all it calls for truthfulness in our attitude towards others. And perhaps most importantly, it calls for us to be honest with ourselves.

What better place to begin to do so than here, in this place, where so many young people from all over the world come to learn, research, and discuss the issues of our time under the maxim of truth. That requires us not to describe lies as truth and truth as lies. It requires us not to accept shortcomings as our normality. Yet what, dear graduates, could stop you? What could stop us from doing that?

Once again, the answer is walls.

Walls in people’s minds. Walls of ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They exist between family members, as well as between groups within the society, between people of different skin colors, nations, and religions. I would like us to break down these walls. Walls that keep preventing us from envisioning the world in which, together, we want to live.

Whether we manage to do that is up to us. That’s why my full thought for you, dear graduates, to consider is this. Nothing can be taken for granted. Our individual liberties are not givens. Democracy is not something we can take for granted. Neither is peace and neither is prosperity.

But if we break down… If we break down the walls that hem us in, if we step out into the open and have the courage to embrace new beginnings, everything is possible. Walls can collapse. Dictatorships can disappear. We can halt global warming. We can eradicate starvation. We can eliminate diseases. We can give people, especially girls, access to education. We can fight the causes of displacement and forced migration. We can do all of that. Let’s not start by asking what isn’t possible, or focusing on what has always been that way. Let’s start by asking what is possible and looking for things that have never been done like that before. This is exactly what I said to the Bundestag, the German Parliament, in 2005 in my first policy statement as newly elected Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and the first woman to hold this office. I want to use precisely these words to share with you my fifth thought. Let us surprise ourselves by showing what is possible. Let us surprise ourselves by showing what we are capable of. In my own life, it was the fall of the Berlin Wall that allowed me almost 30 years ago to step out into the open. At that point, I left my work as a scientist behind me and entered politics. That was an exciting and magical time, just as your lives will be exciting and magical.

I also experienced moments of doubt and worry, for at that time, we all knew what lay behind us, but not what might lie ahead. Perhaps that reflects a little how you, too, are feeling today, amidst all the joy of this occasion.

The six thought I also want to share with you is this. The moment when you step out into the open is also a moment of risk-taking. Letting go of the old is part of a new beginning. There is no beginning without an end, no day without night, no life without death. Our whole life consists of the difference, the space between beginning and ending.

It is what lies in between that we call life and experience. I believe at time and time again, we need to be prepared to keep bringing things to an end in order to feel the magic of new beginnings and to make the most of opportunities. That was what I learned as a student, and it is what I now in politics. Who knows what life will bring after my time as a politician? That, too, is completely open. Only one thing is clear. It will again be something different and something new.

That’s why I want to leave this wish with you. Tear down walls of ignorance and narrow mindedness for nothing has to stay as it is.

It’s six things. Take joint action in the interest of the moderate lateral global world. Keep asking yourselves, “Am I doing something because it is right, or simply because it’s possible?” Don’t forget that freedom is never something that can be taken for granted. Surprise yourself with what is possible. Remember that openness always involves risks. Letting go of the old is part of the new beginning. Above all, nothing can be taken for granted. Everything is possible. Thank you.

“In a two-hour movie, you get a handful of character-defining moments, but in real life, you face them every day. Life is one strong, long string of character-defining moments.”

Steven Spielberg

2016 Don’t shy away from the world’s pain, the filmmaker urged grads. Instead, examine it, challenge it and, while you’re at it, find “a villain to vanquish.”

Thank you, thank you, President Faust, and Paul Choi, thank you so much.

It’s an honor and a thrill to address this group of distinguished alumni and supportive friends and kvelling parents. We’ve all gathered to share in the joy of this day, so please join me in congratulating Harvard’s Class of 2016.

I can remember my own college graduation, which is easy, since it was only 14 years ago. How many of you took 37 years to graduate? Because, like most of you, I began college in my teens, but sophomore year, I was offered my dream job at Universal Studios, so I dropped out. I told my parents if my movie career didn’t go well, I’d re-enroll. It went all right.But eventually, I returned for one big reason. Most people go to college for an education, and some go for their parents, but I went for my kids. I’m the father of seven, and I kept insisting on the importance of going to college, but I hadn’t walked the walk. So, in my fifties, I re-enrolled at Cal State — Long Beach, and I earned my degree.I just have to add: It helped that they gave me course credit in paleontology for the work I did on Jurassic Park. That’s three units for Jurassic Park, thank you. Well I left college because I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and some of you know, too — but some of you don’t. Or maybe you thought you knew but are now questioning that choice. Maybe you’re sitting there trying to figure out how to tell your parents that you want to be a doctor and not a comedy writer.

Well, what you choose to do next is what we call in the movies the “character-defining moment.” Now, these are moments you’re very familiar with, like in the last “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” when Rey realizes the force is with her. Or Indiana Jones choosing mission over fear by jumping over a pile of snakes. Now in a two-hour movie, you get a handful of character-defining moments, but in real life, you face them every day. Life is one strong, long string of character-defining moments. And I was lucky that at 18 I knew what I exactly wanted to do. But I didn’t know who I was. How could I? And how could any of us? Because for the first 25 years of our lives, we are trained to listen to voices that are not our own. Parents and professors fill our heads with wisdom and information, and then employers and mentors take their place and explain how this world really works. And usually these voices of authority make sense, but sometimes, doubt starts to creep into our heads and into our hearts. And even when we think, “that’s not quite how I see the world,” it’s kind of easier to just to nod in agreement and go along, and for a while, I let that going along define my character. Because I was repressing my own point of view, because like in that Nilsson song, “Everybody was talkin’ at me, so I couldn’t hear the echoes of my mind.” And at first, the internal voice I needed to listen to was hardly audible, and it was hardly noticeable — kind of like me in high school.

But then I started paying more attention, and my intuition kicked in. And I want to be clear that your intuition is different from your conscience. They work in tandem, but here’s the distinction: Your conscience shouts, “here’s what you should do,” while your intuition whispers, “here’s what you could do.” Listen to that voice that tells you what you could do. Nothing will define your character more than that. Because once I turned to my intuition, and I tuned into it, certain projects began to pull me into them, and others, I turned away from. And up until the 1980s, my movies were mostly, I guess what you could call “escapist.” And I don’t dismiss any of these movies — not even 1941. Not even that one. And many of these early films reflected the values that I cared deeply about, and I still do. But I was in a celluloid bubble, because I’d cut my education short, my worldview was limited to what I could dream up in my head, not what the world could teach me.

But then I directed “The Color Purple.” And this one film opened my eyes to experiences that I never could have imagined, and yet were all too real. This story was filled with deep pain and deeper truths, like when Shug Avery says, “Everything wants to be loved.” My gut, which was my intuition, told me that more people needed to meet these characters and experience these truths. And while making that film, I realized that a movie could also be a mission. I hope all of you find that sense of mission. Don’t turn away from what’s painful. Examine it. Challenge it. My job is to create a world that lasts two hours. Your job is to create a world that lasts forever. You are the future innovators, motivators, leaders and caretakers. And the way you create a better future is by studying the past.

“Jurassic Park” writer Michael Crichton, who graduated from both this college and this medical school, liked to quote a favorite professor of his who said that if you didn’t know history, you didn’t know anything. You were a leaf that didn’t know it was part of a tree. So history majors: Good choice, you’re in great shape…Not in the job market, but culturally. The rest of us have to make a little effort. Social media that we’re inundated and swarmed with is about the here and now. But I’ve been fighting and fighting inside my own family to get all my kids to look behind them, to look at what already has happened. Because to understand who they are is to understand who we were, and who their grandparents were, and then, what this country was like when they emigrated here. We are a nation of immigrants at least for now.

So to me, this means we all have to tell our own stories. We have so many stories to tell. Talk to your parents and your grandparents, if you can, and ask them about their stories. And I promise you, like I have promised my kids, you will not be bored. And that’s why I so often make movies based on real-life events. I look to history not to be didactic, cause that’s just a bonus, but I look because the past is filled with the greatest stories that have ever been told. Heroes and villains are not literary constructs, but they’re at the heart of all history.

And again, this is why it’s so important to listen to your internal whisper. It’s the same one that compelled Abraham Lincoln and Oskar Schindler to make the correct moral choices. In your defining moments, do not let your morals be swayed by convenience or expediency. Sticking to your character requires a lot of courage. And to be courageous, you’re going to need a lot of support.And if you’re lucky, you have parents like mine. I consider my mom my lucky charm. And when I was 12 years old, my father handed me a movie camera, the tool that allowed me to make sense of this world. And I am so grateful to him for that. And I am grateful that he’s here at Harvard, sitting right down there. My dad is 99 years old, which means he’s only one year younger than Widener Library. But unlike Widener, he’s had zero cosmetic work. And dad, there’s a lady behind you, also 99, and I’ll introduce you after this is over, okay? But look, if your family’s not always available, there’s backup. Near the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life” — you remember that movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”? Clarence the Angel inscribes a book with this: “No man is a failure who has friends.” And I hope you hang on to the friendships you’ve made here at Harvard. And among your friends, I hope you find someone you want to share your life with.

I imagine some of you in this yard may be a tad cynical, but I want to be unapologetically sentimental. I spoke about the importance of intuition and how there’s no greater voice to follow. That is, until you meet the love of your life. And this is what happened when I met and married Kate, and that became the greatest character-defining moment of my life.Love, support, courage, intuition. All of these things are in your hero’s quiver, but still, a hero needs one more thing: A hero needs a villain to vanquish. And you’re all in luck. This world is full of monsters. And there’s racism, homophobia, ethnic hatred, class hatred, there’s political hatred, and there’s religious hatred.As a kid, I was bullied — for being Jewish. This was upsetting, but compared to what my parents and grandparents had faced, it felt tame. Because we truly believed that anti-Semitism was fading. And we were wrong. Over the last two years, nearly 20,000 Jews have left Europe to find higher ground. And earlier this year, I was at the Israeli embassy when President Obama stated the sad truth. He said: “We must confront the reality that around the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise. We cannot deny it.”

My own desire to confront that reality compelled me to start, in 1994, the Shoah Foundation. And since then, we’ve spoken to over 53,000 Holocaust survivors and witnesses in 63 countries and taken all their video testimonies. And we’re now gathering testimonies from genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, Armenia and Nanking. Because we must never forget that the inconceivable doesn’t happen — it happens frequently. Atrocities are happening right now. And so we wonder not just, “When will this hatred end?” but, “How did it begin?”

Now, I don’t have to tell a crowd of Red Sox fans that we are wired for tribalism. But beyond rooting for the home team, tribalism has a much darker side. Instinctively and maybe even genetically, we divide the world into “us” and “them.” So the burning question must be: How do all of us together find the “we?” How do we do that? There’s still so much work to be done, and sometimes I feel the work hasn’t even begun. And it’s not just anti-Semitism that’s surging — Islamophobia’s on the rise, too. Because there’s no difference between anyone who is discriminated against, whether it’s the Muslims, or the Jews, or minorities on the border states, or the LGBT community — it is all big one hate.

And to me, and, I think, to all of you, the only answer to more hate is more humanity. We gotta repair — we have to replace fear with curiosity. “Us” and “them” — we’ll find the “we” by connecting with each other. And by believing that we’re members of the same tribe. And by feeling empathy for every soul — even Yalies.

My son graduated from Yale, thank you …

But make sure this empathy isn’t just something that you feel. Make it something you act upon. That means vote. Peaceably protest. Speak up for those who can’t and speak up for those who may be shouting but aren’t being hard. Let your conscience shout as loud as it wants if you’re using it in the service of others.

And as an example of action in service of others, you need to look no further than this Hollywood-worthy backdrop of Memorial Church. Its south wall bears the names of Harvard alumni — like President Faust has already mentioned — students and faculty members, who gave their lives in World War II. All told, 697 souls, who once tread the ground where stand now, were lost. And at a service in this church in late 1945, Harvard President James Conant — which President Faust also mentioned — honored the brave and called upon the community to “reflect the radiance of their deeds.”

Seventy years later, this message still holds true. Because their sacrifice is not a debt that can be repaid in a single generation. It must be repaid with every generation. Just as we must never forget the atrocities, we must never forget those who fought for freedom. So as you leave this college and head out into the world, continue please to ‘reflect the radiance of their deeds,’ or as Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan would say, “Earn this.”

And please stay connected. Please never lose eye contact. This may not be a lesson you want to hear from a person who creates media, but we are spending more time looking down at our devices than we are looking in each other’s eyes. So, forgive me, but let’s start right now. Everyone here, please find someone’s eyes to look into. Students, and alumni and you too, President Faust, all of you, turn to someone you don’t know or don’t know very well. They may be standing behind you, or a couple of rows ahead. Just let your eyes meet. That’s it. That emotion you’re feeling is our shared humanity mixed in with a little social discomfort.

But, if you remember nothing else from today, I hope you remember this moment of human connection. And I hope you all had a lot of that over the past four years. Because today you start down the path of becoming the generation on which the next generation stands. And I’ve imagined many possible futures in my films, but you will determine the actual future. And I hope that it’s filled with justice and peace.

And finally, I wish you all a true, Hollywood-style happy ending. I hope you outrun the T. rex, catch the criminal and for your parents’ sake, maybe every now and then, just like E.T.: Go home. Thank you.

“Facts and truth are matters of life and death. Misinformation, disinformation, delusions, and deceit can kill.”

Martin Baron

2020 “Imperfect though [it] may be” an independent press is key to ensuring that facts are presented and truth defended in society,” the Washington Post executive editor said.

Good morning from my home. Like you, I wish we were together on campus.There is so much now we can no longer take for granted. The air we breathe is first among them. So, those of us who are healthy have ample reason to be grateful. I am also grateful to Harvard and to President Bacow for inviting me to be with you. To the Harvard Class of 2020, congratulations. And congratulations to the parents, professors, mentors and friends who helped you along the way. Joining you for graduation is a high honor.

For me, this is an opportunity – an opportunity to speak about subjects that I believe are of real urgency. Especially now during a worldwide health emergency.

I would like to discuss with you the need for a commitment to facts and to truth. Only a few months ago, I would have settled for emphasizing that our democracy depends on facts and truth. And it surely does. But now, as we can plainly see, it is more elemental than that.

Facts and truth are matters of life and death. Misinformation, disinformation, delusions and deceit can kill. Here is what can move us forward: Science and medicine. Study and knowledge. Expertise and reason. In other words, fact and truth. I want to tell you why free expression by all of us and an independent press, imperfect though we may be, is essential to getting at the truth. And why we must hold government to account. And hold other powerful interests to account as well.When I began thinking about these remarks, I expected, of course, to be on Harvard’s campus. And I thought: Not a bad place to talk about a free press. Not a bad place to talk about our often-testy relationship with official power.

It was in Boston, after all, where the first newspaper of the American colonies was founded. Its first edition was published September 25th, 1690. The very next day, the governor and council of Massachusetts shut it down. So, the press of this country has long known what it means to face a government that aims to silence it. Fortunately, there has been progress. With the First Amendment, James Madison championed the right of “freely examining public characters and measures.”

But it took a very long time before we as a nation fully absorbed what Madison was talking about. We took many ominous turns. We had the Alien and Sedition acts under John Adams, the Sedition and Espionage Acts under Woodrow Wilson, the McCarthy era. It was not always clear where we as a nation would end up.

Finally, witnessing the authoritarianism of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, we began to secure a free press in this country. The Supreme Court would forcefully emphasize the press’ role in guaranteeing a democracy. Justice Hugo Black said it well decades later: “The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.” Not only the secrets of government, I would add. Our duty to inform the public does not stop there. Not by a long shot.

That was evident during my years as a journalist in Boston. Amid today’s crisis, it seems like another era. And I guess it is. But I want to tell you about it — because I think it remains instructive about what a strong, independent press must do.

I started as editor of the Boston Globe in the summer of 2001. One day prior to my start date, a Globe columnist wrote about a shocking case. A priest had been accused of abusing as many as 80 kids. A lawsuit alleged that the cardinal in Boston at the time knew about the serial abuse, didn’t do anything about it — and repeatedly reassigned this priest from parish to parish, warning no one, over decades. The Archdiocese called the accusations baseless and reckless. The Globe columnist wrote that the truth might never be known. Internal documents that might reveal it had been sealed by a judge. On my first day of work, we asked the question: How do we get at the truth? Because the public deserved to know.

That question led us to challenge the judge’s secrecy order. And our journalists launched an investigation of their own. In early 2002, we published what we had learned through reporting and by prevailing in court. We published the truth: The cardinal did know about the abuse by this priest. Yet he kept him in ministry, thus enabling further abuse. Dozens of clergy in the diocese had committed similar offenses. The cardinal had covered it all up.

And a bigger truth would emerge: Covering up such abuse had been practice and policy in the Church for decades. Only now the powerful were being held to account.

Late in 2002, after hundreds of stories on this subject, I received a letter from a Father Thomas P. Doyle. Father Doyle had struggled for years – in vain — to get the Church to confront the very issue we were writing about. He expressed deep gratitude for our work. “It is momentous,” he wrote, “and its good effects will reverberate for decades.” Father Doyle did not see journalists as the enemy. He saw us an ally when one was sorely needed. So did abuse survivors. I kept Father Doyle’s letter on my desk — a daily reminder of what journalists must do when we see evidence of wrongdoing.

Harvard’s commencement speaker two years ago, civil rights pioneer John Lewis, once said this: “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” We as journalists have the capacity – along with the constitutional right — to say and do something. We also have the obligation. And we must have the will. So must you. Every one of you has a stake in this idea of free expression. You want to be free to express your views. You should be free to hear the views of others, the same or different. You want to be free to watch any movie. To read any book. To listen to any lyrics. You should be free to say what you know is true without threat of government reprisal.And you should acknowledge this if you value these freedoms that come with democracy: Democracy cannot exist without a free and independent press. It never has.

Leaders who crave more power for themselves always move quickly to crush an independent press. Next, they destroy free expression itself. Sadly, much of the world is on that worrisome path. And efforts in this country to demonize, delegitimize and dehumanize the press give license to other governments to do the same – and to do far worse.

By the end of last year, a near-record 250 journalists worldwide were sitting in prison. Thirty of them faced accusations of “false news,” a charge virtually unheard-of only seven years earlier.

Turkey has been trading places with China as No. 1 on the list of countries that jail the most journalists. The Turkish government has shut down more than 100 media outlets and charged many journalists as terrorists. Independent media have been largely extinguished. China, of course, imposes some of the world’s tightest censorship on what its citizens can see and hear.

In Hungary, the prime minister has waged war on independent media. Harvard Nieman fellow Andras Petho, who runs an investigative reporting center there, notes that the prime minister’s business allies are “taking over hundreds of outlets and turning them into propaganda machines.”

Like other heads of state, Hungary’s prime minister has exploited the pandemic to grab more power, suppress inconvenient facts, and escalate pressure on news outlets. A new law threatens up to five-year jail terms against those accused of spreading supposedly false information. Independent news outlets have questioned how the crisis was managed. And the fear now is that such accountability journalism will lead to harassment and arrests, as it has in other countries.

In the Philippines, the courageous Maria Ressa, who founded the country’s largest online-only news site, has been battling government harassment for years on other fronts. She now faces prosecution on bogus charges of violating foreign ownership laws. By the end of last year, she had posted bail eight times. Her real violation? She brought scrutiny to the president. In Myanmar, two Reuters journalists — Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo – were imprisoned for more than 500 days for investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys. Finally, a year ago, they were released. In 2018, an opinion writer for The Washington Post, Jamal Khashoggi, walked into Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul to get documents he needed to marry. He was murdered there at the hands of a team sent by highest-level Saudi officials. His offense? He had sharply criticized the Saudi government. In Mexico, murderous vengeance against journalists is common. Last year, at least five were killed, more than in any other country. I think also of the risks that American journalists have taken to inform the public. Among them are colleagues I can never forget.

One is Elizabeth Neuffer. Seventeen years ago this month, I stood before her friends at the Boston Globe to report that she had died covering the war in Iraq. Elizabeth was 46, an experienced foreign correspondent, a mentor to others; vivacious and brave. Her Iraqi driver was traveling at high speed because of the risk of abductions. He lost control. Elizabeth died instantly; her translator, too. Elizabeth had a record of fearlessness in investigating war crimes and human rights abuses. Her goal: Reveal the world as it is — because someone might then make things better.

Another colleague was Anthony Shadid. In 2002, I visited Anthony, then a reporter for the Globe, after he was shot and wounded in Ramallah. Lying in a hospital in Jerusalem, it was clear that he had narrowly escaped being paralyzed. Anthony recovered and went on to report from Iraq, where he won two Pulitzer Prizes for The Washington Post. From Egypt, where he was harassed by police. From Libya, where he and three New York Times colleagues were detained by pro-government militias and physically abused. He died in 2012, at age 43, while reporting in Syria, apparently of an asthma attack. Anthony told the stories of ordinary people. Without him, their voices would have gone unheard.

And now I think constantly of reporters, photographers and videographers who risk their own well-being to be with heroic frontline health workers — frontline workers of every sort – to share their stories. Anthony, Elizabeth and my present-day colleagues sought to be eyewitnesses. To see the facts for themselves. To discover the truth and tell it. As a profession, we maintain there is such a thing as fact, there is such a thing as truth.

At Harvard, where the school’s motto is “Veritas,” presumably you do, too. Truth, we know, is not a matter of who wields power or who speaks loudest. It has nothing to do with who benefits or what is most popular. And ever since the Enlightenment, modern society has rejected the idea that truth derives from any single authority on Earth.

To determine what is factual and true, we rely on certain building blocks. Start with education. Then there is expertise. And experience. And, above all, we rely on evidence. We see that acutely now when people’s health can be jeopardized by false claims, wishful thinking and invented realities. The public’s safety requires the honest truth. Yet education, expertise, experience and evidence are being devalued, dismissed and denied. The goal is clear: to undermine the very idea of objective fact, all in pursuit of political gain. Along with that is a systematic effort to disqualify traditional independent arbiters of fact. The press tops the list of targets. But others populate the list, too: courts, historians, even scientists and medical professionals – subject-matter experts of every type.

And so today the government’s leading scientists find their motives questioned, their qualifications mocked — despite a lifetime of dedication and achievement that has made us all safer. In any democracy, we want vigorous debate about our challenges and the correct policies. But what becomes of democracy if we cannot agree on a common set of facts, if we can’t agree on what even constitutes a fact? Are we headed for extreme tribalism, believing only what our ideological soulmates say? Or do we become so cynical that we think everyone always lies for selfish reasons? Or so nihilistic that we conclude no one can ever really know what is true or false; so, no use trying to find out? Regardless, we risk entering dangerous territory. Hannah Arendt, in 1951, wrote of this in her first major work, “The Origins of Totalitarianism.” There, she observed “the possibility that gigantic lies and monstrous falsehoods can eventually be established as unquestioned facts … that the difference between truth and falsehood may cease to be objective and may become a mere matter of power and cleverness, of pressure and infinite repetition.”

One hundred years ago – in 1920 – a renowned journalist and leading thinker, Walter Lippmann, harbored similar worries. Lippmann, once a writer for the Harvard Crimson, warned of a society where people “cease to respond to truths, and respond simply to opinions … what somebody asserts, not what actually is.” Lippmann wrote those words because of concerns about the press itself. He saw our defects and hoped we might fix them, thus improving how information got to the public.

Ours is a profession that still has many flaws. We make mistakes of fact, and we make mistakes of judgment. We are at times overly impressed with what we know when much remains for us to learn. In making mistakes, we are like people in every other profession. And we, too, must be held accountable. What frequently gets lost, though, is the contribution of a free and independent press to our communities and our country — and to the truth.

I think back to the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 when the Miami Herald showed how lax zoning, inspection and building codes had contributed to the massive destruction. Homes and lives are safer today as a result. In 2016, the Charleston Gazette-Mail in West Virginia exposed how opioids had flooded the state’s depressed communities, contributing to the highest death rates in the country. In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana’s newspapers were indispensable sources of reliable information for residents. The Washington Post in 2007 revealed the shameful neglect and mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital. Corrective action was immediate. The Associated Press in 2015 documented a slave trade behind our seafood supply. Two thousand slaves were freed as a result. The New York Times and The New Yorker in 2017 exposed sexual predators in elite boardrooms. A movement of accountability for abuses against women took root. The New York Times in 1971 was the first to publish the Pentagon Papers, revealing a pattern of official deceit in a war that killed more than 58,000 Americans and countless others. The Washington Post broke open the Watergate scandal in 1972. That led ultimately to the president’s resignation.Those news organizations searched for the truth and told it, undeterred by pushback or pressure or vilification.Facing the truth can cause extreme discomfort. But history shows that we as a nation become better for that reckoning. It is in the spirit of the preamble to our Constitution: “to form a more perfect union.” Toward that end, it is an act of patriotism.

W.E.B. Du Bois, the great scholar and African American activist — and the first African American to graduate with a PhD from Harvard – cautioned against the falsification of events in relating our nation’s history. In 1935, distressed at how deceitfully America’s Reconstruction period was being taught, Du Bois assailed the propaganda of the era. “Nations reel and stagger on their way,” he wrote. “They make hideous mistakes; they commit frightful wrongs; they do great and beautiful things. And shall we not best guide humanity by telling the truth about all this, so far as the truth be ascertainable?”

At this university, you answer that question with your motto — “Veritas.” You seek the truth — with scholarship, teaching and dialogue – knowing that it really matters.My profession shares with you that mission — the always arduous, often tortuous and yet essential pursuit of truth. It is the demand that democracy makes upon us. It is the work we must do. We will keep at it. You should, too. None of us should ever stop.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for honoring me. Good luck to you all. And please, stay well.

“While the legacy of enslavement, racism, discrimination, and exclusion still influences so much of contemporary attitudes, we must never conclude that it is too late to overcome such a legacy. For it is never too late to do justice.”

Ruth J. Simmons

2021 The president of Prairie View A&M University and former president of Brown University and Smith College exhorted graduates to fight inequality and foster diversity and inclusion.

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Good day and congratulations to the Harvard University Class of 2021.

It is a singular honor to be invited to address you on this important milestone occasion. To all completing their studies today, I offer my best wishes as you undertake the next exciting phase of your lives. That you have succeeded so well during such a time as this is commendable and augurs well for the years to come when the world will rely greatly on your knowledge, your discernment, and your empathy for those less fortunate than you.

When first approached about delivering this Commencement address, I was, frankly, taken aback. I did not immediately feel up to the task. Recalling occasions when I sat in Tercentenary Theatre looking across the expanse of graduates to the steps of Widener Library, I could not picture myself confidently delivering remarks from a dais where so many more eminent figures had stood and, indeed, made history. Growing up on a constant Jim Crow diet that offered assertions of my inferiority, I’m always that same little Black girl trying to believe in and demonstrate her worthiness. Further, I thought about the challenge of what I might impart in such a pivotal national moment when social gains seem more like losses, when clarity gives way so easily to confusion, and when much heralded progress recedes like a trompe l’oeil that was never real.

I extend greetings from the faculty, administration and students of our 145 year old institution, Prairie View A&M University. And, though I have not been anointed to do so, I also bring greetings from the collection of Historically Black and Minority Serving institutions that have the weight and privilege of advancing access, equity and opportunity for so many communities across the world. Our university, like many others HBCUs, was founded at the end of Reconstruction when Blacks were thought to be unable to perform the highest level academic study. I speak to you, in fact, from the Prairie View campus whose 1500 acres were once the site of the Alta Vista Plantation. That plantation, before being sold to the State of Texas, was the site where 400 human beings were held in slavery. Thus, our very steps as they daily tread upon vestiges of the suffering of our ancestors, call to us constantly to do our duty as full citizens. Painful as such memories are, they are a powerful force that calls us to action when challenges arise.

During the 145 years following our 1876 founding, it would take many years for most universities in our nation to grant access to Blacks. So, universities like Prairie View, designed with limited resources, served the state and nation by admitting students to whom full access to the fruits of liberty was intentionally blocked. We are therefore proud of our legacy of endurance and even prouder of the fact that we converted an assertion of the inferiority of African Americans into a triumph of human capacity. Like other HBCUs, we made a place to empower rather than disparage, to open minds rather than imprison them, to create pathways to promise rather than to stifle opportunity.

Such is the task of every true university. Those of you graduating today can well attest to that. When you first arrived at Harvard as undergraduate or post-graduate students, you most likely could not have imagined the many ways that your ability would be tested, your insights sharpened and expanded, and your prospects in life improved by studying at the University. I certainly didn’t expect such results when I arrived at Harvard and yet I know now that it is likely primarily because I studied at Harvard that I have had the deeply rich and satisfying career that I’ve enjoyed for so many years.

A product of a segregated upbringing in Houston and undergraduate study at an HBCU, I am ashamed to say that in my youth, I secretly bought into the prevailing racial assumptions of the day: that someone like me would be ill-prepared to benefit from and contribute to study at a university of Harvard’s stature. I expected to be flatfooted if not oafish in the company of well-heeled and urbane students who had the advantage of the best education and a wealth of experiences. While not outwardly immobilized by fear of failing the biggest test of my life, I was inwardly terrified that I would fail to measure up. Uncertainty and malaise governed my early days at the university.

Harvard was, you see, a place steeped in other peoples’ traditions—traditions that I could not easily access. My reaction was very much akin to the French expression denoting window shopping: “lécher les vitrines.” Those of us who are outsiders are often as mere observers looking through windows, salivating and wondering how we might ever be able to attain a sense of inclusion, acceptance and respect. Just as when, as a child, I was banned from white establishments, I identified as the outsider looking enviously at others who not only had full access to Harvard’s history and traditions but who also could so easily see themselves reflected in them. Few things that I could see at Harvard at the time represented me. Perhaps it is the memory of that feeling that moved me to remain in university life to make that experience easier for others who felt excluded.

The need to make universities more aware of how first generation and underserved communities reacted to the stultified tradition in many universities shaped my conviction about the importance of individuals feeling fully embraced and respected as learners, erasing vestiges of disparagement that inevitably accrue in an unequal society. Having been profiled and racially isolated and having carried within me for so many years the weight of that sentence, I understood that to change our country, we had to insist that everyone’s humanity, everyone’s traditions and history, everyone’s identity contributes to our learning about the world we must live in together. I came to believe what Harvard expressed in its admission philosophy: that such human differences, intentionally engaged in the educational context, are as much a resource to our intellectual growth as the magnificent tomes that we build libraries to protect and the state of the art equipment proudly arrayed in our laboratories. The encounter with difference rocks!

I believe that each of us has a solemn duty to learn about and embrace that difference. That undertaking takes not a month or a year but a lifetime of concerted action to ensure that we are equipped to play a role in caring for and improving the world we inhabit together. This responsibility should encourage us to commit to our individual as well as professional role in advancing access, equality and mutual respect.

Thus, I believe that the task of a great university is not merely to test the mettle and stamina of brilliant minds but to guide them toward enlightenment, enabling thereby the most fruitful and holistic use of their students’ intelligence and humanity. That enlightenment suggests the need for improving upon students’ self-knowledge but it also means helping them judge others fairly, using the full measure of their empathy and intelligence to do so. In an environment rich in differences of background, experience and perspectives, learning is turbo charged and intensified by the juxtaposition of these differences. Those open minded enough to benefit fully from the power of this learning opportunity are bound for leadership in this time of confusion and division. The Harvard model intentionally and successfully provides to students a head start in understanding how to mediate difference in an ever more complex reality in which some exploit those differences for corrupt purposes.

Today, irrational hatred of targeted groups is seemingly on the rise, stoked by opportunists seeking advantage for themselves and their profits. What stands between such malefactors and the destruction of our common purpose are people like you who, having experienced learning through difference, courageously stand up for the rights of those who are targeted. Your Harvard education, if you were paying close attention here, should have encouraged you to commit willingly to playing such a role. If you follow through on this commitment, in addition to anything else you accomplish in life, you will be saving lives, stanching the flow of hatred and the dissolution of our national bond. You will be serving the mighty cause of justice. If we are to thrive on this orb that we share, our schools and universities must contribute deliberately to increasing our understanding of the ways to interact meaningfully with others.

Harvard is, in some ways, the most powerful university bully pulpit in the nation. It did not achieve that status merely through its age and wealth; it attained that status principally through the efforts of its faculty and graduates’ scholarly and professional output. Through its gates have come generations of scholars with immense intelligence and passionate purpose to whom fate bequeathed the laurels of success. But it is important that universities model in their own values and actions the high purpose that they hope to see in the actions of their scholars.

In that vein, Harvard has a special responsibility as both a prod and steward of the national conscience. It could sit on the hill and congratulate itself on its prowess but it could also use its immense stature to address the widening gaps in how different groups experience freedom and justice. I spoke earlier about the heroic work of HBCUs and minority serving institutions that keep our country open and advancing the cause of equality and access. Yet, many of them have been starved for much of their history by the legacy of underfunding and isolation from the mainstream of higher education.

I call on universities like Harvard to acknowledge the limitations imposed on these institutions over the past decades. While universities like Harvard had the wind at their back, flourishing from endowments, strong enrollments, constant curricular expansion, massive infrastructure improvements, and significant endowment growth, HBCUs often had gale force winds impeding their development. Our nation is finally coming to terms with the consequences of the underfunding of HBCUs but we are far from where we need to be if we are to be assured continued progress in the fight for equal educational benefits.

I ask the university that did so much for me to add to its luster by embracing the opportunity to stand alongside these historic and other minority serving institutions to build stronger partnerships, advocate for greater funding, and elevate the fight for parity and justice to the level it deserves. Let us not complain in a hundred years that those historically excluded from access and opportunity continue to ask how much longer it will take to gain the respect, inclusion and support that their service to the nation deserves.

Many minority serving institutions accept students from impoverished underserved communities where educational preparation often lacks the pre-requisites needed for certain careers. Children in those communities may experience the same or a worse fate than I and my peers did during the pre-Civil Rights era. Consigned to underfunded schools and alienating curricula, they must wonder as I did what will befall them in life. ublic schools saved me and they have the burden still of saving millions of children across this land. In so very many cases, these institutions are the only hope for many children and their families. Support for public education in this moment is as important as it was in the early days of the country when Horace Mann first called for universal education. For Mann, it was a matter of what our young country would need; it still is today as Mann’s emphasis on civic virtue continues to ring true.

Further, in such a moment, universities and all of you must play a leadership role in reversing the designation of the teaching profession as less intellectually worthy, less glamorous, and less important than the high-flying careers of financiers and technologists. Attention to and investment in K-12 teacher preparation and curricular content remains one of the most important ways for universities and the average citizen to contribute to the civic good.

None of us is exempt from responsibility for the future we give our children. Harvard has its role and so do all of you. I have come to ask you who graduate today what you are prepared to do to acknowledge and address the historic biases and inequities that so many continue to experience. Will your actions point us in a more uplifting direction? For, just as we recount the moral bankruptcy of those who cruelly enslaved others, we also tell the story of those who were equally guilty because they refused to challenge the practice of slavery. In the future, the history of these times will reveal both what we do and what we fail to do to address the unjust treatment of marginalized groups. Among all that you will have learned at Harvard, I hope that the consciousness of your responsibility in the struggle for equality remains with you. While the legacy of enslavement, racism, discrimination and exclusion still influences so much of contemporary attitudes, we must never conclude that it is too late to overcome such a legacy. For it is never too late to do justice.

Today, I call on all of you to declare that you will not give sanction to discriminatory actions that hold some groups back to the advantage of others. I call on you to be a force for inclusion by not choosing enclaves of wealth, privilege and tribalism such that you abandon the lessons you learned from your Harvard experience of diversity. I call on you to do your part to ensure that generations to come will no longer be standing on the outside fighting for fairness, respect and inclusion.

Today, after decades in the academy, my path has taken me back to a place where students are waging the same battles that were so hard fought when I was a teenager: safe passage in the face of bigotry, the right to vote, and equal access to educational and professional opportunities. Sandra Bland, a Prairie View alumna, was stopped for a minor traffic offense at the entrance to our campus. Jailed for this offense, she was found deceased in her cell three days later. Must every generation add more tragic evidence of the racial hatred that has troubled the world? Our work is not done as long as there are young people growing up with the thought that they matter less than others. As long as they have fewer and narrower educational opportunities. As long as they must fear for their safety every moment of every day of their lives. As long as their full participation in society is circumscribed by policies that willfully chip away at or block their rights.

Just as I ask Harvard to use its voice on behalf of minority institutions that have been unfairly treated across time, I ask you to add your voice to the cause of justice wherever you go. Help the children of need wherever they are: in underfunded public schools, in neighborhoods bereft of resources, in search of a way to belong. If they do not hear your voices advocating for them and their worth, what must they conclude about their place in the world?

If you take up the cause of these children, you are taking up the greatest cause—that of justice. Today, you earn your laurels as a scholar. Taking up the cause of justice, you will earn your laurels as a human being.

Congratulations, once again, and God speed.

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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 Kaitlyn McNab

By Sara Delgado

By Kristi Kellogg

"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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21 Best Graduation Speeches That Everyone Should Hear

Read life advice from Ree Drummond, Bill Gates, Oprah, and more!

Included in this list is the Pioneer Woman herself—Ree Drummond has witnessed her fair share of milestones with the Drummond kids and to top it off, she delivered an iconic keynote address at Oklahoma State University . Of course, who could forget Oprah Winfrey's speech to the class of 2020? In this heartfelt and emotional address, Winfrey encourages graduates to find their purpose in life and make a difference in the world. Those two are just a taste of what's to come. So, turn on the graduation songs , grab your tissues, and get ready for some solid life advice. Whether you're a recent graduate or just in need of a little pick-me-up, these speeches are sure to leave you feeling inspired and ready to take on whatever life throws your way.

Bill Gates: Northern Arizona University, 2023

Despite famously dropping out of Harvard after two years of study, Bill Gates shared a few pieces of advice he says he could have used at his hypothetical graduation. The Microsoft founder emphasized the importance of being open to career changes and learning to take a break.

"You are not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack. When I was your age, I didn’t believe in vacations. I didn’t believe in weekends. I pushed everyone around me to work very long hours. In the early days of Microsoft, my office overlooked the parking lot—and I would keep track of who was leaving early and staying late. But as I got older—and especially once I became a father—I realized there is more to life than work. Don’t wait as long as I did to learn this lesson. Take time to nurture your relationships, to celebrate your successes, and to recover from your losses."

Ree Drummond: Oklahoma State University, 2022

Ree hardly needs an introduction, but she knows a thing or two about life as a published author, Food Network host, and most importantly, mother of five.

"Buckle up, you have good times and rough seas ahead. It is just part of life, but enjoy the ride and laugh a lot... Life is about to unfold for you in all its forms. Love, heartache, accomplishments, disappointment, testing of faith... life is beautiful, so I repeat, buckle up and laugh along the way. It makes life fun."

Hamdi Ulukaya: Northeastern University, 2022

You may not know his name, but you might just love Chobani, the hugely successful yogurt brand Hamdi started. He reminded graduates why we are here on earth.

"As we started to grow, we hired everyone that we could. I realized an hour away there was a community of refugees who were having a hard time finding jobs. I said, 'Let's hire them.' I promise you that there is nothing more rewarding than showing up in the world for other people, no matter how hard it may be."

Dr. Marie Lynn Miranda: University of Notre Dame, 2021

As obvious as it sounds, you don't know what you don't know. That's the lesson from this acclaimed Notre Dame professor and environmental researcher.

"As much as I want to highlight the importance of the expertise you have developed, I also want to make the point that you will face situations in the years ahead where you will have no relevant expertise; you will have no evidence base to rely upon; your intellect will not be able to supply a needed answer. In those situations, I would like to suggest that you respond with love."

Oprah Winfrey: Class of 2020 Virtual Speech

Oprah had one of the hardest commencement speeches to give: it was for the class that graduated during the pandemic. She found a profound lesson in the chaos of those early months.

"Look who turns out to be essential! Teachers—your teachers!—healthcare workers of course, the people stocking grocery shelves, the cashiers, 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? How will you use what matters in service to yourself, your community, and the world?"

Tim Cook: Tulane University, 2019

Tim Cook took a similar approach to his late co-worker Steve Jobs when it came to the theme of his graduation speech.

"There's a saying that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. At Apple, I learned that's a total crock. You'll work harder than you ever thought possible, but the tools will feel light in your hands. As you go out into the world, don't waste time on problems that have been solved... Look for the rough spots, the problems that seem too big, the complexities that other people are content to work around. It's in those places that you will find your purpose. It's there that you can make your greatest contribution."

Ken Burns: Stanford University, 2016

In his 2016 Stanford speech, America's most famous documentary filmmaker asked listeners not to forget the lessons found in our history.

"Be for something. Be curious, not cool. Feed your soul, too. Every day. Remember, insecurity makes liars of us all. Don't confuse success with excellence. Educate all of your parts. You will be healthier. Seek out—and have—mentors. Listen to them. Bite off more than you can chew. Do not get stuck in one place. Visit our national parks. Their sheer majesty may remind you of your own 'atomic insignificance,' as one observer noted, but in the inscrutable ways of nature, you will feel larger, inspirited, just as the egotist in our midst is diminished by his or her self-regard. Insist on heroes. And be one."

Sheryl Sandberg: UC Berkeley, 2016

The former COO of Facebook offered graduates a realistic look at the life ahead and how to move through the hard times. "Some of you have already experienced the kind of tragedy and hardship that leave an indelible mark. The question is not if some of these things will happen to you. They will. Today I want to talk about what happens next. The easy days ahead of you will be easy. It is the hard days—the times that challenge you to your very core—that will determine who you are. You will be defined not just by what you achieve but by how you survive."

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

During Admiral McRaven's speech at his alma mater, he looked to the lessons he learned serving his country. One of which was so simple, yet profoundly impactful.

"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... And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better."

George Saunders: Syracuse University, 2013

Bestselling author and professor George Saunders offered grads a guiding principle to move through life with, no matter what they pursue.

"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. Do those things that incline you toward the big questions, and avoid the things that would reduce you and make you trivial. That luminous part of you that exists beyond personality—your soul, if you will—is as bright and shining as any that has ever been."

Kerry Washington: George Washington University, 2013

Actress Kerry Washington told graduates to think of this achievement during the difficult or uncomfortable parts of life.

"The lesson is that you're here because you too learned how to answer the call. You don't earn a degree by doing and being and existing in the comfort zone of what you already know. Look back on the journey that brought you here. What moments challenged you most? When were you asked to step outside of your familiar territory in order to rise to the occasion of your potential? I want you to remember those moments, because they will embolden you."

Neil Gaiman: University of the Arts, 2012

Neil wasn't always an acclaimed author of fiction, comic books, graphic novels, nonfiction, and films. His speech may have been given to a group of young artists, but the advice applies to anyone starting out in a turbulent career.

"People who know what they are doing know the rules, and they know what is possible and what is impossible. You do not. And you should not. The rules on what is possible and impossible in the arts were made by people who had not tested the bounds of the possible by going beyond them. And you can. If you don't know it's impossible, it's easier to do. And because nobody's done it before, they haven't made up rules to stop anyone doing that particular thing again."

Aaron Sorkin: Syracuse University, 2012

Aaron has carved an incredible career writing plays, movies, and television shows, but success clearly hasn't impacted his sense of humility.

"Decisions are made by those who show up. Don't ever forget that you're a citizen of this world. Don't ever forget that you're a citizen of this world, and there are things you can do to lift the human spirit, things that are easy, things that are free, things that you can do every day: civility, respect, kindness, character."

Atul Gawande: Williams College, 2012

Being a surgeon means you have to think on your feet when things go wrong, and for Dr. Gawande, that holds an immense life lesson.

"A failure often does not have to be a failure at all. However, you have to be ready for it. Will you admit when things go wrong? Will you take steps to set them right? Because the difference between triumph and defeat, you'll find, isn't about willingness to take risks. It's about mastery of rescue."

Conan O'Brien: Dartmouth College, 2011

This famous late-night host delivered a hilarious graduation speech riddled with stories, each with their own lesson.

"David Letterman wanted to be Johnny Carson and was not, and as a result, my generation of comedians wanted to be David Letterman. And none of us are—my peers and I have all missed that mark in a thousand different ways. But the point is this: It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can be a catalyst for profound re-invention."

Steve Jobs: Stanford University, 2005

The entrepreneur, inventor, and pioneer of the personal computer revolution had his fair share of ups and downs in life. But one of the things that made him so persistent was his love of technology.

"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."

Toni Morrison: Wellesley College, 2004

Toni Morrison disputed the usual platitude that youth is the best time of your life. Instead, she told students that there is nothing more satisfying or gratifying than the true adulthood which stretches out before them. "What is now known is not all that you are capable of knowing. You are your own stories and therefore free to imagine and experience what it means to be human without wealth. What it feels like to be human without domination over others, without reckless arrogance, without fear of others unlike you, without rotating, rehearsing and reinventing the hatreds you learned in the sandbox. And although you don't have complete control over the narrative (no author does, I can tell you), you could nevertheless create it."

Bill Gates: Harvard University, 2007

Who wouldn't take the Microsoft founder's advice?

"In line with the promise of this age, I want to exhort each of the graduates here to take on an issue—a complex problem, a deep inequity, and become a specialist on it. If you make it the focus of your career, that would be phenomenal. But you don't have to do that to make an impact... don't let complexity stop you. Be activists. Take on big inequities. I feel sure it will be one of the great experiences of your lives."

Nora Ephron: Wellesley College, 1996

When Nora Ephron wasn't reporting, she was writing some of our most beloved romantic comedies. She reassured grads that they will always continue to change and grow.

"What are you going to do? Everything is my guess. It will be a little messy but embrace the mess. It will be complicated but rejoice in the complications. It will not be anything like what you think it's going to be like, but surprises are good for you. And don't be frightened. You can always change your mind. I know. I've had four careers and three husbands. And this is something else I want to tell you, one of the hundreds of things I didn't know when I was sitting here so many years ago: you are not going to be you, fixed and immutable you, forever."

Barbara Kingsolver: DePauw University, 1994

The sentiment of Barbara Kingsolver's speech resonates today just as much as it did in 1994.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and give you one little piece of advice and that is like the idea of a future. Believe you have it in you to make the world look better rather than worse seven generations from now. Figure out what that could look like. And then if you're lucky, you'll find a way to live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides."

Micaela Bahn is a freelance editorial assistant and recent graduate from Carleton College, where she majored in English literature. She loves running, photography, and cooking the best new recipes.

Nitya Rao is the editorial assistant at The Pioneer Woman, covering stories ranging from food, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, news, and more.

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The 21 greatest graduation speeches of the last 60 years

By german lopez on may 11, 2016.

Graduation speeches are the last opportunity for a high school or college to educate its students. It's unsurprising, then, that these institutions often pull in some of the world's most powerful people to leave an equally powerful impression on their students. Here are the best of those speeches and some of the sections that resonate the most.

David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College, 2005

Jamie Sullivan

“There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, 'Morning, boys. How's the water?' And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, 'What the hell is water?' This is a standard requirement of US commencement speeches: the deployment of didactic little parable-ish stories. The story thing turns out to be one of the better, less bulshitty conventions of the genre, but if you're worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise, older fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don't be. I am not the wise old fish.”

Steve Jobs at Stanford University, 2005

Stanford University

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it’s quite true. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Ellen Degeneres at Tulane University, 2009

Tulane University

“I know that a lot of you are concerned about your future, but there’s no need to worry. The economy is booming, the job market is wide open, the planet is just fine. It’s gonna be great. You’ve already survived a hurricane. What else can happen to you? And as I mentioned before, some of the most devastating things that happen to you will teach you the most. And now you know the right questions to ask for your first job interview — like, ‘Is it above sea level?’ So to conclude my conclusion that I’ve previously concluded in the common cement speech, I guess what I’m trying to say is life is like one big Mardi Gras. But instead of showing your boobs, show people your brain. And if they like what they see, you’ll have more beads than you know what to do with. And you’ll be drunk most of the time.”

Conan O'Brien at Dartmouth College, 2011

“Way back in the 1940s there was a very, very funny man named Jack Benny. He was a giant star and easily one of the greatest comedians of his generation. And a much younger man named Johnny Carson wanted very much to be Jack Benny. In some ways he was, but in many ways he wasn’t. He emulated Jack Benny, but his own quirks and mannerisms, along with a changing medium, pulled him in a different direction. And yet his failure to completely become his hero made him the funniest person of his generation. David Letterman wanted to be Johnny Carson, and was not, and as a result my generation of comedians wanted to be David Letterman. And none of us are — my peers and I have all missed that mark in a thousand different ways. But the point is this: it is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It’s not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can be a catalyst for profound reinvention.”

Carol Bartz at University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2012

University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Accept failure and learn from it. Failure is part of life, it’s part of every career, and you have to know how to take advantage of it. The single greatest strength that this country has via Silicon Valley is that failure is seen as a sign of experience. Failure is part of work, it’s part of life. People are willing to take risks on the way to innovation. One of my fondest sayings is fail, fast, forward. Recognize you’ve failed, try to do it fast, learn from it, build on it, and move forward. Embrace failure, have it be part of your persona. You’re going to have long careers, as I’ve already told you, you’re going to have many failures — personal, business, professional. I’ve had my share. But just use this as a building block to your next success.”

President John F. Kennedy at American University, 1963

“Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process — a way of solving problems. With such a peace, there will still be quarrels and conflicting interests, as there are within families and nations. World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbor — it requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement.”

David McCullough Jr. at Wellesley High School, 2012

Wellesley High School

“Like accolades ought to be, the fulfilled life is a consequence — a gratifying byproduct. It’s what happens when you’re thinking about more important things. Climb the mountain not to plant your flag but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air, and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you. Go to Paris to be in Paris, not to cross it off your list and congratulate yourself for being worldly. Exercise free will and creative independent thought not for the satisfactions they will bring you but for the good they will do others — the rest of the 6.8 billion and those who will follow them. And then you too will discover the great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself. The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you’re not special, because everyone is.”

Stephen Colbert at Northwestern University, 2011

Joshua Sherman

“You have been told to follow your dreams, but what if it’s a stupid dream? For instance, Stephen Colbert of 25 years ago lived at 2015 North Ridge with two men and three women in what I now know was a brothel. He dreamed of living alone — well, alone with his beard in a large, barren loft apartment, lots of blonde wood, wearing a kimono, with a futon on the floor and a Samovar of tea constantly bubbling in the background, doing Shakespeare in the street for homeless people. Today, I am a beardless, suburban dad who lives in a house, wears no iron khakis, and makes Anthony Weiner jokes for a living. And I love it, because thankfully dreams can change. If we’d all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses. So whatever your dream is right now, if you don’t achieve it, you haven’t failed, and you’re not some loser. But just as importantly — and this is the part I may not get right and you may not listen to — if you do get your dream, you are not a winner.”

Sheryl Sandberg at Harvard Business School, 2012

Harvard Business School

“I sat down with Eric Schmidt, who had just become the CEO [of Google], and I showed him the spreadsheet and I said, this job meets none of my criteria. He put his hand on my sheet and he looked at me and said, ‘Don’t be an idiot.’ Excellent career advice. And then he said, ‘Get on a rocketship. When companies are growing quickly and having a lot of impact, careers take care of themselves. And when companies aren’t growing quickly or their missions don’t matter as much, that’s when stagnation and politics come in. If you’re offered a seat on a rocketship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on.’”

Michael Lewis at Princeton University, 2012

Princeton University

“In a general sort of way you’ve been appointed leader of the group. Your appointment may not be entirely arbitrary. But you must sense right now its arbitrary aspect: you are the lucky few. Lucky in your parents, lucky in your country, lucky that a place like Princeton exists that can take in lucky people, introduce them to other lucky people, and increase their chances of becoming even luckier. Lucky that you live in the richest society the world has ever seen, in a time when no one actually expects you to sacrifice your interest to anything. All of you have been faced with the extra cookie. All of you will be faced with many more of them. In time you will find it easy to assume that you deserve the extra cookie. For all I know, you may deserve the extra cookie. But you will be happier, and you will be better off, if you at least pretend that you don't.”

Jon Stewart at the College of William & Mary, 2004

College of William & Mary

“Lets talk about the real world for a moment. ... I don’t really know to put this, so I’ll be blunt: we broke it. Please don’t be mad. I know we were supposed to bequeath to the next generation a world better than the one we were handed. So, sorry. I don’t know if you’ve been following the news lately, but it just kinda got away from us. Somewhere between the gold rush of easy internet profits and an arrogant sense of endless empire, we heard kind of a pinging noise, and then the damn thing just died on us. So I apologize. But here’s the good news: you fix this thing, you’re the next greatest generation, people.”

Oprah Winfrey at Spelman College, 2012

Spelman College

“You must have some kind of vision for your life, even if you don’t know the plan. You have to have a direction in which you choose to go. I never was the kind of woman who liked to get in a car and just go for a ride. I had a boyfriend that would say, ‘Let’s just go for a ride.’ I want to know where are we going. Do we have a destination? Is there a plan? Are we just riding? What I’ve learned is that’s a great metaphor for life. You want to be in the driver’s seat of your own life, because if you’re not, life will drive you.”

Neil Gaiman at the University of the Arts, 2012

Lennie Alzate

“The moment that you feel that, just possibly, you’re walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself, that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right. The things I’ve done that worked the best were the things I was the least certain about, the stories where I was sure they would either work or more likely be the kinds of embarrassing failures that people would gather together and discuss until the end of time. They always had that in common. Looking back at them, people explain why they were inevitable successes. And while I was doing them, I had no idea. I still don’t. And where would be the fun in making something you knew was going to work? And sometimes the things I did really didn’t work. There are stories of mine that have never been reprinted. Some of them never even left the house. But I learned as much from them as I did from the things that worked.”

George Saunders at Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences, 2013

Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences

“Seek out the most efficacious anti-selfishness medicines energetically for the rest of your life. And do all the other things of course, the ambitious things: travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes, swim naked in a wild jungle river — after first testing it for monkey poop. But as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness. Do those things that incline you toward the big questions, and avoid the things that would reduce you and make you trivial. That luminous part of you that exists beyond personality — your soul, if you will — is as bright and shining as any that has ever been. Bright as Shakespeare’s, bright as Gandhi’s, bright as Mother Teresa’s. Clear away everything that keeps you separate from this secret luminous place. Believe it exists, come to know it better, nurture it, share its fruits tirelessly.”

Nora Ephron at Wellesley College, 1996

Wellesley College

“So what are you going to do? This is the season when a clutch of successful women who have it all get up and give speeches to women like you and say, ‘To be perfectly honest, you can’t have it all.’ Well, maybe young women don’t wonder whether they can have it all any longer, but in case any of you are wondering, of course you can have it all. What are you going to do? Everything is my guess. It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications. It will not be anything like what you think it’s going to be like, but surprises are good for you. And don't be frightened. You can always change your mind. I know. I've had four careers and three husbands. And this is something else I want to tell you, one of the hundreds of things I didn’t know when I was sitting here so many years ago: you are not going to be you, fixed and immutable you, forever.”

Aaron Sorkin at Syracuse University, 2012

Syracuse University

“Decisions are made by those who show up. Don't ever forget that you're a citizen of this world. Don't ever forget that you’re a citizen of this world, and there are things you can do to lift the human spirit, things that are easy, things that are free, things that you can do every day: civility, respect, kindness, character. You’re too good for schadenfreude, you’re too good for gossip and snark, you’re too good for intolerance — and since you're walking into the middle of a presidential election, it’s worth mentioning that you’re too good to think people who disagree with you are your enemy. … Don’t ever forget that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world. It’s the only thing that ever has.”

Barbara Kingsolver at DePauw University, 1994

DePauw University

“It’s not up to you to save the world. That’s the job of every living person who likes the idea of a future. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and give you one little piece of advice, and that is, like the idea of a future. Believe you have it in you to make the world look better rather than worse seven generations from now. Figure out what that could look like. And then if you’re lucky, you’ll find a way to live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides.”

Jane Lynch at Smith College, 2012

Smith College

“My counsel to you, women of Smith College: let life surprise you. Don’t have a plan. Plans are for wusses. If my life went according to my plan, I would never ever have the life I have today. Now, you are obviously good planners, or you wouldn’t be here. So stop it! Stop it now! Don’t deprive yourself of the exciting journey your life can be when you relinquish the need to have goals and a blueprint.”

Bill Gates at Harvard University, 2007

Harvard University

“In line with the promise of this age, I want to exhort each of the graduates here to take on an issue — a complex problem, a deep inequity, and become a specialist on it. If you make it the focus of your career, that would be phenomenal. But you don’t have to do that to make an impact. For a few hours every week, you can use the growing power of the internet to get informed, find others with the same interests, see the barriers, and find ways to cut through them. Don’t let complexity stop you. Be activists. Take on big inequities. I feel sure it will be one of the great experiences of your lives.”

Eugene Mirman at Lexington High School, 2009

Eugene Mirman

“What’s the worst grade you’ve ever gotten? A D? An F? When I was in eighth grade in Diamond Middle School on a homework assignment — this is true — I once got a -8. Sadly very true. I did my assignment worse than not doing it. But did I let getting a grade lower than the lowest possible grade stop me? No. I was put into resource room in special education, and I turned my F into a D. So you see sometimes you can fail, then barely pass, and then become a comedian.”

Michelle Obama at Spelman College, 2011

“Some of you may have grown up like me, in neighborhoods where few had the chance to go to college, where being teased for doing well in school was a fact of life, where well-meaning but misguided folks questioned whether a girl with my background could get into a school like Princeton. Sometimes I’d save them the trouble and raised the questions myself, in my own head, lying awake at night, doubting whether I had what it took to succeed. And the truth is that there will always be folks out there who make assumptions about others. There will always be folks who try to raise themselves up by cutting other people down. That happens to everyone, including me, throughout their lives. But when that happens to you all, here’s what I want you to do: I want you to just stop a minute, take a deep breath — because it’s going to need to be deep — and I want you to think about all those women who came before you.”

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What advice do you wish you’d gotten when you graduated from college? 25 TED speakers answer.

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Whether you put on your cap and gown last week — or last century — these honest answers can give you some insight and guidance.

“If you don’t know what you want to do with the rest of your life, you’re not a failure. Give yourself time and get yourself experience to figure things out.” — Angela Duckworth (TED Talk: Grit — the power of passion and persistence )

“Although I think I already knew this back when I graduated from college, I didn’t do it enough: trust your instincts. Deep inside you, you already know what you need to do to pursue your goals. And just as importantly, do not seek permission to pursue your goals. Pursue them. Only by doing so can you show the world what you had in mind and get the support of others.” — Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado (TED Talk: To solve old problems, study new species )

“Don’t take yourself, your decisions, your outcomes or even your mistakes so damn seriously. There’s nowhere special to get to and no special accomplishment to check off the list. The moment is now; the place is here; the person is you. Make choices that make you feel alive. But here’s my advice about my advice — I couldn’t have possibly done this myself when I was a new college graduate because I was Wrapped. Way. Too. Tightly. This would have sounded like loosey-goosey hokum to me, and I’d have rolled my eyes and gone back to alphabetizing my soup shelf. Truly, what I wish I’d done differently during the past 20 years is enjoyed the ride and engaged in less hand-wringing over my decisions. I wish I’d trusted myself more, trusted the universe more, trusted the love and support of family and friends more, and realized this: ‘I’m enough, and it’s all going to be great.’ Because it has been marvelous.” — Casey Brown (TED Talk: Know your worth, and then ask for it )

“It’s okay to quit your first job — even if it was really hard to get it, it paid well, and everyone seemed to admire you for getting it. If you hate your job, you’ll be wasting your life acquiring skills, contacts and a reputation that you don’t want to use. The sooner you find something you love, the better. ” — Tim Harford (TED Talk: How frustration can make us more creative )

“ The world can only thrive when people know what they’re talking about. Find the thing that makes you want to know what you’re talking about. Then talk about it.” — Ruth Chang (TED Talk: How to make hard choices )

“The advice that I wish I’d gotten when I graduated from college is: Pay attention to the difference between the quick hits of excitement that come from that first kiss of a new relationship or job and those feelings you get when you think about your strong connections with family or friends. Don’t get fooled by shiny things — that shine fades over time, while the gold of strong relationships never tarnishes. Remember the differences between these feelings to help you make decisions as you go forward.” — Judson Brewer (TED Talk: A simple way to break a bad habit )

“1) Your high heels are not too high, even if you are a scientist. Someday, your unusual shoe choice will be just the right height to carry you into prestigious research labs and important business meetings, and help you peer into a wasp nest and discover a microorganism that will change the beer-brewing world. Your heels are just right for your journey. 2) There can be great beauty and great utility in what at first evokes feelings of fear and disgust, so dare to explore. 3) Remember to stop and sniff the microbes. This will probably help you gain perspective, but it will definitely help you discover future microbial technologies.” — Anne Madden (TED Talk: Meet the microscopic life in your home and on your face )

“Regarding relationships of all categories (platonic, romantic, professional, etc.): Don’t let someone take up your emotional real estate if they aren’t paying rent .” — Sarah Kay (TED Talk: If I should have a daughter … )

“ Never stop learning. When we graduate college and start our careers, we often understand that we have a lot to learn, so we approach our jobs with a learning orientation. We ask questions; we observe others; we know we may be wrong; and we realize we’re works in progress. But once we gain competence in our jobs, too many of us stop learning and growing. The most successful people — in work and in life — never stop deliberately continuing to learn and improve.” — Eduardo Briceño (TED Talk: How to get better at the things you care about )

“I felt a lot of urgency to ‘do good’ right out of the gate after college, working in nonprofits and government right away. I wish someone had urged me to build my skills instead, so I would have received mentoring on my professional performance and communication early on. Then, when I transitioned into the social good sector, I’d have had a good set of tools and habits to bring with me.” — Jessica Ladd (TED Talk: The reporting system that sexual assault survivors want )

“Graduation is a euphoric moment, but soon after, people often experience withdrawal symptoms. One reason is that your immediately accessible social network has been pulled out from under you, and entering ‘the real world’ means that you lose the effortless social interaction from dorm life, organized clubs and regular parties. Rather than feeling down, be intentional about maintaining and building a social world that brings out your richest self. And, when you hit your lowest points, in addition to turning to your strongest and closest relationships for support, have the courage to widen both your thinking and your networks as well.” — Tanya Menon (TED Talk: The secret to great opportunities? The person you haven’t met yet )

“ Look for people’s inner worlds. Imagine their hopes and fears and what it feels like to be them. Seeing into other hearts can make you more effective in achieving personal and professional goals. It may also give you the comfort of remembering how deeply alike we all are.” — Bill Bernat (TED Talk: How to connect with depressed friends )

“I was the first to attend college in my family, so neither my parents nor my siblings could advise me on my graduate school or career plans. I heeded my inner calling and pursued two master’s degrees in information systems at same time, and it all worked out well. Remember: your best academic counselor and career advisor is your heart. ” — Navi Radjou (TED Talk: Creative problem solving in the case of extreme limits )

“I know the anxiety-provoking notion that you have to specialize or you will never become successful is weighing heavily on you right now. There’s good news! It just isn’t true. You can do and be many things and still thrive professionally. Over the next ten years, you’ll meet amazing people who are doing all kinds of things, such as a programmer/comedian/author and a filmmaker/teacher/carpenter. It’s OK to be a complex, multifaceted person who doesn’t fit neatly in one box. In fact, it’s actually a lot of fun.” — Emilie Wapnick (TED Talk: Why some of us don’t have one true calling )

“ Be less afraid of getting older — way, way less afraid. Our fears are way out of proportion to the reality, and we squander a ridiculous amount of our youth worrying about it.” — Ashton Applewhite (TED Talk: Let’s end ageism )

“Give yourself more time. So many college graduates immediately start wanting to make all their dreams come true at once — this can go wrong in many ways. The first is the frustration that you’re not ‘there’ yet. It’s going to take time to find (or build) your dream career. The second is burnout. If you find your career early, you can find yourself setting all sorts of unrealistic goals with arbitrary deadlines and chase them until you drop from fatigue. You can have it all — but not all at once.” — David Burkus (TED Talk: Why you should know how much your coworkers get paid )

“ Whenever possible, get as uncomfortable as possible. Challenge yourself to get outside of your comfort zone regularly — spend time with people you deeply disagree with, read books about experiences you will never have, travel to places where you don’t speak the language, and take jobs in industries you’ve never worked in before. And if you feel yourself resisting, try again. Those experiences will help you build deep empathy, and we could all use more of that.” — Anjali Kumar (TED Talk: My failed mission to find God and what I found instead )

“Surround yourself with people who help you be the best versions of yourself. Avoid those who don’t. And get enough sleep. ” — Lisa Feldman Barrett (TED Talk: You aren’t at the mercy of your emotions )

“When I graduated, I wish I’d known the research showing that future success doesn’t lead to happiness. I sometimes got paralyzed by the fear that happiness existed only if I found the perfect job, degree or position. In truth, the research is clear: happiness exists down almost any life path as long as you are grateful for the present, and develop meaningful relationships. Choose optimism and gratitude now and invest more in others, and happiness will be a lifelong advantage as you pursue your dreams.” — Shawn Achor (TED Talk: The happy secret to better work )

“You don’t have to pursue what you studied. I followed my heart, and now I’m happier and more satisfied with life than I could have ever envisioned. We kill ourselves looking for jobs in our fields of study, while there are a million other things we are able to do. I also wish somebody had told me money doesn’t equate to happiness. When you get a job and start working, don’t forget to live.” — Kasiva Mutua (TED Talk: How to use the drum to tell your story )

“You don’t have to do something extraordinary to lead a meaningful life; you don’t have to cure cancer, become an Instagram celebrity, or write the Great American Novel. Freud said that the meaning of life lies in love and work. So: In your relationships, lead with love. Be generous, be vulnerable, give of yourself to others, and don’t do the expedient thing just because it’s more convenient for you. Make the effort to put others first. In your career, find work that makes you proud and adopt a service mindset — remember how what you’re doing helps others, no matter how big or small the impact may be. Touching the life of just a single person is a powerful legacy to leave behind. Finally, make gratitude a part of your daily life; don’t save it for Thanksgiving. Every day, reflect on one or two things that happened to you which you’re grateful for. Not only will it make you happier, but it will also put you in touch with what really matters. Then, when you experience setbacks or hardships, it will also be a good reminder of how blessed you really are.” — Emily Esfahani Smith (TED Talk: There’s more to life than being happy )

“When you finish college and begin your first job or internship, you’ll be keen to learn all you can and impress your employer so you can start on the path to promotions and raises. But the important thing that you might not see amidst all this excitement is the great idea that could someday become a great business or entrepreneurial venture. I’ve found the most interesting employment that life offers is often something of your own creation that you do full time or in addition to your main job. So, after you graduate from college, take the time to identify a venture that you’d like to do by yourself or with friends, and start building it. One day, you’ll be glad you started early.” — Washington Wachira (TED Talk: For the love of birds )

“Move toward the light — toward people, activities, ideas that make you see more, that nourish you. Do this for at least five years. At that point, you can take stock and decide if you need to do some utterly practical, careerist, traditionally ‘wise’ thing. But give yourself a chance to follow your heart and your mind first. The best careers are built by people who have had a breadth of experiences on which to draw. Don’t get anxious if for a while your life seems to be made of a lot of fragments; in time, they will seem like facets of a diamond.” — Sherry Turkle (TED Talk: Connected, but alone? )

“ That adage about pursuing things you’re passionate about does eventually pay off. When? No one knows. I suppose that’s why it’s a pursuit.” — David Sengeh (TED Talk: The sore problem of prosthetic limbs )

“It’s traditional at graduation to offer neat, packaged stories of triumph over difficulties. But life isn’t like that — it’s open-ended, subject to a million contingencies and constant change. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make plans. But it does mean you should be alert to all the changes in the world and in yourself that could render your plan suddenly obsolete, unattractive or perverse. Be open to change. Be prepared to experiment. Take risks. Keep learning. Make your life your own.” — Margaret Heffernan (TED Talk: Dare to disagree )

About the author

Rebekah Barnett is the community speaker coordinator at TED, and knows a good flag when she sees one.

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Speech on Life of a Student

Life as a student is a unique journey, full of learning and growth. You tackle new challenges, make lifelong friends, and discover your passions.

Yet, it’s not always easy. Balancing studies, hobbies, and personal life can be tricky. This phase is a stepping stone to your future, shaping you into the person you’ll become.

1-minute Speech on Life of a Student

Good day to one and all present here. I consider it a great privilege to deliver a speech on the topic ‘Life of a Student’. Student life is the most essential part of our life. It is the foundation on which we build our future.

A student’s life is filled with both challenges and opportunities. Challenges come in the form of academic pressures, the struggle in balancing social and personal life, managing time effectively, and making critical decisions about career. The opportunities, on the other hand, are countless. Students have the chance to acquire knowledge, develop skills, build relationships, and also shape their personality.

The role of a student is not just limited to academics. They are the ambassadors of their respective cultures, carriers of knowledge, and the torchbearers of change. It is during student life that we learn the most important lessons of punctuality, discipline, and hard work.

In the midst of all these responsibilities and roles, it is important for students to also enjoy the journey. Participating in extracurricular activities, exploring new interests, and making lifelong friends form an integral part of student life. It is these experiences that broaden our perspective and allow us to grow beyond the confines of textbooks.

In conclusion, student life is a tough yet rewarding journey. It is a phase that shapes our character and lays the foundation for our future. I urge every student to make the most of this time, for it is the experiences and learnings of this phase that will guide you in your future endeavors. Thank you for your attention.

2-minute Speech on Life of a Student

Good day everyone. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to speak about the life of a student, a journey that is exciting, challenging, and transformative.

The life of a student is not just about textbooks and examinations. It is a journey that molds us into individuals who can think critically, reason logically, and communicate effectively. The life of a student begins when a child steps into a school for the first time, wide-eyed and anxious, not knowing what to expect. From that moment, a student embarks on a journey of learning and discovery.

In the early years, students learn to read and write, to understand numbers and basic concepts. Every day is a new adventure, every new word learned is a small victory. The student’s world starts expanding as they discover the wonders of science, the charm of literature, and the magic of mathematics. These years lay the foundation for the student life that lies ahead.

As students progress to middle school, they experience the joy of gaining knowledge and the satisfaction of understanding complex concepts. This period is critical as students start exploring their interests and abilities. They begin to identify the subjects they love and the ones they struggle with. This is also the time when students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities, which play an essential role in shaping their personality and character. They learn the importance of teamwork, leadership, and perseverance.

High school is a significant phase in a student’s life. It’s a time where they are on the brink of adulthood while still being kids. It is a period of self-discovery where one learns to balance the rigors of academics with the pressures of social life. Students face the challenge of maintaining good grades while also nurturing their hobbies and interests. High school is a time of growth, where students learn the importance of hard work, responsibility, and time management.

As a student steps into college, they are welcomed into a world of independence and freedom. College life is often considered the best phase of a student’s life, where they form lifelong friendships, explore new fields of study, and develop a broader worldview. It is a time when students take their first steps towards their career, choosing a field that interests them, and working hard to excel in it.

In conclusion, the life of a student is a journey filled with learning, challenges, and growth. It is an exciting roller coaster ride that shapes us into who we are. As students, we must embrace this journey with positivity and enthusiasm, making the most of the opportunities we are given to learn and grow. The lessons we learn during our student life are the building blocks for our future. So, let us cherish these moments, for they are instrumental in shaping our lives.

Thank you all for your attention. I hope my insights into the life of a student have resonated with you.

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• College Life Essay

Anticipated Experiences During Our College Life

College Life is one of the most remarkable and lovable times of an individual's life. Unlike School Life, College Life has a different experience, and a person needs to have this experience in his/her life. College Life exposes us to whole new experiences which we always dream of experiencing after our school life. Lucky are those who get the chance to enjoy their college life, as many people don't get this chance due to their circumstances or financial issues. For every person, College Life has a different meaning. While some people spend their college life partying with friends, others become more cautious about their careers and study hard. Whatever the way, every individual enjoys their college life and always wishes to relive that time once it is over.

College Life Experience: How is it different from School Life?

Both school life and college life is the most memorable time of a person's life, but both of them are quite different from each other. While in School life, we learn everything in a protected environment, College Life exposes us to a new environment where we have to learn new things and face new challenges by ourselves. We spend half of our young lives in school, and thus we get comfortable living in that environment. But College Life is for three years only, where every year introduces new challenges and lessons to us. While in school, our teachers and friends always protect and guard us, in college life we form a relationship with our mentors, and they don't protect us all the time as our school teachers did. 

Unlike school life, we don't have many limitations in college life, and it is up to us how we want to spend our college life. In college life, we see new faces and experience a unique environment in which we have to mingle ourselves. We make new friends there who stay with us for the rest of our lives. Also, we get a chance to shape our careers asking the right decisions and studying hard. College life is not only about the study but also about the overall development of an individual through various activities and challenges.

In College Life, one gets a chance to make their own decisions. In school life, students get an opportunity to be class monitors. In College Life, an individual gets a chance to nominate himself/herself for more prominent positions like College President, Vice President, Secretary, and Vice Secretary. Apart from deciding the course and stream, an individual gets a chance to build his/her confidence by being a part of various societies and events that take place all year.

Different from School Life, College Life has its importance in a person's life, and one should always enjoy his/her college life.

A Bridge Between Our Student and Adult Lives

College life is considered a bridge in our lives between our school days and our career. It prepares us with the finest academics and platform to generate dreams into realities. It acts as a transition to prepare us to be more independent. In school, we were dependent on our parents. However, we became independent in college regarding studying, traveling, decision-making, and financially independent after college. It is a valued and very smooth transition where we do not realize that we have become independent. 

Some Fun Memories from College Life

Firstly, some of the most fun memories of college are “college canteen”. The canteen is supposed to be where most of the students satisfy their hunger and hang out with their friends. 

Secondly, it’s the “annual fest” of the colleges. Fests always filled the student’s life with excitement and buzz. It gave new opportunities to explore, compare, compete and provide a platform to showcase their talent. It became a place where students take lots of pictures and record their experiences. 

Last but not the least, it’s the college trips. One of the best things in college life is field trips where they can go out and have quality time with their friends and teacher and learning experience. Field trips or just any other college trips are filled with stories and dramas. Every student has their own story to tell about their college trips. 

We should enjoy our college days as they cannot be brought back just like our school days. 

The Hardest Part of College Life

As a college student, the hardest part of college life was leaving college after graduation or post-graduation. The last days of college were the hardest, knowing that soon you will be departing your friends, the campus, teachers and completely leaving behind a part of life.  

My College Days Experience

Talking about my college life, I had enjoyed my college life to the fullest and had some of the best college days of my life. I was a student of one of the most reputed colleges of Delhi University and, i.e. Gargi College. I have completed my B.A. (Hons.) in Applied Psychology from there. Gargi College is one of the renowned and best colleges of Delhi University. Built in a larger area, it is a beautiful college with many courses in streams like Science, Commerce, Arts, and Humanities. With an outstanding academic record, it is a girls college.

When I took admission to this college, I was really afraid as all the people were new to me. But soon, I started enjoying my college life and made some fantastic friends. I loved everything about my college and participated in the events at my college. Even I joined the dance society of my college and participated in many dance competitions that occurred in different colleges of Delhi University. 

One of the best things about college life is that you get a new experience every day. In my college life, along with studying, I and my friends enjoyed a lot of other things. We traveled to lots of places, had new experiences, and learned many new things. Our college's canteen was a remarkable place in my college life as whenever we got time, we used to chill in the canteen. 

Another thing I loved about my college life is Annual Fests. Every year, every college of Delhi University organizes an annual fest that lasts for 2-3 days. In this annual fest, various competitions happen, and students from various colleges come to be a part of this annual fest. Every year, our college organizes a massive annual fest and all the students of our college participate in various events and enjoy a lot in this fest. These fests allow students to socialize with new people and showcase their talent to everyone which builds their confidence and helps them in their future. I have participated in my college's annual fest for all three years, and I have got the best exposure and experience of my life through this fest. I had the best time of my life in college, and my college life memories will always make me happy.

Life After College

One fine day, you will be silently smiling with wet eyes, looking at the pictures from your college and old friends, and remembering all the good times you had in your college days. That is the beauty of studying in a college. Despite climbing the ladders of success, you will cherish the memories of your college life.

College Life is a remarkable and essential time in a person's life, and everyone should enjoy it. College Life teaches us many things and builds our confidence to face the challenges and struggles in our future. Instead of just focussing on the study, a person must participate in other activities and socialize as much as possible in his/her college life as all these things help in the overall development of a person.

FAQs on College Life Essay

Q1. What is the difference between college life and school life?

When compared to each other, they both are completely different from each other. College life provides us with different opportunities to explore to nurture our confidence in the outside world. In school, the teacher acts as a monitor whereas, in college, they act like our friends, and not to forget, in college, we face more challenges than we had in our school.

Q2. Explain some of the common memories of college life.

Whenever you hear the word college, the first thing that comes to our mind is “college canteen”. The most beloved place for every student was to feed their empty stomach, spend time with friends, and create thousands of memories. Another most common memory is of the annual fest that bought buzz in every student’s life.

Q3. Why are colleges necessary?

When we go to school, they ensure that we have common educational knowledge. Whereas in college, we get specialization in a particular field we want to pursue as our career. That’s the reason our school friends get scattered in various colleges to make their dreams a reality and open better career options.

Q4. Which two things need to be focused on the most in college?

The two most important things in college are the Grade Point Average (GPA) and your participation in other co-curricular activities.

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College Life Essay

One of the most memorable periods of one's life is considered to be their time in college. It's completely different from life at school. It involves a number of difficulties. Our lives are impacted by our college years—this is also the time of self-discovery and finding a career path for yourself. Here are a few sample essays from ‘College Life’.

100 Words Essay On College Life

200 words essay on college life, 500 words essay on college life.

One of the most memorable periods of a person's life is often their time in college. Compared to school life, it is completely different. We are exposed to new experiences and ideas during our time in college. Our schools were a secure environment where we had spent the majority of our time growing up. The move to college is so abrupt that you are no longer shielded by your teachers and schoolmates. Some people believe that college life entails living it up to the fullest and having a fun time. Others devote more time to their studies and take their careers seriously if they want a better future. From school life, college life is a significant adjustment.

College life will present you with numerous hurdles. You must make friends in this new environment where there are many unexpected faces. It teaches us how to interact with others and establish our own opinions. Students acquire their free will in college, which helps them grow more self-assured and collected. We were always dependent on our friends or teachers while we were in school. We learn to be independent in college. It strengthens us and teaches us how to face our own challenges. It also encourages us to take our careers seriously. We make decisions that will impact our future on our own, unlike when we were in school when our parents made those decisions for us.

The college experience for me was full of ups and downs. Even though I got admission to the college of my choice, the transition came as a complete shock to me. It was my first time travelling alone every day and meeting new people. I had a difficult time making new friends and getting familiar with the new professors. The newly found independence was exhilarating though. I could go anywhere I wanted, join any social activities, and become part of different programmes. It felt like there was nothing I couldn’t do in life.

Everyone should enjoy their time in college because it is a great and important period in their lives. We learn a lot from college life, and it also gives us more self-assurance to tackle difficulties later in life. A person should focus on other hobbies and socialise as much as they can during their college years rather than just studying because all of these things aid in a person's overall development.

There are many hurdles that come with being a college student. You're currently in a really strange environment where it would be difficult for you to mix with anyone. Students discover their strengths in college and how to persevere becoming more self-assured and composed.

My College Days Experience

Speaking of my time in college, I had a great time there and experienced some of the best days of my life. I attended Jesus and Mary College, one of Delhi University's most prestigious colleges. From there, I earned my B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science. One of Delhi University's most well-known and esteemed colleges is Gargi College. It is a stunning college with various courses in fields like science, commerce, the arts, and humanities that was constructed in a greater space. It is a girls' college with a stellar academic record.

I was quite nervous when I applied to this college because I didn't know any of the other students. However, I gradually got into college life and met some great friends. I took part in college events and enjoyed everything about my college. I joined the dance and quiz society at my college and took part in a number of dance and quiz competitions held at various Delhi University campuses.

The fact that every day is different is one of the finest aspects about college life. Along with studying, my friends and I enjoyed a variety of other activities in college. We visited different locations, witnessed unique experiences, and gained a great deal of fresh knowledge. In my undergraduate years, the canteen and the common room were special spots since we would hang out there anytime we had free time. Our garden was one of the most beautiful places in our college where we spent countless hours during wintertime. Sometimes, our professors would even take our lectures there when the weather was good.

Annual Fests were another aspect of college life that I cherished. Every year, each college at Delhi University puts on a festival that lasts two to three days. Several competitions take place at this annual festival, which attracts participants from different colleges. Our college hosts a sizable yearly festival every year, in which all of the students take part in numerous competitions and have a great time.

These events give students the chance to interact with new people and demonstrate their talents in front of everyone, boosting their confidence and assisting them in the future. I have taken part in my college's yearly festival for the past three years, and during this time, I have gained the most exposure and experience of my life. I had the time of my life in college, and I will always cherish my recollections of that time.

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Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

212 Speech Topics For College Students [Persuasive, Informative, Impromptu]

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

In this article:

Informative

For higher education, thesis statement examples.

List of Speech Topics For College Students

• How Schools Should Improve the Quality of Teaching.
• Why You Should Apply For International Exchange Programs.
• What to Do About Low Self-esteem?
• What You Can Do to Cut Poverty Rates.
• Refurbish your old computer PC!
• Seat belts in school buses increase passenger safety.
• Qualitative consumer market research give fundamental insight.
• Professors should never be allowed to crush a student’s dream.
• It is important for students to find organisations to get involved in.
• Students should take time to go visit their family and friends back home.
• Setting goals is important.
• Students must not be afraid to ask questions.
• Students shouldn’t be afraid to challenge a professor if they disagree with something.
• A study now and party later attitude should be adapted.
• Contrary to popular belief college kids do want their parents to fuss.
• Every college student needs a mentor.
• College students should start applying for jobs before they leave college.
• Students should spend more time enjoying their campus.
• It is important to be able to cook and do washing before starting college.
• Students need to make dorm check lists.
• Students should form study groups.
• Students should do extra credit.
• Students shouldn’t drink or smoke just because they want to fit in.
• Every student sharing a dorm or apartment should get themselves earplugs.
• Changing a major isn’t the end of the world.
• Students should make time to work out.
• Getting a job on campus is beneficial to a student.
• Students should write down questions that they need to ask the college tour guide.
• To get a true sense of what a college is really like students should visit while it’s in session.
• It is important to have study time scheduled into your day. Study time should be scheduled into a students day.
• A student’s syllabus is a wonderful tool that should be used to its full potential.
• Students should not be embarrassed to go see a tutor if they are struggling.
• Rewriting notes is a good way of reviewing study material.
• Students need to take breaks to do things other than just studying.
• Students should treat themselves to something they like at the end of very demanding weeks.
• Students should make use of student discounts.
• Being well organise will help students to avoid stress.
• The internet is full of great resources that are beneficial to students.
• Students can volunteer their way into scholarship money.
• Students should attend all the orientations available to them.
• Finding an ideal place to study is important.
• Academic advisers are key resources for students.
• When students don’t get along with their advisers they should request another.
• It is important that students have a balanced life.
• Never make hasty decisions on what to major in.
• Students should not procrastinate.
• Homesickness will affect even the students who could not wait to leave home.
• Students need to set up a budget and stick to it.
• Professors want students who want to learn, participate and show commitment to learning.
• Having a conversation with a classmate during class is an insult to the professor.
• Students should dress appropriately to class.
• Students should never turn in work that doesn’t follow their professors guidelines.
• It’s a good move to sit towards the front of the classroom.
• There should be a system in place to minimise students from dropping out of college.
• To save money students should make use of campus amenities.
• College students will need flip-flops in the bathroom.
• Students should visit their college counselling centre at least once a week.
• Students should take advantage of all the free activities on campus.
• Getting caught doing illegal things will be very bad for any college record.
• Students should register for classes as early as possible.
• Getting a job during the first semester isn’t a good idea.
• Study groups should be kept small.
• Students living in dorms should wash their hands often.
• College demands 100% effort.
• Parents shouldn’t yell at kids who no longer get straight A’s like they did before attending college.
• Students need to carry condoms with them at all times.
• Pregnancy shouldn’t be the end of a student’s college dream.
• Students need to realise that most people’s social media posts are exaggerated.
• High levels of pressure can lead to suicide.
• Students should never be told they are failures, even when they have failed.
• Virtual classroom will take over in future.
• Students who were raised by over controlling parents will have a hard time dealing with all the changes once they start college.
• Convincing a student to stay in college is very important.
• Long distant relationships do not work.
• Students should marry someone with the same level of education.
• Believing that everyone will mature in college is a myth.
• Students should always back up their files.
• Roommates need to have a good talk when they are having issues.
• Applying for a summer orientation position for incoming students will be good for a student.
• There is no need for a car in campus.
• Keeping a journal is a great idea.
• Going to career fairs is a smart move.
• Students should not over commit themselves just to look good on their resumes.
• It is important that students check their emails often.
• Becoming a Resident Assistant is a good idea.
• Libraries are a cool place to study.
• Freshman 15 is a real thing.
• Students should be careful about whom they borrow things to.
• Credit cards are not a good idea for college students.
• Shy students should attend a public speaking class.
• Students should take small classes with professors that write recommendations.
• A student should write a thesis even if they don’t need to.
• Opportunities to study abroad should always be accepted.
• College students should not go home every weekend.
• Internships are overrated.
• Students should take advantage of free tutoring.
• Most college friendships are temporary.
• Undergraduation does not mean you are not qualified for a succesful career.
• The majority of graduate students struggle with emotional fatigue.
• Legalizing prostitution will avoid campus date rape incidents.
• It is important for college students to take a Sabbatical.
• Every graduation student should obtain foreign experience.
• An online spell checker isn’t enough for your research paper essay.
• Censorship is needed in college and high school drama productions.
• Why you must sign the Student Pledge Against Gun Violence.
• Persuade the government to pay the basic healthcare of students.
• Do undercover FBI agents belong on campus?

College speech topics to attain indirect clues about themes intended to apply in higher learning presentations by little or less effort on the road to a successful presentation.

• Award or graduation ceremonies revealed from the backstage.
• How to become a cheerleader and transcend yourself to indispensability.
• Chemistry experiments and scientific breaktroughs.
• Horse racing and betting procedures – compare odds bookmakers.
• My plans for the future after I have completed this year:
• How spy sunglasses and airport bodyscans can see through clothes.
• Diving expeditions to shipwrecks that are buried on the ocean sand floor.
• Famous painters and paintings from the Golden Century.
• Favourite movie characters which are voiced by actors.
• Why meet and greet Asian people politely.
• Dining etiquette you must know for all occasions.
• Digital multitrack music recording works to compose top hits.
• Impress people at first sight – the psychology behind that adagium.
• What would you do if you should have an unexpected week off?
• What would you like to know more about.
• What is your favourite career field, something that make all the difference?
• Clothing styles and name brands for prom nights.
• Famous fashion or sports apparel designers – as seen on tennis tv shows.
• Your worst campus activities in the days your are off.
• Mountain biking is fun and earth-friendly they say, it is risky too.
• How I earn money with … (fill in a not ordinary student job)
• Enhance campus life in dorm rooms by nice pranks.
• Fashion trends this spring and summer, autumn and winter.
• Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle revealed.
• The hip-hop lifestyle is a no-life style.
• Dangers of a cyber relationship on shady late night moments.
• Start your own internet broadcast program in three steps.
• How to impress people at first sight.
• Ways to enhance campus life.
• The causes of the American civil war.
• How i prepared my trip to Europe.
• The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
• The Wonders of the Medieval World.
• The Natural Wonders of the World.
• The Wonders of the Modern Word.
• The Vikings Boats – The fighting fleet of prehistoric Scandinavia.
• The Samurai Warriors – Story of the Japanese military nobility.
• Bermuda Triangle – The haunted southeastern Atlantic coast area.
• Harry Houdini – The Great Illusionist and Magician.
• The most famous cities of the Maya culture.
• What are bar and bat Mitzvah.
• The travels of Marco Polo.
• What is an ISBN number and how it works.
• What is an eclipse.
• The secrets of crop circles.
• Yoga for beginners.
• 5 dangers of cyber relationships.
• The world’s time zones.
• How photosynthesis works in plants.
• Special tricks to remain focused during lectures.
• Sanction for students that are caught cheating around the world.
• Summer jobs for students.
• How our graduate system compares to other countries.
• Check list for leadership of student council members
• Graduation party ideas to impress your guests.

College speech topic inventory of logical action sequences for higher education students. All are broad and should be narrowed for a classroom speech. For example, Safe Sunbathing can be narrowed to persuasion on your personal tips on how to enjoy the sun safely on holidays.

Another sample: Homesickness. E.g. describe what it is, how it feels, what forms exist and what you can do about it yourself or with help from professionals.

Most and for all, read the higher education assignment rules and requirements very, very carefully. Do not take issues everyone will consider as overused.

Choose the one you like. When in doubt: ask friends or your public speaking professor.

Can We Write Your Speech?

Get your audience blown away with help from a professional speechwriter. Free proofreading and copy-editing included.

• College education years are absolute not the best years of our life
• Coping with anxiety in life
• Dealing with loss and mourning grief
• Honesty in college really matters
• How to communicate effectively at our campus
• How to cope with an autistic person
• The international diplomatic circus
• My motto: Learn from the past, prepare the future, and live present
• Limiting the promotion of alcohol diminishes traffic casualties
• My goals for the student council election
• The pros or cons of organ donating
• Safe sunbathing is a must in sunshine states
• Sports football vs. soccer, or other sports for another college speech topic
• Studying alone or studying with a group of college students?
• Why skipping classes can isolate a student socially.
• Ten rules for achieving successes
• Cheesy pickup lines you should not stick on your vehicle
• Funny awards and their meanings
• High Tech industry job opportunities
• Homesickness is not pose
• How to boost confidence in public speaking
• Handling your drunken roommate
• How to stay in touch with old college mates
• Money problems – this is a very hot college speech idea 🙂
• Problem drinkers and the problems that occur
• Human services in health care
• The Free Speech Movement
• Time management skills are no luxury these days
• What I will do when I retire
• Why movies are popular, or take one special movie that’s in and make a presentation of it.

The inventory can be expanded to many more. Here are three methods for developing:

• Look in the education resources you have access to for surprising new bare facts and background data sheets.
• And categorize the information in easy to do step by step instructions and logical educational action sequences.
• Ask college classmates and peers for their opinions, thoughts, ideas and needs on the chochosenllege speech topic.

These informative speech topics for college students are not only nice for preparing the best public speaking speech, but also for essay writing, I have noticed.

Some students who provide me feedback and additional tips, wrote that they have successfully adapted these five samples for writing and essay or paper.

The suggested sub-points are given to spark your imagination,; expand or focus them till they fit the requirements of the educational assignment.

Impromptu speech topics for college in case your are required to speak in front of everyone out of the blue about specific issues ad-libbing as public speaking training:

Second, use my basic outline template. Print it and learn the simple structure by heart. No worries, it is really that simple 🙂

Do keep it simple. Especially when you have to speak for let’s say a minute of three to five. To put it roughly: one minute per main point often will do the trick! Rehearse your first line.

Rehearse your last line; that is your relevant call to action. See more of my basic checks for speaking off the cuff when you are invited to do so.

• Show the essence of a college sports scholarship.
• Present the reasons why international climate change mitigation strategies will fall short. Tip: each of those reasons could be good by themselves.
• Decide the value of a BA or Master degree.
• Show similarities and differences of good college essays.
• Distinguish the economic differences between the North and South.
• Give a judgment of the positive and negative effects of video games on kids.
• Make clear what the word quality means under certain circumstances.
• Provide the detailed features of your new iPhone. Or take an alternative gadget for similar impromptu speech topics for college.
• List and judge the for and against of anti-doping programs in sports.
• List the steps to help making an informed decision about a future professional career.
• The usefulness of your public speaking training abilities.
• Make clear how and why people get a burnout.
• What is a final salary scheme in calculating retirement pensions?
• The value of information provided through school libraries.
• Why intelligence services must apply forms of domestic spying.
• The effects of industrialization after the invention of the steam engine.
• Teen girls are getting very liberal with sexual favors, no that’s a false understatement.
• Be a critic of impromptu speech topics for college of your public speaking instructor suggests.
• Wrap up the last meeting of your campus community board; any decisions taken for example about sports scholarships improvements?
• The interesting process of genetic reproductive cloning, by which an animal is created with the same DNA as an existing animal.

Speech topics for college students formulated as ready to go public speaking education thesis statements.

Just alter the sentences in the way you like it and there you are: you have your own personal slides and sheets writings for stirring the fire up somewhat and start a function or action based on the classic rhetorica essentials and oral hints for a higher education auditor.

Safety considerations related to school buses which operate under the supervision of the transportation authority boards.

Methods family genealogists use to research history and how they interpret data in an annotative critical perseverance way.

These are also very usable for starting up the thinking process for example essay writing and researching projects

• Mass vaccination is a good public health strategy for protecting people in potential disaster regions against cholera. Or of course choose other diseases to get stringent in content speech topics if you study for gaining a degree in a specific area.
• The concerns raised by the refurbishing of old computer PCs and recycling other consumer electronics.
• Sedation could be a humanitarian solution for transporting acutely or critically ill patients and diminish safety risk issues on the way to hospital.
• How a financial planner can identify those estate planning issues that are most forthcoming to you, and how you can solve many of the financial problems encountered.
• I have also grouped and explained the famous travels of Marco Polo in three periods for vocal expressions if you like to orate on a great adventurer of centuries ago.
• Consumer market research is an inevitable instrument to collect exact or valuable haphazard speech topics for college students data before you sell any goods.
• How the seventeenth century judicial system of Checks and Balances is constituated in the US Constitution based on the hypothesis and theories of the father of the modern state structures, the honorable French politician Charles de Montesquieu.
• Persons who are following a 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grades course and who are gifted and talented should be provided with special education funds for high-achieving pupils, like the tropicana program for public speaking education.
• Common emotional problems with wills and trusts and ways to handle them adequately.
• There should be one uniform standard set of higher learning edu challenges in closing commencement rates with the same characteristics for similar bookworm populations.
• Employees have the responsibility to prevent sexual harassment, to response appropriate, and participate in misconduct investigations.
• The importance for college students, teachers, and instructors of improving social studies knowledge of controversial civic issues.
• You can distillate many college persuasive speech topics out of this topic for public speaking. Map out the food gap between developing and rich countries; the trends over time and how the United Nations Millenium Goal policy could cut poverty rates.
• The labor force population explained. The employed, unemployed and self-employed put into the context of the labor policy of our government. The problems, causes and possible solutions.
• How emerging India has become a serious international space competitive in the past years, and future topics related to India’s space race in the next decade.
• Why bilingual language education divides us Americans. Some persuasive speech topics for school to consider for public speaking students are: why every new citizen should learn both English and Spanish, or just another universal foreign language.
• Five ways to help the partially sighted or blind; visually impaired people in ordinairy life. Motivate your public speaking audience to act immediately!
• The National holidays other countries around the world celebrate with various names, traditions and cultures. Why do we have so much national holidays. Take some discutable ones and translate them into college persuasive speech topics.
• Husbands and wives should have the right to decide freely to have as many children as they can properly raise. The one-child policy in the People’s Republic of China is not acceptable for us in the Western Hemisphere? Or is it the only way to stop overpopulation?
• The goals of the science of Paleontology – what do students want to achieve with the studying of prehistoric life, olds stines and fossils. Are they sufficiently enough?
• Why we should help to prevent and to improve therapeutic treatment methods and extensive educational programs on stuttering. Do the existing methods work?
• The basics of risk management explained in detail – the determination, the prevention, and the control of dangers.
• Human body language is the one and only Cupido guide to success in dating; it reveals everything about her or him and of course about yourself.
• How to cut the expensive costs of dorm fees, books, food and transportation and have a good and relaxed campus life as well. Wow, these are real speech topics for college – it paves the path to many more supplements.
• Why a professional business and management liability insurance is not a luxury, but an essential need for each and every company.
• What every employee should know about earn gratuities and the related regulations and obligations under the Income Tax Act.
• Why we should buy an IPhone and why not – the pros and cons of the Apple invention explained for mobile phone dummies.
• Why so-called Pro Bono Lawyers are not philanthropically legal aid attorneys for charity. How they work on deductive premises – bring home the steps in the legal process – is an alternative option to work out.
• Human Papillomavirus and Chlamydia are the most common bacterial sexually transmitted diseases at college campuses and therefore actual public speaking speech topics for college students to deliver in class.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning or the silent assassin that can build up to dangerous levels while you are sleeping – describe the causes, the problems, the treatment and how it can be prevented.
• Stop the state and federal budget cuts to the deaf access programs and services for persons with a hearing disability. Or take other disability programs to make a personal and political statement.

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104 Environmental Speech Topics [Persuasive, Informative]

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College Life Essay for Students and Children

500 words essay on college life.

College life is known as one of the most memorable years of one’s life. It is entirely different from school life. College life exposes us to new experiences and things that we were not familiar with earlier. For some people, college life means enjoying life to the fullest and partying hard. While for others, it is time to get serious about their career and study thoroughly for a brighter future.

Nonetheless, college life remains a memorable time for all of us. Not everyone is lucky enough to experience college life. People do not get the chance to go to college due to various reasons. Sometimes they do not have a strong financial background to do so while other times they have other responsibilities to fulfill. The ones who have had a college life always wish to turn back time to live it all once again.

The Transition from School Life to College Life

College life is a big transition from school life. We go through a lot of changes when we enter college. Our schools were a safe place where we had grown up and spent half our lives. The transition to college is so sudden that you’re no longer protected by your teachers and friends of your school time.

College life poses a lot of challenges in front of you. You are now in a place full of unfamiliar faces where you need to mingle in. It teaches us to socialize and form opinions of our own. In college, students learn their free will and they go on to become more confident and composed.

In school life, we were always dependant on our friends or teachers. College life teaches us to be independent. It makes us stronger and teaches us to fight our own battles. It also makes us serious about our careers. We make decisions that will affect our future all by ourselves, as in school life our parents did it for us.

Additionally, in schools, we viewed our teachers as our mentors and sometimes even parents. We respected them and kept a distance. However, in college life, the teacher-student relationship becomes a bit informal. They become more or less like our friends and we share our troubles and happiness with them as we did with our friends.

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College Life Experience

College life experience is truly one of a kind. The most common memories people have of college life are definitely goofing around with friends. They remember how the group of friends walked around the college in style and playing silly pranks on each other.

Moreover, people always look back at the times spent in the college canteen. It was considered the hub of every student where they enjoyed eating and chatting away with their friends.

Another college life experience I have seen people cherish the most is the annual fest. The annual fest created so much excitement and buzz amongst the students. Everyone welcomed other colleges with open arms and also made friends there. All the competitions were carried out in a good spirit and the students dressed their best to represent their college well.

FAQs on College Life

Q.1 How is college life different from school life?

A.1 College life is completely different from school life. It gives us more exposure and also makes us more confident. Our teachers act more like friends in college, whereas in school they’re like our mentors. Most importantly, college life gives us various challenges than our school life.

Q.2 What are some memories of college life?

A.2 Those who have experienced college life have some common memories. People always remember their free time which they spent with friends goofing around. Everyone remembers the annual fest of the college which brought so much excitement and buzz in student’s lives. Furthermore, they remember the college canteen which always fed their empty stomachs.

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Speech Examples for College Students

Have you ever heard a speech from a famous Hollywood stars like Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres or Viola Davis that gave you chills on the back of your neck and made you rethink your life choices? Have you ever gave a standing ovation for a wonderfully given speech? Have you ever thought of giving a speech that would give others a life-changing quotation that will be their forever quotable quotes? Don’t worry, you can always deliver your own version of a hair-raising and life-defining speech.

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Research papers , thesis, essay writing and excuses are always part of your college routine but every now and then, you have to deliver a speech. Here are some college speech highlights to remember and different examples that would help you improve your speech.

1. Catch-phrase

Your catch-phrase or your opening line is one of the most crucial part of your speech because it could either catch the attention of your audience or make their heads turn around (or roll their eyes or make them not want to listen at all). Always start your speech with words that are relatable and “catchy”. There was once a speech given by a college student that started with a word “s ex ” and that got the class’ attention (and your attention) but the thing is that word is not at all related to the topic but you get to achieve your first goal anyways.

Always remember that this opening line would serve as their first impression, so you might as well let them remember you in a good way.

2. Always remember that your audience are college students

According to study, college students usually lose their focus when listening to a 20 minute-talk in a forum or speech. Set the time limit on whatever your speech would be. Make a short but precise and direct speech that could be heard and be remembered by the students. Also try throwing jokes every now and then.

3. Pause or Pausing

Let us all go back to the catch-phrase, “s ex ” — after the speaker said this, there was a few seconds of pause to let the audience process the word or to at least let them think again about the said line. “ And that ladies and gentlemen got your attention ” as the speaker continues.

Always remember when to pause. Do not pause for a very long time and do not pause in between the intensity of your speech as this is the part where they would actually want to listen and you don’t want to lose their attention. Also, do not pause in the part that where you will be finishing your speech as the listeners would want to hear the conclusion of it.

4. Intonation

Intonation is what we call the rise and fall of the voice when speaking and this is the part where you could put emphasis or emotions to words. Take time to practice when to raise your voice and when to put emphasis. Another trick would be raising your voice when you think and feel that your audience is losing contact.

Good intonation would actually help you and your audience to focus on your speech. Good intonation would include putting emphasis in the right “yous” in the speech. For example when Ashley Graham gave a speech to Glamour’s International Day of the Girl, she tackled the importance of knowing the beauty beyond size. She also had said in her speech, “ YOU is fine ” and was going on with the speech emphasizing the word “you”. “ You is fine ” is short but effective.

5. Hand Gesture

When your voice is rising and falling every now and then, why not add some actions and do some hand gesture? Hand gesture is a good way of showing your audience that this speech is not a joke and you want your audience to listen and look at you, and even take down notes. In relation to intonation, you could use hand gestures like pointing to the audience when saying “you!” to be more convincing. You can also use hand gestures like showing your three fingers while saying “take note of this 3 points, first…” while also snapping the fingers once in awhile just to keep the crowd awake.

The tricky part of hand gesture is sometimes using it in a wrong way. Some hand gestures can be offensive and the best way to avoid it is always know your crowd. Know that with the right amount of hand movement, you can hide the shaking of your hands from the audience.

6. Body Posture

Slouching is the one of the many bad habits we can’t just get rid off but slouching isn’t something you would do when reciting a speech. The moment you decided to slouch is the moment you are giving your audience a chance to think that you are no longer in control.

A good body posture indicates professionalism and in giving speech, you want to show your audience a high level of professionalism.

7. Structure

A good speech comes from a good structure. Structure includes the connection or the relation of the different parts or aspects of something complex. You must create a structure for your speech and surely, the rest would follow. Structure would cover your opening line, your topic, the body of the speech , conclusion and closing remarks. A structure could also serve as an outline for your speech since this is where you try to connect everything at once. You also need to look at the transition as your structure must include when and how to transition the speech from A to Z.

8. Right Location

When you are too nervous or lost, finding a right location in the classroom or stage would help. Look for a spot where the audience could see you and where you can see everyone in the audience. Also, find a spot where you could easily do a hand gesture free of objects, decorations and other display materials.

Have you ever wondered how a good public speaker does his thing confidently? Have you ever noticed them breathing in/out and changing position before they start? That is because they were standing in the right spot.

9. C hoose a topic that you know

There is a numerous list of topics you can find on the internet but always remember to choose a topic that is familiar to you as well as the audience, and also a topic which interests you personally.

Here are few topics:

• Poverty. This is an easy topic since poverty is still prevalent around the globe. You may also want touch on subjects like debts since this causes poverty and college students have school loans/debts to pay. On the other hand, you can use poverty as a topic use to scare your audience if that they don’t finish their studies or they don’t work, they will end up broke (not unless they’re Bill Gates or Steve Jobs).
• Effects of US’ Foreign Policy: “Pivot to Asia”. This is a smart topic but would require time for research. This is also a topic that will touch on economy, culture, and the effects of western policies to the east, and vice versa.
• The Means of Social Media. This is an easy topic since almost everyone is on social media. This is like an every dose for college student — a means of escape. You can actually start your speech by taking a selfie and posting it online then announcing “ I just posted a selfie on Facebook but what difference does it make? ” This topic is very much relatable to the younger generation who are more adept and exposed to social media.

• Accessibility to Education.  This topic would include online education or satellite campuses wherein you can go to school anywhere and anytime you want. You could actually want to open your with lines like “Have you ever wanted to a class on top of the mountain?” Everyone just wants to go here and there and do everything all at once. Why not open a topic that would give interest to both faculty and students. These people always claimed to be busy all the time, give them a topic that would give them their imagination come to words.

There are other topics you could find on the internet but these are just a few you can choose.

Don’t forget to relax and remember the tips when doing a speech mentioned above. If ever you have to do it over again, it will be much easier and probably be less nerve wracking.

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The Strange Ritual of Commencement Speeches

Where everything and nothing is at stake

They appear every spring, like crocuses or robins or perhaps black flies: commencement addresses. Thousands of them, across the country and across the variety of American higher education—two-year schools, four-year schools, small colleges, universities both public and private, schools of every kind. And they will appear again, despite how unusual this spring has been. Many campuses have been roiled by protests about the war in Gaza, and some institutions will curtail graduation ceremonies. But the members of this undergraduate class, who had their high-school graduations shut down by COVID in 2020, have long looked forward to a second chance at a commencement ceremony. Over the next month or so, even in the face of disruptions or cancellations, commencement addresses will be delivered to about 4 million students earning some kind of college degree.

Most of these addresses will pass into oblivion. It is a cliché for commencement speakers to open their remarks by confessing that they remember nothing about their own graduation: They have forgotten not just what was said, but who said it. Yet even if most commencement addresses prove far from memorable, the press and public eagerly anticipate them. News stories appear throughout the winter and early spring announcing who will speak where. Then, when the speakers have spoken, journalists and commentators rush to judge which should be considered the year’s best.

A few speeches are anointed as classics to be visited or revisited for years. Admiral William McRaven’s 2014 address at the University of Texas at Austin has had more than 60 million YouTube viewers, all eager to learn the 10 takeaways from his Navy SEAL training. Thousands of Americans likely hear echoes in their head every morning of his promise that if you “make your bed,” it will change your life. More than 60 million people have also watched Steve Jobs’s Stanford University speech from 2005, which eerily anticipates his own death and urges graduates to “ follow your heart .” J. K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard talk about failure and imagination has attracted tens of millions of viewers, as has David Foster Wallace’s 2005 Kenyon College address, “ This Is Water. ” All of these also ended up in print as well, designed to make attractive gifts. Admiral McRaven’s book became a New York Times No. 1 best seller. When Wallace died, in 2008, The Wall Street Journal republished the speech in his memory.

Read: A commencement address too honest to deliver in person

Commencement greatest hits reach well beyond these chart-toppers. Time , The New York Times , The Washington Post , Slate , Elle , and countless other outlets run articles each year on the season’s winners. “Looking for some new words of wisdom?” NPR asks on its website. The headline of its online database lists the 350 “Best Commencement Speeches, Ever” in alphabetical order (but, curiously, by first name), from Aaron Sorkin to Zubin Damania. Can all 350 really be the “best”?

The assumption behind commencement speeches seems to be that even as graduates don their black robes and mortarboards, they don’t yet know quite enough. They must await, or perhaps endure, some final instruction, absorb some last missing life lesson, before they can be safely launched into what their education has supposedly prepared them for. Almost always these days, this instructional capstone is delivered by someone outside the institution, someone expected to have insight that extends beyond a university’s walls—perhaps representing a first step in the students’ transition into the “real world.” Many colleges and universities try to attract the most famous person they can. As graduation season approaches, speaker announcements take on the hallmarks of a competition: Which institutions did President Barack Obama choose for his three or four addresses each year? Who snagged Oprah Winfrey? Or Taylor Swift?

Seeking a famous speaker may, on one level, represent an unseemly preoccupation with celebrity. But it fits the logic of the occasion. What better time to hear from someone who is regarded as, at least in some way, distinguished? Someone who has led what an institution perceives to be an inspiring and successful life? Yet even before our present moment of cancel culture and partisanship, university leaders have had to worry about selecting a speaker who might spark disruptions in a ceremony meant to be a celebration. High Point University, in North Carolina, which in 2005 welcomed Rudy Giuliani—admired in the aftermath of 9/11 as “America’s mayor”—presumably would not make that choice again today. Every spring sees its complement of speakers who are protested, heckled, or disinvited.

Speakers, in turn, are attracted by a prestigious invitation, or perhaps by the presence of a child or grandchild in the graduating class—and, at times, by the offer of a substantial honorarium. Some institutions, though a minority, pay their speakers what can be hefty sums. One agent who represents a portfolio of prominent entertainers observed that fees for graduation speakers may go as high as $500,000. “Universities are vying for customers in the form of admissions, and this can be a great way to advertise and get people on campus,” she explained . When Matthew McConaughey’s $135,000 honorarium from the University of Houston was made public by inquisitive journalists in 2015, he quickly assured critics that he had donated it to charity. The Boston Globe touched off a small scandal when it reported the same year that three state schools had paid speakers $25,000 to $35,000 each.

Serving as a commencement speaker is not all glory. Usually the honored guest must perform as the centerpiece of the lunches, dinners, and meet and greets that surround the actual ceremony. And of course there is the speech. Someone has to write it. It seems unimaginable that anyone other than David Foster Wallace could have created “This Is Water,” and Kenyon students remember seeing him surrounded by sheets of paper, inking in edits and scribbling addenda right up to the start of the ceremony. At Harvard, J. K. Rowling opened her remarks by admitting to the months of anxiety she experienced as she wrote her address. At least, she noted, her worries had resulted in her losing weight. Rowling’s speech was greeted with a two-minute standing ovation. Yet she vowed never to give a commencement address again.

Many speeches are composed by someone other than the person who utters the words. Commencement speeches are not just a cultural ritual; they are an industry. A former Obama speechwriter told me recently that the springtime atmosphere at the Washington, D.C., public-affairs and communications firm where he now works is like the high-pressure environment of an accounting firm during tax season. Some of the market comprises regular clients, but a number of customers are one-offs. A lot of speechwriters hate doing commencement speeches, he said; they find it nearly impossible to come up with something fresh and compelling. These addresses, he went on, are unlike other genres of speeches, which tend to focus on the speaker. A commencement address has to be about the graduates: It is their day. Getting the “trite ideas out”—Pursue your passions! Turn failure into opportunity!—can be the first step toward “shaking loose” an idea, an angle that is distinctive to a particular speaker, place, and moment.

In any given year, a speaker in high demand will deliver addresses at several colleges and universities. Barack Obama gave 23 graduation speeches during his presidency. In principle, these speeches should not be the same; each audience, each institution, each graduate wants to feel special. Besides, in this digital age, you are going to get caught. When word got around, in advance of his 2005 Class Day speech at Harvard, that the Meet the Press host Tim Russert sometimes recycled his remarks, students at Harvard passed around bingo cards printed with some of his favorite phrases and encouraged attendees to play.

Senator Chuck Schumer doesn’t care about being caught. He loves graduations, and shows up, sometimes unannounced—perhaps even uninvited, though none of his hosts has ever said so—at as many as eight commencement ceremonies across the state of New York every year. He delivers the same speech every time. A student complained on a Reddit thread that he had heard the speech five times in six years—at his high-school, college, and graduate-school commencements, and at his sister’s high-school and college ceremonies. “OH FUCK,” his long-suffering family finally proclaimed, “NOT AGAIN.” (Perhaps, another Reddit contributor suggested, the graduates could arrange to do a sing-along.) When John Oliver, the host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight , learned about Senator Schumer’s springtime follies, he couldn’t resist showing clips of him saying exactly the same thing year after year after year, with the same verbal sound effects and hand gestures—an “endless graduation-speech time loop.”

The peril of graduation speeches is that, however hard you struggle, you are in danger of repeating not just yourself but every person who has ever given one. Asked to generate a commencement address, ChatGPT produces a script that sounds like every speech you’ve ever heard, because it is in fact just that: a distillation of everything everyone has ever said, or at least everything that ChatGPT has found available in its training data. Graduates should practice resilience, pursue purpose, nurture relationships, embrace change, innovate, accept their responsibility to lead, and persevere as they embark on their journey into “a world of infinite possibilities.”

Read: What John F. Kennedy’s moon speech reveals 50 years later

We have all heard this speech. We’ll hear versions of it again this spring. But we hope for something better, and we’ll scour newspapers and the internet to see if it has been delivered somewhere. We ask powerful, accomplished people to stand before us and, for a moment, present a different self—to open up, become vulnerable, be reflective, let us see inside. What is a meaningful life, and how do I live one? These are questions that are customarily reserved for late nights in undergraduate dormitories, for the years before the at-once tedious and terrifying burdens of Real Life—careers, mortgages, children, aging bodies, disappointed hopes—overtake us.

Everything and nothing is at stake in a commencement address. Maybe you have already heard it eight times. Maybe there was nothing worth hearing in the first place. But perhaps you will encounter a speaker who, even in this tumultuous spring, can reach across the chasm of innocence and experience separating graduates and the person talking to them. The old endeavor to imagine themselves young and look through fresh eyes again; the young begin to imagine themselves old, as they will become all too soon.

The best commencement address is a gift—of self and of hope across generations. It is not surprising that these speeches so rarely succeed. The surprise should be when they do. Innocence can only faintly imagine experience. No generation can really explain to another what is to come. And experience can never recapture innocence, however wistful we may be for what has been lost. The beauty of commencement speeches is that they represent a moment when we try.

College Life Essay

500+ words essay on college life.

College life is a beautiful stage for a student. It’s the time when students get serious about their career and study thoroughly to make their future bright. It’s also a time when we make lifelong friends and spend valuable time with them. College life is entirely different from school life, and this life is quite an enjoyable experience. It is said to be the most memorable years of one’s life. We make good friends, decide our future and work on our leadership skills during our college years. Teenagers are exposed to new experiences and things we weren’t familiar with earlier. College life is a mixed-phase of practical learning and enjoying with friends.

For a student, college life is the beginning of adulthood. In our college life, along with academics, we indulge ourselves in recreational activities. Students also participate in various group activities that will help them learn about themselves and their peers. After graduation, students are prepared to face the real world. In today’s scenario, the job market is quite challenging, but still, you can make your college life an exciting time in your life.

Every individual or student is not lucky to get the chance to experience college life. Due to various reasons, they are not able to attend college. Some might have financial problems, while others have responsibilities to fulfil. College life always remains memorable for all of us. The ones who have had a college life always wish to turn back time to live it all once again.

We all learn the most significant lessons of our life during our college times. In our college life, we develop brotherhood, friendship and a spirit of unity. We also get a sense of duty and responsibility and learn good manners. One crucial lesson students should learn in college is not to misuse liberty.

A student’s future is determined by utilising their college time productively to become successful in life. Students should not ignore their studies at their college because it can turn their dreams into reality.

The Transition from School Life to College Life

When we get into college, it is entirely different from school life. We go through a lot of changes during our college life. Life in our school is protected, where we have spent half of our lives. Even the sudden transition from school to college is quite challenging as we no longer have teachers and friends from our school.

As we step into our college life, we face many hurdles in a place with unfamiliar faces. Students become more composed and confident in college life as they socialise with others and express their opinions.

When we are at school, we are entirely dependent on our teachers and friends. Life at college makes us independent and stronger and teaches us to fight our own battles. In our college life, we become more independent and capable of deciding for the future.

Compared to school life, the bond between teachers and students becomes informal in college life. They become friends and share their problems and troubles with their teachers as we do with friends.

College Life Experience

When we enter college, we encounter a significant transition from school life. When we are at school, we make several friends and get good teachers and a good environment, but suddenly in college life, we enter a new place where we know none.

College life is the golden period of life because it makes one more potent, profound and independent. Compared to school life, college life is short-lived. College is only for 4-5 years, but we spend half of our academic career at school.

College students enjoy their freedom as they grow up and become mature. They become able to decide between good and bad. College life teaches them many things and builds confidence to face challenges and struggles.

College students cherish the annual fest organised by the college every year the most. Among the students, the college fest creates excitement and buzz. Everyone enjoys the fest and welcomes each other with open arms. The programs and competitions are carried out in good spirits, and students dress their best to represent their college well. Students participate in various skits, dances, debates, sports etc.; it gives them a competitive attitude and the ability to welcome victories and failures with grace and good-hearted energy.

Frequently Asked Questions on college life Essay

How can students cope with the transition from school to college.

Students should be encouraged to face the new environment in college with confidence. Parents and teachers play an important role in this.

What does a student usually expect out of their college life?

A student expects their college life to be educational, fun and career-boosting. Extracurricular activities, tournaments, cultural programmes, etc., must be organised in colleges.

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• Barbara Bush

‘Believe in Something Larger Than Yourself.’ Read Barbara Bush’s Remarks on Life, Family and Love in Her Wellesley Commencement Speech

F ormer First Lady Barbara Bush died at the age of 92 on Tuesday. Remembered by her family for her immense strength and tenacity, Bush lived a full life, spanning tragedies and numerous victories. She joined her husband, George H.W. Bush at White House while he was President and later got to see her son, George W. Bush, take the same office.

In 1990, Barbara Bush delivered the commencement speech at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Addressing the graduating class, Bush stressed the importance of family and cherishing connections with other people.

“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal,” she said. “You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent.”

To Bush, finding joy in life was vital as well. She even quoted a line made famous by the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off : “Life moves pretty fast and if you don’t stop and look around once in a while you are going to miss it.”

Read her full speech below.

Thank you President Keohane, Mrs. Gorbachev, Trustees, Faculty, Parents, Julia Porter, and certainly my new best friend, Christine Bicknell, and, of course, the Class of 1990. I am really thrilled to be here today, and very excited, as I know you all must be, that Mrs. Gorbachev could join us. These are exciting times. They are exciting in Washington, and I have really looked forward to coming to Wellesley. I thought it was going to be fun — I never dreamed it would be this much fun. More than ten years ago when I was invited here to talk about our experiences in the People’s Republic of China, I was struck by both the natural beauty of your campus … and the spirit of this place. Wellesley, you see, is not just a place … but an idea … an experiment in excellence in which diversity is not just tolerated, but is embraced. The essence of this spirit was captured in a moving speech about tolerance given last year by a student body president of one of your sister colleges. She related the story by Robert Fulghum about a young pastor, finding himself in charge of some very energetic children, hits upon a game called “Giants, Wizards, and Dwarfs.” “You have to decide now,” the pastor instructed the children, “which you are … a giant, a wizard or a dwarf?” At that, a small girl tugging at his pants leg, asked, “But where do the mermaids stand?” The pastor tells her there are no mermaids. “Oh yes there are,” she said. “I am a mermaid.” Now this little girl knew what she was and she was not about to give up on either her identity or the game. She intended to take her place wherever mermaids fit into the scheme of things. Where do mermaids fit into the scheme of things. Where do mermaids stand … all of those who are different, those who do not fit the boxes and the pigeonholes?” “Answer that question,” wrote Fulghum, “and you can build a school, a nation, or a whole world.” As that very wise young woman said. “Diversity … like anything worth having … requires effort.” Effort to learn about and respect difference, to be compassionate with one another, to cherish our own identity … and to accept unconditionally the same in others. You should all be very proud that this is the Wellesley spirit. Now I know your first choice for today was Alice Walker (guess how I know!), known for The Color Purple . Instead you got me — known for the color of my hair! Alice Walker’s book has a special resonance here. At Wellesley, each class is known by a special color … and for four years the Class of 1990 has worn the color purple. Today you meet on Severance Green to say goodbye to all of that … to begin a new and very personal journey … a search for your own true colors. In the world that awaits you beyond the shores of Lake Waban, no one can say what your true colors will be. But this I do know: You have a first-class education from a first-class school. And so you need not, probably cannot, live a “paint-by-numbers” life. Decisions are not irrevocable. Choices do come back. And as you set off from Wellesley, I hope that many of you will consider making three very special choices. The first is to believe in something larger than yourself … to get involved in some of the big ideas of our time. I chose literacy because I honestly believe that if more people could read, write and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems that plague our nation and our society. Early on I made another choice which I hope you will make as well. Whether you are talking about education, career or service, you are talking about life … and life really must have joy. It’s supposed to be fun! One of the reasons I made the most important decision of my life … to marry George Bush … is because he made me laugh. It’s true, sometimes we’ve laughed through our tears … but that shared laughter has been one of our strongest bonds. Find the joy in life, because as Ferris Bueller said on his day off … “Life moves pretty fast. Ya don’t stop and look around once in a while, ya gonna miss it!” (I am not going to tell George you clapped more for Ferris than you did for George.) The third choice that must not be missed is to cherish your human connections: your relationships with family and friends. For several years, you’ve had impressed upon you the importance to your career of dedication and hard work, and, of course, that’s true. But as important as your obligations as a doctor, lawyer or business leader will be, you are a human being first and those human connections — with spouses, with children, with friends — are the most important investments you will ever make. At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent. We are in a transitional period right now … fascinating and exhilarating times … learning to adjust to the changes and the choices we … men and women … are facing. As an example, I remember what a friend said, on hearing her husband complain to his buddies that he had to babysit. Quickly setting him straight, my friend told her husband that when it’s your own kids, it’s not called babysitting! Maybe we should adjust faster, maybe we should adjust slower. But whatever the era, whatever the times, one thing will never change: Fathers and mothers, if you have children — they must come first. You must read to your children, hug your children, and you must love your children. Your success as a family … our success as a society depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house. For over 50 years, it was said that the winner of Wellesley’s annual hoop race would be the first to get married. Now they say the winner will be the first to become a C.E.O. Both of those stereotypes show too little tolerance for those who want to know where the mermaids stand. So I want to offer you today a new legend: The winner of the hoop race will be the first to realize her dream … not society’s dreams … her own personal dream. And who knows? Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the President’s spouse. I wish him well! Well, the controversy ends here. But our conversation is only beginning. And a worthwhile conversation it has been. So as you leave Wellesley today, take with you deep thanks for the courtesy and the honor you have shared with Mrs. Gorbachev and with me. Thank you. God bless you. And may your future be worthy of your dreams.

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Jill Biden tells Arizona college graduates to tune out people who tell them what they ‘can’t’ do

First lady Jill Biden told graduates of Mesa Community College to tune out the people who tell them what they can’t do, sharing a story of how her high school guidance counselor told her she wasn’t college material.

First lady Jill Biden speaks at the Mesa Community College commencement Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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First lady Jill Biden applauds students after speaking at the Mesa Community College commencement Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

First lady Jill Biden smiles as she waves to the crowd before speaking at the Mesa Community College commencement Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

First lady Jill Biden waves to the crowd as she arrives to speak at the Mesa Community College commencement Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

FILE - First lady Jill Biden speaks at a women’s health summit in New York, May 1, 2024. Biden is telling graduates of an Arizona community college to tune out the people who tell them what they can’t do. Biden is delivering the commencement address Saturday, May 11, at Mesa Community College. The first lady is sharing how her high school guidance counselor told her she wasn’t college material. She says she didn’t listen and got her college degree. Then she got three more, including two master’s degrees and, at age 55, a doctorate. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

First lady Jill Biden applauds student before speaking at the Mesa Community College commencement Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Jill Biden on Saturday told Arizona community college graduates to tune out the people who like to tell them what they can’t do.

The first lady shared with graduates of Mesa Community College how her high school guidance counselor told her she wasn’t college material and shouldn’t waste her time going. She didn’t listen and got her college degree.

Then she got three more, including two master’s degrees and, at age 55, a doctorate in educational leadership. She went to school at night while raising three children and working full-time.

The first lady has been a teacher for more than 30 years , and since 2009 has taught English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College.

She encouraged the graduates to “drown out” the voices that say “can’t” and to remember the challenges they overcame to get to wear a cap and gown on Saturday.

“You’ve met life’s challenges before. And you know that on the other side of ‘can’t’ lies the beauty and joy and surprise of life, the adventure that changes us for the better,” she said. “And you are ready for it.”

Biden said the graduates should remember that they are strong and resilient, and shouldn’t be afraid to face the unknown.

“Expect anything and everything. Take risks that scare you. Don’t hesitate when you see the chance for joy. Share your stories, too. Be kinder. Love harder. Dream bigger. Find your adventure and keep your courage and say ‘yes,’” she said.

To the Class of 2024, she said, “Let the world feel your thunder!” The college mascot is the thunderbird and ”feel the thunder” is the school slogan.

“And the next time someone tells you that you ‘can’t,’ you’re going to say, ‘Oh yeah? Watch me,’” Biden said.

Speech About Life of A Student

Student life is all about studying and learning different subjects and skills that ensure a good future. From morning to night, a student’s life has a busy schedule but this schedule is quite interesting as it also comprises sports, games, hobbies, fun and joy.

Speech About Life of A Student | 4 Minutes

Good Morning Everyone, First of all, I want to wish you all the best for the day. I am here to say a few words about Student Life . I am very glad to have this tremendous opportunity.

A student’s life includes the preparation to reach school or college, studying, completing assignments, enjoying sports, having fun with friends and many more things. Doing so many things broaden our thinking. We learn the skill of time management and efficient performance. We also get to know the importance of discipline, devotion, motivation, fear, friendship etc.

Student life involves fewer struggles and more joy. Students do a lot of naughty activities during their student life. But they also learn moral values that make them a gentleman by providing them with a distinct identity in society. Your future totally depends on how has your student life been.

student life & Your Future

Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to predict your future is to create it”. Yes, you can create your future that is decided by your actions. But actions need to be performed in the right direction. Then a question arises how will we know whether a direction is right or wrong?

Education is the medium that helps us differentiate between the two. That is why education holds a very crucial value in human life. We begin gaining education in schools which are the first place where our student life takes off from.

Importance of student life

Student life is considered very important. Why? There are various reasons. Student life influences a person’s character very deeply. Their character and personality are designed for their student life. Apart from this, student life offers guidance which is very important to achieving goals.

Student life is also vital for a country because students are the future generations of a nation. So, they are regarded as the foundation of the future of a country. If you need to make a building stand, you must make a strong foundation otherwise it will collapse.

Teachers’ Role in student life

Have you ever think how a teacher is important in student life? Have you ever listened to Ekalavya’s Story? Eklavya learned extraordinary archery by just standing in front of an idol of his teacher. That’s how stories and cultures explain to us the importance of a teacher.

This story tells us that It is not necessary that a teacher always belongs to schools or colleges or a teacher is always a person. Everyone and everything that guides you are a teacher. Student life is incomplete without teachers. Teachers are like lamps in the darkness. They clear our doubts and show us the right path.

The Importance of Sport in student life

Health is an important part of life. Without good health, everything goes in vain. That is why it is also not advised for a student to be a bookworm who always indulges himself in his studies rather he should also pay attention to health and spend some time daily in some sports and games.

Sports and games can improve your physical and mental health. You feel energetic and active all the time which makes you more productive in your academic performance too.

At last, I want to say that one must make the best use of one’s student’s life because it never comes back once gone.

Thank you all for your valuable attention.

Short Speech Example

Good morning and welcome to all the people present here. I am here to present a speech on student life. Before starting my speech I want to thank you all for your precious presence.

Education carries an important role in human life. One needs to go to schools and colleges to get an education. As a learner or scholar, one’s student life takes off. As a student, we study a lot of books, explore numerous subjects, play different sports and games, and do other extracurricular activities.

A student’s life includes the preparation to reach school or college, studying, completing assignments, enjoying sports, having fun with friends etc. Doing so many things broaden our thinking. We learn the skill of time management and efficient performance. We also get to know the importance of discipline, devotion, motivation, fear, friendship etc.

This is what I wanted to say. Thank you for listening to my words. I hope you liked my speech.

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Coolidge shares message of self-acceptance at WashU Commencement

Jennifer Coolidge is an award-winning actor, pop culture icon and LGBTQ activist. 

And a proud weirdo. 

In her Commencement address to the Washington University in St. Louis Class of 2024, Coolidge urged students to dare to be who they want to be.  

“I stand before you, a weird person,” Coolidge said. “Respect the need to be something very odd, not what is expected. Get to know yourself. Accept who you are, and love that person because this is the moment. You already are everything you need to be.” 

In a 30-minute speech that was slyly funny, painfully raw and delightfully circuitous, Coolidge shared her own journey to radical self-love. Everyone — her worried mother, loser boyfriends and, for too long , herself — believed she was too strange to succeed. But a devastating rejection from “Saturday Night Live” set her on a path to self-acceptance and a string of unforgettable roles in “American Pie,” “Legally Blonde” and “The White Lotus.” 

“People wanted the real me, and people want the real you,” Coolidge said. 

Coolidge spoke before about 3,400 graduates and their families and friends at the university’s 163rd Commencement May 13 at historic Francis Olympic Field. The day’s events took place against the backdrop of campus protests nationwide about the war in Gaza. WashU’s ceremony proceeded largely without incident. Pro-Palestinian protesters marched on the public sidewalk outside of Francis Field.

“Your messages in every form you’ve chosen to deliver them are powerful and are heard,” Andrew Bursky, chair of the WashU Board of Trustees, told the graduates. “As you move forward in your lives, remember the power your voices have and be thoughtful in how you use them to affect change for greater good.”

Chancellor Andrew D. Martin also acknowledged that recent events have compelled everyone to define and reflect on their core values. 

School of Medicine Commencement

At the School of Medicine’s ceremony May 12, bagpipes, flashing cameras and smiling faces ushered in the graduating Class of 2024. Most entered medical school during a global pandemic and with the launch of the Gateway Curriculum, the first overhaul of the school’s program of studies in more than two decades. See stories, photos and more from School of Medicine ceremonies.

“Everything costs something; everyone has a different idea of what they’re willing to pay,” Martin said. “With clarity about what you are willing to sacrifice and what you cannot compromise, difficult decisions become navigable. The discernment between what is sacrosanct and what can bend — without snapping — is crucial for leading a life of principle while remaining effective. The path forward may not be easy, but it has integrity … a life lived authentically and with intention, mindful of the costs, yet unflinching in pursuit of what matters most.” 

Martin also urged the audience to acknowledge the core values of others. 

“Having wrestled authentically with your values and the costs you’ll bear equips you to extend that same appreciation to others,” Martin said. “You avoid projecting your conception of what matters most, and can be curious about the ideals that shaped another’s path.” 

‘We need you’

Coolidge started her speech by thanking whoever chose her as speaker. 

“It’s really a way to think outside of the box,” Coolidge said with a laugh.

Coolidge shared that she has always been a little bit strange. As a child, she would overhear her parents’ despair about her future. Because she respected them so, she assumed they were right. 

“My mother thought I was not quite normal. She kept on saying things like, ‘What’s to become of Jennifer?’” Coolidge said. “‘Just be normal, Jennifer.’ I heard that so many times. And not being normal, that felt painful. And hearing about it in a Boston accent somehow made it worse.”

(Video: Tom Malkowicz/Washington University)

Coolidge told students that she had no idea who she was or what she wanted to be when she graduated from Emerson College in 1985. She decided to go into acting but wasted most of her time partying. Finally, in her 30s, she found her way to the Groundlings, the Los Angeles improv troupe that has launched the careers of superstars such as Lisa Kudrow, Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig. Things were going great. Or so Coolidge thought. After a promising audition for “Saturday Night Live,” her new agent tried to hardball producer Lorne Michaels into a deal. Michaels was not to be cowed. 

“A week later I called my agent. The person who answered the phone said, ‘Jennifer, I’m so sorry, but he doesn’t work here anymore. He’s gone back to the family meat business,’” Coolidge dryly recalled. “My golden moment was ruined by this temporary agent. And I couldn’t recover from it.” 

But Coolidge pulled herself together, eventually scoring one iconic role after another.

“Somehow being rejected by ‘Saturday Night Live’ eliminated my desperation,” Coolidge said. “And that’s when things really started to happen. It just doesn’t work when you’re trying to force a dream.”

Coolidge closed her speech by celebrating students for their activism and passion and urged them to be brave in their fight to protect the environment, civil and voting rights and the rights of women and the LGBTQ community. 

“When I think about your generation and how passionate and vocal you are, it makes me so happy because this is progress,” Coolidge said. “Seriously, we need you. We need your strength. There is war and famine spreading across the world. As you know, protests on campus and across the world, like some you’ve had here, illustrate the need for the voices of brilliant, uniquely nuanced and qualified graduates, like you.”

Read Chancellor Andrew Martin’s message to the Class of 2024.

Read undergraduate student speaker Alejandro Ramirez’s address .

Read graduate student speaker Patricia Maurer’s address .

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Speech about life of a student[1,2,3,5 minutes] short, 1 minute speech about the life of a student, speech#1 life of a student.

College life is full of stress and pressure. Students are constantly juggling their work, academics, social life, and relationships. It can be difficult to find time to study or exercise.

The routine of a Student in school: The routine of a student in school can be both enjoyable and stressful at the same time. It can be difficult to find the right balance between studying, socializing, and sleep.

The routine of a Student After school Time: After school time is a period of time when students are free from school and parents are not around to supervise them. It is a time for students to unwind and relax.

Students often have different routines for after-school activities. Some might go on a walk, others might watch TV, and some might go on social media. After-school activities can vary from week to week and may depend on the student’s age, interests, etc.

Quotes for Speech about Life of a Student

• “Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” – Oprah Winfrey
• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
• “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” – B.B. King
• “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” – Nora Ephron
• “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
• “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” – Chinese Proverb
• “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” – William Butler Yeats
• “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
• “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
• “The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” – Malcolm Forbes
• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston S. Churchill
• “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey
• “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” – Roy T. Bennett
• “The expert in anything was once a beginner.” – Helen Hayes
• “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” – Allen Saunders

Speech#2 Life of a Student

The life of a student is not easy. It has its ups and downs, but this is what makes it interesting.

Being a student involves a lot of responsibilities students have to take care of themselves. This includes making sure they are on time for school, taking notes in class, and doing their homework.

To make the most out of the time they have in their college years, students should find ways to maximize their efficiency. They should be able to complete tasks quickly and efficiently with the help of technology that can assist them with this process.

The routine of a Student in school: The routine of a student in school can be categorized into three different parts: morning, afternoon, and evening. The morning includes waking up, getting ready for school, having breakfast, and going to school. The afternoon includes doing homework at home or at school, eating lunch, and going out for recess or studying after recess. The evening includes dinner time, bedtime routines, and finishing up homework before going to sleep.

The routine of a Student After school Time: When students come home from school, they usually have a routine that they follow. This routine is normally focused on homework and studying.

There are many different ways to get a student’s attention in the evening. It is important to find out what works best for your family and find a way to make it more enjoyable.

Many parents worry about their children spending too much time on screen time or doing homework while watching TV or playing video games. With these concerns in mind, we have created this article with ideas for a more enjoyable after-school routine for your child.

Speech#3 Life of a Student

The life of a student is full of stress, anxiety, and worries. They have to juggle their time between school, work, and other activities. There are many things that can make the life of a student difficult.

The routine of a Student in school:

The student’s days typically start with a morning assembly, followed by their first-period class. They then have lunch and after-school activities such as sports or clubs. After this, they would finish up with homework and end their day with dinner and family time.

Speech#4 Life of a Student

The life of a student is filled with many challenges, and the one that students face most often is the struggle of balancing school and work.

For students who struggle to balance their time between school and work, it can be challenging to find time for sleep or rest. However, there are ways to manage this issue. One thing that can help is finding a roommate who shares the same schedule as you do. You can also try setting alarms on your phone or computer to remind you when it’s time for bed. Another option is outsourcing your homework so you have more time to focus on other things like socializing with friends or getting some exercise.

Students should also make sure they are eating well and getting enough sleep in order to stay healthy during their college years.

2 Minutes Speech about the Life of a Student

The early morning routine of a Student:

The morning routine of a student is quite different from that of other people. It starts with waking up early in the morning and getting ready for school or work.

The most important part of the morning routine for a student is writing their homework or studying for an exam. This can be a tedious task, especially when you have to do it before you go to school.

Some students prefer to wake up early in order to write their essays, while others prefer to sleep in later and then write their essays after they wake up. This depends on the individual’s preference and also what they need more – time or energy.

The school routine is a very important part of a student’s life. It sets the tone for their day and how they feel about themselves during this period of their life. They get up early in the morning and do things that are necessary for them to get ready for school – such as brushing their teeth, getting dressed, eating breakfast, etc. Then they go to school in order to learn new things or just have fun with friends. After school hours are over, students either go home or stay at school until it’s time for dinner time or bedtime depending on what time it is in their country/state/city, etc. Finally, before going to bed at night students will do some homework or study more about something that interests them in order to prepare for tomorrow’s classes.

The routine of a Student After School Time:

A student’s routine after school time can be a crucial part of their day. It is important to make it productive and fulfilling while also giving them some free time.

After-school routines vary from person to person. Some students may have homework, while others might want to relax and play games or watch TV. There are many ways that students can make their after-school routine productive and fulfilling, but there are also many ways that they can waste their time as well.

The key is finding a balance between the two so that students are not just sitting around doing nothing all day.

3 Minutes Speech about the Life of a Student

Early morning is a time when students have to wake up early and prepare themselves for the day. However, they can make the process easier by following an early morning routine that helps them get into a good mood and energize their day.

Some of these include:

-Exercising in the morning

-Drinking water before breakfast

-Meditation

-Reading a book before breakfast

The routine of a student in school is very different from the routine of a student at home. Students need to study, attend classes, and complete assignments in school. Some students may also have extracurricular activities that they need to do outside of school hours.

Students may also have family obligations such as taking care of younger siblings or helping out with homework. They also have other responsibilities such as attending church or other religious activities, going to sports practice, or volunteering for community service projects.

There are many aspects of a student’s life that change after school. Some students might choose to stay in their room and do homework while others might go out with friends or play video games.

The routine of a student after school time is not as simple as it seems. It is made up of many different factors including the amount of homework they have, how they feel about their grades, and how much time they want to spend on extracurricular activities.

Afternoon routines are typically more relaxed than morning routines because students don’t have to wake up early for school and there aren’t any classes scheduled for that time.

5 Minutes Speech about the Life of a Student

Early morning is the time when most students have to wake up and start their day. They have to do their homework, study for exams, or go to work. It’s a busy time for students and they need help managing their schedules.

Early morning routines are a key part of any student’s life. They help them get organized and keep them on track with academics, extracurricular activities, and personal goals.

Early morning routines require planning ahead of time because they are often done before going to bed which means that the student has little time to do it right after waking up. They need a plan that is easy enough for them to implement in their daily lives but challenging enough so that they don’t feel like they’re wasting time by doing it every day.

The routine of a student in school is usually full of activities such as classes, homework, and extracurricular activities. These students might have to set aside time for studying or completing their work.

The student has to make sure that they have enough time for all these activities and can also manage their social life.

A typical student routine starts with waking up and having breakfast then some school-related tasks like reading, math homework, and other classes before lunch. The student will then go to extracurricular activities or study after lunch until they get home in the evening.

The routine of a student after school time is usually very different from what it would be if they had school. In some cases, students may have homework to do or sports practice. Other students might want to spend more time with their parents or siblings.

After school, students might want to go on a walk, play video games, or watch TV. Some students might spend time doing homework while others may spend time playing outside with friends. The routine of a student after school time is very different from what it would be if they had school!

Examples of sentences that can be used in starting of this speech

Examples of sentences that can be used in closing of this speech, speeches in english.

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Farewell Speech for College Students

Farewell is a very common event that takes place in almost every school and college in every city big or small and farewell speech is one of the important aspects of the entire celebration as it not only holds the entire audience, it also helps in building confidence in the outgoing students.

We have shared some samples of farewell speech for college students that can help you deliver a highly impressive speech at your college. Our short speech on farewell for college students can help you inspire and motivate the school and college students. The language used in the speech is very lucid and effective on the basis of which you can prepare your own farewell speech depending upon the event or occasion. You can also use our long speech on farewell for college students in case you have been given sufficient time to deliver the speech.

Long and Short Speech on Farewell for College Students

Farewell speech for college students by teacher – speech 1.

Good Afternoon to Respected Principal Sir, Vice Principal (VP) Sir, Dear Colleagues, Dear Students and to all the Visitors! Thank you for assembling here on this grand day of our college. As you know, we have gathered here to give the farewell party to our college students and I feel honoured to have been given the opportunity to deliver speech on this special day.

While the students might have been waiting for this day to arrive for a long time, we have equally been into actions to nurture them and prepare them for the outside world. I would like to thank our respected principal Sir and all my fellow colleagues from the core of my heart for always supporting me and guiding me.

To the students, I would like to say that the world outside is quite different. Here in the college, while we always attempted to give you a good exposure and congenial environment, we also provided a strong shield to safeguard you, did we make any mistake. Having said that, I don’t mean to scare you, all I want to say, we have prepared you all in such a manner that no matter, how forceful or critical the challenges are, always encounter those with full strength and vigour.

As you know, our college is famous for nurturing each student and for building a concrete base for their next level; I am proud to say that you have achieved this significant milestone under the guidance of the Principal and the VP Sir and each teacher who taught you important lesson of your life.

Today, I take immense pride in saying that we are highly proud of your achievements and accomplishments that you have established over these years. Our students enjoy good fame across the city as they are good not only in studies but also in sports and the majority of the credit goes to the Principal and the VP Sir who always support the students and encourage and appreciate the teachers for introducing innovation and novelty.

Though we have also been strict sometimes while delivering our duties towards you, it was only because we wanted to prepare you for all types of situations in the future. Life may not always be smooth; hence you must also know how to overcome challenges and disputes.

My advice to all my dear students is that you must be determined in your life and never look back. Past must always be considered a lesson not a deterrent. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and don’t lament your mistakes, instead, get up, learn from your mistakes and move ahead. Always look ahead and be optimistic while taking up new projects, assignments or challenges in your personal or professional life.  You are certainly going to succeed in your life just remember the lessons learnt at this college.

I would also like to say, while you must do well in your professional life, don’t restrict yourself to the office’s boundaries, nurture some hobby as well; take out time for family and live your life to the fullest. Use your knowledge and power for making others happy and successful.

On this note, I would like to plead to all the students on behalf of the entire college that they should be prepared forever to tackle the challenges and present self as an excellent representative of the college. Be selfless and kind to others and always be focused on achieving your goal despite the hard tests that life throws on you.

Wish you all the very best for your future!

Farewell Speech for Engineering College Students by Teacher – Speech 2

Honourable Chief Guest Respected Principal Sir, Vice Principal (VP) Sir, Respected Teachers, Dear Students and Dear Visitors! Welcome to this great event. As you all know, we have assembled here to bid farewell to the engineering students of our college and I feel greatly honoured for having received this opportunity of delivering the farewell speech on this great day.

I want to begin my speech by congratulating all of you for having scored great grades in your final engineering exams. While I believe, these 4 years have been the most crucial years for all of you; some of you have actually made the most out of it. I, being the class teacher of the final year engineering students have witnessed most of my students being really nervous and anxious about the final exams; however, it used to make me very happy to see that all of you had been sincere and determined in achieving great scores, which you all have after we have received the scores.

At the same time, the college was also honest and sincere in providing you with the best facilities, amenities, best teachers, counsellor, and the education standard required by you to explore your knowledge to the fullest.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my fellow professors, teachers, VP Sir, and most importantly the Principal Sir. We all were determined to transform all of you to a highly skilled and knowledgeable professional who can easily mend any machine anytime, anywhere.

Dear students, here, I would like to add something; life is a journey and you may come across various situations that may seem to you erroneous and flawed. Don’t surrender in such situations and always remember, God has the capacity of mending everything on our life and our patience and the time are our two friends that help us tackle any situation.

While many of you might have plans to join big companies, some of you may prefer exploring your career abroad, many of you may also be considering starting your own business. I can’t resist myself sharing with you some motivational lines quoted by the great Swami Vivekananda; he said we must adopt one idea and make that particular idea our life by thinking of it, dreaming of it and living on that particular idea. Ultimately, the muscles, brain, nerves and each part of our body get filled with that idea. He shared this secret mantra of success with the youth like you and I would also urge you all to follow this and be successful in every sphere of your life.

While we are highly satisfied and extremely happy that you all have passed the final engineering exams and are graduates now, the feeling makes us sad that you all will leave the institute now. All the students have had shared a good relationship with the teachers and you all have been very well behaved; and we urge you all to behave in a professional manner in the world outside and bring good repute and fame to our college.

When one chapter of life gets over, the other starts; so does your journey! You all are certified graduates now and the next chapter of your life will bring another set of challenges and perks in the next stage of your lives. I am very sure that you would be successful there too, as you have been successful here.

On this note I am going to end my speech and just would want to add that you must always remain sincere in whatever you attempt to do next and always stay positive to be able to let success follow you.

All the best!

Farewell Speech for Outgoing College Students by Principal – Speech 3

Honourable Chief Guest, Respected Teachers, Dear Students and all the lovely visitors, a very Good Afternoon to you all, hope you have been enjoying your day so far.

We have assembled here to celebrate a very important day of our students’ lives and of course our college too, i.e. the farewell party. Like every year, this year too, all our students have successfully graduated keeping the fame of our college in high spirit. This day is important for both the students as well as for our college because this day is the turning point in their life as they would now get apart for making their respective careers. College life is a very remarkable bridge between a person’s adolescence i.e. school life and maturity i.e. professional life.

On this grand event, I would take the honour of delivering few lines for my students and make it a memorable day for them and myself. Today, 15th of August, is a day of great joy, especially for the students who are graduating this year and their respective parents.

My dear students, in spite of some hard work, unhappiness, depression and sadness encountered by you during your study course, you all have successfully completed this journey of your college life with remarkable grades along with a lot of enjoyable memories.

The teachers might have been little strict at times with you all, this is because our college holds very good reputation outside as you know; we didn’t want that image to be brought down by any act of our students or teachers. However, being strict with you sometimes didn’t mean that we do not love you all; it was only a way for preparing you for the greater challenges that lie ahead of your life.

I, along with all the fellow colleagues, wish to congratulate you all for the exceptional passion you have shown towards your course and studies and your relationship building with your teachers, fellow students, staffs, management and the junior students. This relationship management will help you a lot in your professional and personal life.

While I am discussing the good parts of our college, I would also like to highlight some dark side of our college, which are ragging and bullying. When I had joined as the Principal 5 years ago, the college had got bad repute in regards to ragging and some students had been expelled on the same ground. However, in the past 3 years, not even a single such incident has been recorded. I would like to especially thank you all for maintaining the decorum and of the college and for contributing towards image building of our prestigious college.

My dear students, God bless you and one more thing I want to say that after leaving this college surely, some big or small challenges await you, but I am sure that the skill and knowledge you get from here and the manner you managed yourselves definitely help you to overcome them.

Before I rest my speech, I would like to say that be nice and kind to every single person you meet in your professional and personal life irrespective of their post or position. Always listen to your heart, believe in yourself and tackle the challenges you come up in your life. Life is not beautiful unless we make it.

In the end, I would like to appeal to my dear students to project themselves as good ambassadors of this college and never let self-centred motives malign the honesty and ethics you have acquired here over the years.

Hence, on behalf of the entire college and the management, I wish you all the best for your life. May the almighty always guide you on your path and bless you!

Farewell Speech for College Students by Vice Principal – Speech 4

A warm good morning to the staff members and my dear students!

Today is a very special day for all of us as one batch of our undergraduate students is leaving us after three years. We have gathered here today to celebrate and bid them goodbye. This was their first experience of freedom, independence and responsibility. After spending years in school and working under the scrutiny of teachers, this college was their first chance to become their own masters. Looking back to the day they had entered this college, it feels great that they have made the most of this place and have become better human beings. They transformed from teenagers to mature people and we have witnessed of their growth. They have performed well both in academics and extracurricular activities. They have brought many accolades to the school. They have learned from us and in return, they have taught us many things.

On your farewell day, I want to tell you that your contribution to this college is valuable. This college has prepared you for your next flight. The world needs enthusiastic and creative people like you. It is your time to earn your name, make your career and make your parents and mentors proud.  As your Principal, I feel very proud that despite the notoriety and mischief, you were able to make your place in our hearts. You never brought bad name to this institution and showed us that you belong from a good family. You have taken stand for the right things and fought against the wrong. You are everything that should keep your dreams alive. Some of you will head towards jobs and some will pursue further studies.

Many challenges await you, but one thing you should always keep in mind is that you must remain humble. I am sure your poised character will earn you accolades.

Dear students, this college was yours more than it was mine. You made it yours and nothing; it makes me happier to see your love and admiration towards the institution. We undertook your suggestions to make this college better and at par with the top universities. We may have not said it often but your batch indeed produced the most innovative ideas and helped us implementing those ideas effectively.

So, as you all leave this place today, I, on behalf of the faculty and administration, would like to remind you that you have been a wonderful batch and you will be missed. You are always welcomed to visit us and clarify your queries. We will definitely invite you all as alumina as we value every individual who was once a part of this institution. I wish you all the very best for your future and I have faith in your abilities. Take right decisions in life, work hard, stay optimistic in life and follow your dreams.

Good luck. Goodbye. Enjoy your farewell party.

Thank you very much!

Farewell Speech for College Students by Professor – Speech 5

Good morning my dear students and others present here!

It’s your farewell function today and I am glad to be a part of it. Today is the day when we and your professors, formally bid you good bye with a heavy heart but also with uncountable wishes. You all have been great students (well, most of the times) and as your professor, I feel immensely proud that I have taught you. Students, you may think that you are not ready to take a flight after your college but trust me, you are. After college, one is left wondering about the next step. You must be feeling perplexed about what you will do after college and how you will reach your desired college or job but you have to believe in the fact that you in fact are ready to take the leap. It may appear to be difficult. But have faith in yourself. You have to make yourself believe that you are ready to go ahead in life and reach the zenith of success. Therefore, do not let anything stop you, not even yourself.

You people are young, energetic and enthusiastic in life and so, push yourself towards the good in life. Fresh and intellectual minds like yours are capable of achieving a lot in life. You have brilliant and revolutionary ideas. Do not let them go in vain. If you have decided about the next level, work harder towards it and if you haven’t, then do not worry. Take some time off and discover your area of interest, research about the options available and go for it. Students, always remember that it is never too late to make a future in what you love to do. So, there is no rush in life as it is not a race.

My dear students a piece of advice from my side is that do not let anything scare you. No exam is difficult enough not to pass and you have been prepared well to appear for all sorts of exams. Be fierce. Study hard. Dream big and stay humble. My good wishes and blessings are with each one of you and leaving this space does not mean leaving behind the people. So, stay in touch. Keep telling us about your accolades and achievements in life. Let us all continue to be a part of a one big family that we have been all this time. You can always ask to us if you have any queries in future and we all would be happy to offer our help.

I wish you best of luck for your future endeavours and sincerely hope that each one of you achieve success wherever you go. It has been a great time teaching you, learning from you and working together as a team. I will surely miss the going batch.

Good luck and good bye.

Thank you all for having me here and making me part of this wonderful union!

Farewell Speech for College Students by juniors – Speech 6

Hello, seniors aka friends aka quick mentors aka saviours!

Today is your last day at the college and we, your juniors, are certainly going to miss you a lot. We have had the pleasure of studying with you, learning from your experiences and bonding with you. In a bunch of seniors, we made some lovely friends. This is our chance to tell you that you have been very helpful and approachable. We were novice when we first came to this college but it was just because of you people that we opened up and started participating in the discussions. You did not bully, instead you have been extremely supportive these years. You made efforts to make all of us comfortable from the day we entered college and made sure we did not feel alienated. So this farewell party is a small token of respect for the seniors from their juniors. We have interesting games and activities lined up for you. We hope you have an amazing time today.

Before we move on to the fun part of the day, we would like to thank you for certain things and confess that you all were an important part of our college lives. Your batch was different from the other batches and even our professors agree to this. You have been our motivation so many times that not finding you by our side will definitely be a change we will have difficulty in adapting to. We have learned a great deal from you and have considered your suggestions before venturing into new fields. We all have curated many events together in these past two/three years and have put up successful shows in the college. Working together on projects was a great experience and it is true that we will cherish the moments spent in each other’s company. We would invite you to our literary events and will keep meeting you every now and then.

Bidding you farewell does not feel great but it is how life works; it keeps moving ahead. This is just a formality because we would remain friends even after this. We wish you all the very best in all your future journey and hope that you get all you desire for. We would like to thank you for everything you have done for us and we hope that we will stay in touch in future as well. We assure you that we would keep pestering you with our queries and problems and will not let you forget us. Now that you will not be seen on campus every day, we would miss the time spent with you in the classrooms, corridors, playgrounds and canteen. So, as I end this speech, I, on everyone else’s behalf, remind you that you have been amazing seniors and we wish the best for each one of you.

We hope you have the most memorable day here since it’s your last day.

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UChicago Says Free Speech Is Sacred. Some Students See Hypocrisy.

The university’s president sent in the police to dismantle encampments, which he said had disrupted campus life. Protesters say the school is being hypocritical.

Students constructed wood barriers around a pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus of the University of Chicago to protect it from a possible law enforcement forced removal. Credit...

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By Jeremy W. Peters

Photographs by Jamie Kelter Davis

Jeremy Peters reported this story from the campus of the University of Chicago.

• Published May 6, 2024 Updated May 7, 2024

The University of Chicago has built a brand around the idea that its students should be unafraid to encounter ideas or opinions they disagree with.

To drum that in, the school provides incoming students with copies of its 2015 free-speech declaration , known as the Chicago statement, which states that freedom of expression is an “essential element” of its culture.

And the university has long adhered to a policy of institutional neutrality, which strongly discourages divesting from companies for political reasons, or from making statements aligning it with a social cause. That neutrality, the university argues, allows for a robust, unencumbered exchange of ideas.

Many professors swell with pride talking about how the school’s commitment to these principles has endured through two world wars, Vietnam and, more recently, the tumult of the Trump administration. And more than 100 institutions have adopted or endorsed similar principles.

But the University of Chicago’s image as the citadel of free speech is being tested again — this time over an encampment on its central quad, where protesters of Israel’s war in Gaza defied orders to leave for more than a week.

On Tuesday morning, the university called in police to bring down dozens of tents.

When the encampment first went up last week, Paul Alivisatos, the university’s president, said the school wanted to show “the greatest leeway possible for free expression,” and allowed the tents to stay up, even though they were in defiance of a policy against erecting structures in public spaces.

But he also said that this leniency was not indefinite. He later said that the tents had to go, because the ongoing protests were disrupting student life and degrading civility on campus.

Student protesters viewed the demand as hypocritical.

“The university continuously batters this point about free speech,” said Youssef Hasweh, a fourth-year political science major, during a rally on the quad on Saturday.

He said that the college tells protesters, “‘We are giving you your First Amendment rights, and we’re one of the only universities to do that, so we’re the good guys.’”

As Mr. Hasweh sees it, the Chicago statement is a fig leaf. “They’re kind of just using that to shut us down.”

Across the country, encampments have forced administrators and students to grapple with the outer limits of free speech. The tents, protesters argue, are a form of speech. But to many universities, they violate rules about the use of physical space and campus disruption.

Should academic institutions ignore their own policies against disruptive activity for the sake of speech, even if many Jewish students feel their very identity is under attack? When does a protest dominate a campus enough to drown out opposing views? And what if encampments overwhelm student life, with drums and chants affecting the ability to study for finals?

Some schools , like Brown and Rutgers, have reached agreements with protesters that have lowered the temperature, at least enough for the tents to come down. Others, like Columbia, have been unable to reach a détente and called in the police.

But in some ways, the argument is as much about the culture of debate and disagreement as it is about free speech.

Geoffrey Stone, a law professor at the university, oversaw the Chicago statement, and said that some nuance has been lost.

While the First Amendment protects the right for people to “say things that scare other people,” Mr. Stone said, “what you want to tell students and citizens is: You should try not to do that. You should communicate your message in a civil and respectful manner.”

Tents, Music, Disruption

The quad at the University of Chicago pulsed all weekend with the din of protest. The encampment, a mini-village of more than 100 tents, was just a few steps away from the building that houses the president’s office.

At any given time, the area teemed with dozens of students, who seemed to be enjoying unseasonably warm spring weather. Bob Dylan blasted from loudspeakers. Chants that many Jews consider a call to wipe out the state of Israel — “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — rang out. Chalked slogans covered the sidewalks: “Staying invested is a political statement, not neutrality”; “Chinese Queer Feminists for Palestine.”

The Rev. Jesse Jackson even paid a visit.

Tension was evident, however, with some students wearing masks or kaffiyehs to cover their faces. Protesters held up blankets to prevent photographers from taking pictures. Some Jewish students walked through the quad on their way home from services, passing signs that read “Globalize the Intifada” and “Jews Say Ceasefire Now.”

Negotiations to take the encampment down, which the university once characterized as “substantive,” had persisted all weekend then broke down on Sunday.

Students insisted that they would stay on the quad until their demands were met, which spanned a range of issues that were both related to and tangential to the Palestinian cause. These included pulling out of investments that fund military operations in Israel; stating that a genocide and “scholasticide,” the destruction of Palestinian universities, are taking place in Gaza; disbanding the campus police; and ending construction of new buildings in the surrounding neighborhood as a way to stop gentrification.

Those appeared to be nonstarters with the administration, because of Chicago’s neutrality policy. It had resisted such pressure before. As other prominent universities heeded students’ demands in the 1980s to divest from companies that did business in South Africa, the University of Chicago was a notable exception.

But the university has also been inconsistent, said Mr. Hasweh, the student protester, pointing to its statement of support for those affected by the invasion of Ukraine.

For other protesters, Chicago’s vaunted free speech doctrine seems like a dusty relic, irrelevant to what is happening in the world, especially when it comes to the war in Gaza, which for them, amounts to genocide.

The speech principles are relatable to these students and faculty in “the way that the value statements of Procter & Gamble are related to the employees of Procter & Gamble,” said Anton Ford, an associate professor of philosophy who was at the encampment. “We didn’t vote on them. The students didn’t vote on them. Nobody asked us about our opinion on them.”

Callie Maidhof, who teaches global studies with a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, advised protesters as they negotiated with the administration. She said the university was “strategically using” its stance on neutrality as a way to clamp down on the protests.

“I hear people saying, ‘I like free speech, but this has gone too far,’” Dr. Maidhof said. “But where is the line when you’re talking about 40,000 people killed? What could be considered too far?”

A Last Warning

On Friday, four days after the encampment started, the university sent a statement to the campus.

“The encampment cannot continue,” Dr. Alivisatos, the president, wrote. “The encampment has created systematic disruption of campus. Protesters are monopolizing areas of the Main Quad at the expense of other members of our community. Clear violations of policies have only increased.”

The university accused demonstrators of engaging in the kind of activity that flies in the face of Chicago’s culture — including shouting down counter demonstrators and destroying an installation of Israeli flags. The student newspaper, The Chicago Maroon, reported that at one point, demonstrators used a projector to display a profane insult to Dr. Alivisatos on the main administration building.

“The encampment protesters have flouted our policies rather than working within them,” Dr. Alivisatos wrote, warning that the ongoing demonstration was jeopardizing the university’s ability to function.

On Tuesday, shortly before 5 a.m. local time, the university’s police arrived in riot helmets and began clearing tents, a humbling reminder that even an institution dedicated to nurturing a culture of civilized disagreement could not breach the considerable gap between its values and those of its protesting students and faculty. Nor could a culture of neutrality quell the outrage, which at other institutions has led to raucous demonstrations, occupations of buildings, graduation disruptions and arrests.

“If someone were to design a stress test to reveal all the of fault lines and unresolved issues in higher education among student activism, this is it,” said Jamie Kalven, a journalist who has extensively studied the University of Chicago’s history of free speech and protest.

Mr. Kalven’s father, Harry Kalven, chaired the committee that established the university’s position on political neutrality in 1967. The impasse today, the son said, reflects how many students — on Chicago’s ivy-draped campus and beyond — do not share the school’s values when it comes to political expression.

“It’s really remarkable the degree to which young people are alienated from what I think of as the First Amendment tradition,” he said.

The tension on Chicago’s campus was also a sign that today’s combative political climate has infected academia.

“The default setting is confrontation,” said Eboo Patel, president of Interfaith America, a Chicago-based nonprofit that promotes cooperation across religious faiths.

“What was the symbol of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee?” Mr. Patel asked, referring to one of the most active civil rights groups of the 1960s. “It was two hands clasped together.”

And today, what is the symbol that many groups seeking social and political change use? Mr. Patel answered: “The fist.”

The ability to engage productively with people who share different political views is something that Olivia Gross, a fourth-year undergraduate, wishes young people would learn to do more naturally.

“I came here to hear views that are different than mine,” she said in an interview on Saturday. “That’s the point of coming to the University of Chicago. I want to know what you think and why you think it.”

But she said the current climate made that difficult sometimes. Students at the encampment, she noted, had set up tents for a variety of different purposes — for welcoming protesters, for medical needs and for food.

“How nice would it be,” she mused, “to have a tent that invited dialogue across differences?”

Bob Chiarito contributed reporting.

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the date of the Chicago statement on free speech. It was released in 2015, not 2014.

How we handle corrections

Jeremy W. Peters is a Times reporter who covers debates over free expression and how they impact higher education and other vital American institutions. More about Jeremy W. Peters

Our Coverage of the U.S. Campus Protests

News and Analysis

Pomona College: At least one person was arrested after scuffles broke out among pro-Palestinian protesters , private security officers and police officers outside Pomona College’s commencement in Los Angeles.

U.W. Milwaukee: Protesters at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will take down a pro-Palestinian encampment that had stood for two weeks under an agreement reached with the school , university officials said.

Duke: Dozens of students walked out  of Duke University’s commencement ceremony as Jerry Seinfeld, who has been vocal about his support for Israel, received an honorary degree.

Turning to Al Jazeera :  Students active in campus protests value the Arab news network’s on-the-ground coverage  and its perspective on the Israel-Hamas war. They draw distinctions between it and major American outlets.

Black Colleges :  The White House appears anxious about President Biden’s speech at Morehouse College, a historically Black institution. But for complex reasons, such campuses have had far less visible Gaza tensions .

A Different Approach :  University leaders in Britain have so far adopted a more permissive attitude to pro-Palestinian encampments than their U.S. counterparts. Here’s why .

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Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker criticizes working women, Pride month and more in graduation speech

Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker is facing backlash after delivering a controversial graduation speech to the class of 2024 at Benedictine College.

The 20-minute speech was delivered on May 11 at the Catholic college’s campus in Atchison, Kansas. The NFL kicker spoke on a range of topics, including reproductive issues, women’s roles in the home, the LGBTQ community and more.

"The bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder," the 28-year-old said.

A common theme in the address was the importance of “accepting your lane,” and Butker went on to address the women in the graduating class, saying that they had been told “the most diabolical lies.”

He shared that his wife’s life “really started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.” Butker married his wife, Isabelle, in 2018 and the couple share two children.

“I’ve seen firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God’s will for life. Isabelle’s dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you ask her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud without hesitation and say no.”

While speaking about the importance of embracing tradition, Butker referenced Pride month, a month, typically June, dedicated to the LGBTQ community, as a “deadly sin sort of pride.”

Butker encouraged men to be “unapologetic in your masculinity” after addressing reproductive issues during his speech.

“Let’s be honest, there is nothing good about playing God with having children, whether that be your ideal number or the perfect time to conceive,” he said. “No matter how you spin it, there is nothing natural about Catholic birth control.”

The footballer also quoted a line from pop star Taylor Swift’s song “Karma.” Swift is dating Butker’s teammate Travis Kelce.

“Tragically, so many priests revolve much of their happiness from the adulation they receive from their parishioners,” he said.

“And in searching for this, they let their guard down and become overly familiar. This undo familiarity will prove to be problematic every time because as my teammate’s girlfriend says, familiarity breeds contempt.”

TODAY.com has reached out to Benedictine College for comment on the address, as well as Butker and the Chiefs but has not received any response. TODAY.com has also reached out to Swift for a response on being quoted in the speech.

Online reactions to the speech by Harrison Butker were a trending topic on X by May 14.

“I dare Harrison Butker to tell Taylor Swift that she has no value until she is a wife and mother,” one tweet read .

“You see, this is why we need Pride Month, this is why I continue to say LGBTQ people BELONG,” wrote another .

“This is atrocious,” wrote a third commenter . “As talented as he is, you can find a kicker that’s not (homophobic) and misogynistic pretty easily, I bet.”

Butker was drafted in 2017 by the Carolina Panthers but was signed by the Chiefs in September of the same year. He has since won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs and received accolades after scoring a 27-yard field goal that won the 2023 Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Amy Eley is the assistant managing editor and oversees the West Cost digital team for TODAY.com, covering breaking news, what's happening in pop culture, those viral TikTok videos and everything in between. She's currently based in Colorado.

Amy’s been with TODAY.com since three days after she finished graduate school in 2013. She's covered breaking news, launched lifestyle verticals, taken readers to anchors’ homes (Al Roker’s kitchen remains a personal favorite), documented a surrogacy pregnancy, managed various editorial teams and even appeared on-air to tell America how to clean behind their refrigerators.

Expertise and Education

Amy graduated from CUNY's Graduate School of Journalism with a master's degree in journalism. Prior to that, she earned her bachelor's degree in Hawaii and worked for "Ski Racing" magazine.

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Chiefs' Harrison Butker Criticized for Graduation Speech Attacking Working Women While Quoting Taylor Swift

Butker encouraged male graduates to “be unapologetic in your masculinity," and to "fight against the cultural emasculation of men," during his controversial speech

Cooper Neill/Getty

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker delivered a controversial commencement speech during Benedictine College's graduation ceremony that has sparked backlash on social media.

The 28-year-old's address at the May 11 ceremony decried various "diabolical lies told to women" about topics including abortion, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy, as well as President Joe Biden.

"It is safe to say that over the years, I have gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind," Butker began in his address.

The NFL player started by mentioning how this year's graduates started college at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but said that, "while COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique," and took aim at "bad policies and poor leadership" that he says "have negatively impacted major life issues."

"Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerative cultural values in media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder."

During the 20-minute speech, Butker quoted a lyric written by Taylor Swift , referring to her through her boyfriend Travis Kelce by calling her his "teammate's girlfriend."

"As my teammate's girlfriend says, 'familiarity breeds contempt,' " Butker said. Swift, 34, sings the line in her song, "Bejeweled" on her 2022 album, Midnights.

Jason Hanna/Getty Images; JC Olivera/Getty Images; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

The Chiefs kicker then went on to address the female graduates in the room directly.

"For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment," he began. "I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you."

Butker continued, “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world."

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Speaking about his wife, Butker said, “I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother."

He said that he is "beyond blessed" because Isabelle "would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: Homemaker.”

"Isabelle's dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you ask her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud without hesitation, and say, 'Hey, no.'"

Later, he addressed the male graduates directly, advising them to “be unapologetic in your masculinity," and to "fight against the cultural emasculation of men," in his speech. "To the gentlemen here today, part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or our communities," Butker said.

"As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation."

Elsewhere in his speech, Butker took aim at the LGBTQ+ community, calling their pride "deadly sins."

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty

The reception to Butker's speech has not been positive, with many fans calling for the kicker to be cut from Kansas City's football team.

Former Kansas City commissioner Justice Horn slammed Butker in a post, writing , "Harrison Butker doesn’t represent Kansas City nor has he ever. Kansas City has always been a place that welcomes, affirms, and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members."

A post from OutSports said , "One of the worst parts of this NFL player's awful speech is that he quoted a Taylor Swift song before telling women they should be homemakers and serve their man's career."

OutSports writer Cyd Ziegler chimed in, "If you're a woman cheering for the Kansas City @Chiefs, their "idiot kicker" thinks you will be most happy serving him in the kitchen."

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Biden will deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College

Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with David Thomas, president of Morehouse College, about preparations — and controversy — ahead of President Joe Biden's commencement address there next weekend.

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