Class of 2021

Congratulations! You have overcome enormous and unanticipated challenges to be here today and you should be very proud of yourselves.

Your academic adventures have not concluded in the way that you – or any of us – would have wished given the restrictions and ravages that have resulted from a global pandemic. However, you have not let the virus win – you have found the grit and determination to achieve an important milestone in your life despite the challenging circumstances. That resilience will serve you well in the years ahead.

So, be proud of what you have accomplished and give thanks to all those who have made it possible for you to be here today – your faculty, staff, administrators, fellow students, family members, friends and relations – anyone and everyone – who has helped you along your path and supported you so that you are graduating today and are ready to embark on life’s next big adventure.

I have sat through a fair number of commencement speeches – some memorable and many less so.

The messages that have stuck with me over the years are not the ones that were delivered with the most eloquent rhetoric or most uplifting turn of phrase but they are the ones that resonated for me and I share some of them with you in the hope that you will find some meaning or comfort in them.

First, at my own graduation, Diane Sawyer, a well-known American television broadcast journalist and news anchor, gave the commencement speech. She told us that it was okay not to know exactly what we would be doing with the rest of our lives. For those of you who do not know her, she was famous and hugely successful – someone who would seem to have everything figured out – so I found it very reassuring when she confessed that she had had no idea what she would do with her life when she was sitting in her chair about to graduate. So, I say to all of you, that it is okay to be uncertain about the future. Some doors that you expect to be open will surprise you by closing while others that you never thought would be open to you will appear. Education is a great opener of doors and creator of possibilities so as you move forward keep an eye open for the unexpected opportunities or be willing to explore paths you had never considered before.

Second, at a graduation in Texas – which is particularly memorable because I discovered how painful standing on a red ant nest can be during the reception following the ceremony – the president of the university spoke about there being no such thing as a free lunch. Maybe it has stuck with me as it was a peculiarly American expression and one with which I wasn’t familiar at that time. However, I have discovered that it is a true saying – a supposedly free lunch invariably comes with strings attached. If something seems too easy or too good to be true, it usually is so beware of taking the easy path. The more challenging path is, the more likely it is to be rewarding in the long run.

Third, at a graduation ceremony in Scotland, two days after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, the Chancellor of the University spoke about the importance – now more than ever – of reaching out to other people, building relationships, making connections, and tearing down barriers. The temptation to retreat from the world, particularly given the experience of the past year, can be strong but I encourage you to open yourselves to other people – particularly those who may not be like you. Treat everyone with respect and kindness – the way you would want to be treated. You do not have to agree with what other people say and do but, when you do disagree, do so with civility and dignity.

So, congratulations and good luck. I hope that you will succeed in whatever you choose to do and that, above all else, you will find happiness, laughter, and love because, ultimately, those are the most important things in life.