Brian Williams To George Washington University: 'Take Us Somewhere'

WASHINGTON - NBC Nightly News anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams gave an address filled with a mix of humor and called on students to achieve more to an estimated crowd of 25,000 people gathered in the National Mall for the George Washington University Commencement ceremony.

Williams tells the told the crowd how he attended GW for a semester but not before first enrolling at Catholic University.

Williams says with money for tuition dwindling, “the taxi meter was running.”

He dropped out of both schools and says

I walked out of college for the last time. I like to say to people I was in a big hurry and I needed to go make a living and I never looked back. But the truth is, as the last college I attended, I look back every day. And I look in the mirror, and it’s one of my great regrets. Don’t forget that by being here today that you have now achieved something I was not able to achieve.

Finishing, he tells students, “You don’t actually have to build a rocket and take us into space but please, take us somewhere. Please keep us moving, push us, lift us up, make us better.”

Check out our list of last year's best speakers too.