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FROM AP: %byline(By TOM MURPHY
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FROM AP: AP Top Olympic News At 2:09 p.m. EDT
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Last week, I had my high school graduation. Sitting in the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, my classmates and I were anxious to get through all the spe...
I entered college with one particular set of blueprints and left it with a totally different sense of direction, one that for the first time in my life was something of my own choosing. I didn't do it while being a student. I did it afterward.
So today, Class of 2013, I invite you to enter the Arena! To set aside your fear of failure, to forget about what people may think, to walk out of this stadium and let go of the lives you've planned and allow yourselves the opportunity to live a life that will exceed all of your expectations. Congratulations!
Commencement ceremonies are celebratory and often emotional events. I would put forth that community college commencements are particularly moving. Why? For many of our students, the community college was the second chance -- or perhaps the only chance -- at higher education.
If you are willing to be flexible, you will find your true passion. So don't restrict your options, and limit your potential, with arbitrary, self-imposed deadlines. But be ready to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, and to be resilient.
The arc of history will not bend towards justice without you bending it. Public health needs you to ensure health for all. Seize that history. Bend that arc.
This is a time when you're making big decisions about the future. You might be embarking on a new career, transitioning to a different city. I'm sure the last thing you're thinking about is health insurance. But unfortunately, the unexpected can happen.
Now, thanks to his hilarious performance at Whitman College last weekend, the British comedian can add coveted commencement speaker and honorary doctor of fine arts to that list.
Well-Being, Wisdom, Wonder, and Giving Back: My Commencement Speech to Smith College's Class of 2013
Commencement speakers are traditionally expected to tell graduates how to go out there and climb the ladder of success, but I want to ask you, instead, to redefine success. Because the world you are headed into desperately needs it.
Take a break from reading and watch this fantastic short film -- an adaptation of David Foster Wallace's major commencement speech delivered on May 21, 2005 at Kenyon College. Don't forget to come back, though.
College graduation is a big deal, and a commencement speaker's ability to share something of himself or herself that sticks and gives hope can play an important inspirational role.
You will likely find yourself doing something no one like you -- no one your color, your gender, speaking your language, coming from your place of birth -- has done before. When that happens, you may find yourself with an opportunity to lead a personal Parade with Purpose.
People often ask me, "What is your recipe for success?" There is no single recipe for success, but there is one essential ingredient: passion.
A career is no longer like a ladder; it's like a jungle gym. For your career, look for opportunities, look for growth, look for impact, look for a mission. Move sideways, move down, move on, move off.
Before I knew it, I was chasing espresso shots with black coffee. By junior year, my friends and I started getting into Diet Coke, Red Bull, and even 5-hour Energy. One thing we've learned is the first step is admitting you have a problem, and I admit it: I leave Yale a full-fledged caffeine addict.
Delivered with aplomb, the speaker took an adeptly right-handed swipe at President Obama. The response from the crowd was a predictable smattering of applause and boos, and while most sat in stunned silence, I was flabbergasted.
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