It’s the time of year in which millions of students live their entire lives hoping and dreaming to achieve: College Graduation. Every year individuals of high rank, notoriety or reliability are invited to provide a keynote or commencement speech to graduates from schools across the world. In their speeches, they seek to provide insight on what lies ahead as young people forge ahead in their careers both professionally and personally, and they even guide some of those graduates into making decisions they may not have thought as an option.
Below is a breakdown of just some of the keynote addresses that took place in recent days and weeks from President Obama to Howard Tull, CEO of tech firm 1871.
PRESIDENT OBAMA COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS TO RUTGERS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
With his final year as the Commander in Chief comes to a close, President Obama took time from his commencement speech to address the recent Trump problem, which seems to have overshadowed the intended purpose of his appearance to many.
“When you hear someone longing for the good old days, take it with a grain of salt,” said Obama of Trump campaign slogan, “Make American Great Again.”
HOWARD TULLMAN TALKS TO UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS GRADUATES
“In my world, failure is an everyday occurrence and an accepted part of the landscape. The best entrepreneurs aren’t afraid of failing — their greatest fear is spending a significant part of their lives doing something insignificant that doesn’t really matter or make a difference to much of anyone,” said Howard Tullman, CEO of tech firm 1871 during his commencement speech at the graduation ceremony for University of Illinois students.
“Every one of you is better than that — you shouldn’t settle for anything less. There’s always a best seat in the house — a best row at the show — and while you may not always get it, shame on you if you don’t go for it. It pays to aim high. Feasibility will compromise you soon enough. …
“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”
DIRECTOR PAUL FEIG TELLS GRADUATES “DON’T BE AN A-HOLE”
During the graduation ceremony for students at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, Paul Feig, who directed the upcoming “Ghostbusters” remake with an all-female cast told graduates “don’t be an a-hole” after forging ahead in life after graduation.
“You want to make something great, but be cool while you’re doing it so people will hire you again. Because if you screw up and you’re an a–hole, they won’t hire you again. But if you’re nice and you screw up, then they’re like, ‘Let’s give him another shot.’ It will buy you one free pass.”
“HAMILTON’S” LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA ADDRESSES TO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA STUDENTS
Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of “Hamilton,” the hot ticket Broadway musical, delivered a passionate commencement speech to University of Pennsylvania graduating students. “In a year when politicians traffic it in anti-immigrant rhetoric, there is also a Broadway musical reminding us that a broke, orphan immigrant from the West Indies built our financial system, a story that reminds us that since the beginning of the great, unfinished symphony that is our American experiment, time and time again, immigrants get the job done.”