One of our favorite things about June (other than the mad rush of trying to get things figured out before summer, endless school events for those with kids, and last minute vacation planning) is the slew of graduation speeches with advice from high profile celebrities.
When opportunity comes your way, don’t ignore it - Oprah Winfrey, Tennessee State University
Oprah Winfrey's graduation speech at her alma mater Tennessee State University, urged people to embrace opportunity when it came their way.
"Sophomore year, I was majoring in speech, communication, and drama. I wanted to be an actress, but my father proclaimed that “no daughter of mine was going to be on somebody’s ‘casting couch,’” and so, I decided, “All right; I will teach.” But I was having some challenges, particularly with my scenic design class. It was taught by Mr. W Dury Cox, who declared in front of the entire backstage crew where we had class in the theater—and this is a quote—“Winfrey cannot draw a straight line with a ruler.”
So in his class, one day, I got a call. I got pulled out of Mr. Cox’s lecture to take a call from Chris Clark, who was the lead anchor at WLAC-TV. He was the news director and lead anchor at channel 5. And Chris had heard me on WVOL radio (don’t ask me why Chris was listening to a Black radio station—Jesus led him to it, I guess). Anyway, he called me here at TSU and wanted to know if I was interested in being in television. And I said, “No, sir, TV? No, not really, sir, because my father says I have to finish school, and school is just too important. And I doubt that my dad would even let me do something like that.” So Chris told me to just give it some thought and get back to him. When I returned to Mr. Cox’s class, I repeated what Chris had said to me. And I said to Mr. Cox, “I don’t think my father would even consider it.”
Now, Mr. Cox had a face like the lion from Wizard of Oz and a demeanor that nobody would ever call warm or fuzzy or comforting. He looked at me as if I didn’t have the brains that God gave lettuce. And he said, “This is why you get an education, fool—so that CBS, channel 5, will call you! You and your father ought to know that!” He rolled his eyes, and as he was walking away, he said, “I’ll tell him myself.” And he did.
So, second semester sophomore year, here at TSU, I arranged for all my classes to be finished by 2 pm. And from 2:30 to 10:30, I worked at the television station.
Burst Through Your Limitations - Michelle Yeoh, Harvard University
“Limitations set by yourself give you boundaries to respect,” Yeoh said. “But limitations set by others give you boundaries to bust through.” This seems like a wise distinction for all of us to learn, and for law school graduates in particular.
Learn to Use Your Time Wisely - Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson at American University and Boston University
“My advice to you is to do your best to shut out distractions, use your time wisely and figure out how to make the most of what you have,” Jackson said.
There is No Middle Ground - Sanna Marin, Finnish prime minister, New York University
"Freedom of speech and other true elements of democracy are being questioned and limited all over the world. Whether this means diminishing the truth with false balance or using our personal data to influence our democratic elections, the rule of law as well as freedom of expression and the media need active defending.
The swollen amount of inequality and a lack of social mobility are challenging our ideas about everyone having the same possibilities and freedoms in life.
All of these questions are battles of values. And we all must take a side in that battle. There is no middle ground."
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