Thank you Mr. McBrien, Dr. and Mrs. Aeschliman, Board of Directors, invited guests, faculty, parents, and students. And most especially to the TASIS England Class of 2014.
I'm having a strong sense of déjà-vu as I stand up here, as it feels not that long ago that I was graduating from TASIS England and sitting exactly where you are today. Its has been a real treat to have the opportunity to come back here this week, visit this amazing campus again, and re-connect with many of the teachers who made such a positive impact on my life. I wouldn't be the person I am today with TASIS England, and I will always be very thankful for the time I spent here.
Today's graduation celebrates your great achievement, and marks the start of a new chapter for you. And it's a great honor to be here with you.
There are a lot of people around you today who have tremendous hopes for your future. This morning I want to talk about three hopes I have for you. My first hope is that you find your passion. Life is very precious - don't waste it on things that don't get you excited. You will live a much happier life when you love doing the things you do every day and the people you spend your time with. Make sure you find the things lin life that ignite this passion, and organize and live your life around them. Find this passion in what you study at school, your career, in your relationships, your faith, and your hobbies. Don't settle or compromise until you've found it.
Your are at a unique time in your lives, where you are about to transition from being in a structured academic environment to one where you will get to make many more decisions on your own. Take maximum advantage of this and educate yourself. Don't be afraid to explore subjects that interest you. Don't let inertia be your guide. Don't follow a degree or career path simply because it is what others expect of you. Follow your heart. Find an education and career that will make you passionate for life.
You are likely to soon receive a pretty thick course catalogue from the school you'll be attending. Before choosing which classes you are going to take over the next four years, my advice would be to find a few quiet hours to read through the entire catalogue end-to-end, and read through the descriptions of all of the courses they offer. As you read through it, highlight the ones that seem interesting to you. Genuinely interesting. Not just the ones that are required for a particular major, or which you think would help you make a lot of money later in life.
And when it comes time to select courses each semester - add at least one or two of those courses to your schedule. You will probably find that some of them end up being the classes you most remember later in life. Hopefully you will find that at least one of the courses ignites a passion in you. That it helps you find something you are really good at. Something that you love. Something that leads you to say "THIS is what I want to do for the rest of my life".
One of the subjects that I loved most at TASIS England was history, and I was lucky to have some wonderful teachers here. When I first went to Duke I thought I wanted to major in either history or political science. I took a wide variety of courses - and loved almost all of them. I was a political science major my first and second year of university - and was actually only one course away from getting a political science degree. Over time, though, I slowly realized that what I was really passionate about was software development. You see, in addition to studying Political Science and History, I was also taking the occasional computer science class. I'd often stay up late at night working on programming assignments I found really fun. I was taking the computer science classes not because I had to, but because I loved them. I realized I had found my passion. I ended up changing my major my third year to computer science, and took every undergraduate and graduate level course I could take.
I was fortunate to realize when I graduated that I didn't just have a major, but had found my calling. My mom still jokes about how I once told her soon after I started at Microsoft "I can't believe they actually pay me to do this." I hope you all find courses, majors, and careers that make you equally passionate. If you don't find your passion immediately, keep looking. Don't settle. Whatever it is - it is out there waiting for you. Don't compromise until you find it.
My second hope for you is that you be bold and not fear failure. Great accomplishments result from doing hard things, not easy things. As you leave TASIS England, have confidence and believe in yourself - you are capable of doing truly amazing things. If you have found your passion, now is the time to embrace it. If you have a dream, now is the time to pursue it. There is no better time in your life to be bold than the next few years. As you do this you will have setbacks. That is okay. In fact, if you don't have setbacks along the way it probably means you aren't being bold enough. So don't be afraid of getting a worse grade by taking a hard class, or applying for a job or internship that is really hard to get, or submitting a creative story you've written to get published, or a piece of art to be displayed. Even if it doesn't work out, having boldness to try will make you stronger.
Personally I've found that I often grow the most, and learn the most about myself, when I experience failure. It can sting, but it also makes me stronger and better. I mentioned earlier how I changed my major to Computer Science my third year at Duke, and took every computer course I could take that year and next. One of the motivations for doing that was because I had applied for an internship at Microsoft the summer between my sophomore and junior years. Internships at Microsoft are extremely competitive - a lot of people apply, and the selection process is very rigorous with multiple rounds of technical interviews. I had applied and was pretty sure I could get in - I had been programming for years and was pretty good at it. But it turned out a lot of other people were good at it too, and I didn't make the cut that year - even though a few of my friends had. I was kind of surprised and a little embarrassed. But it motivated me to work even harder. After taking a lot more computer science courses my junior year I was ready to apply again for the internship - and this time made it through. The internship ended up being a fantastic experience, and I ended up joining Microsoft full time after graduating - and have been there ever since. I'm confident I wouldn't be the person I am, or have the career I've had, if they hadn't rejected me that first time, learned from it, and tried again. I hope you find the confidence to be bold, live your dreams, and not be afraid to encounter setbacks along the way.
My third and final hope is that you will be kind. Success in life isn't about making money, or impressing people. Success can best be measured by the happiness of those around you, and the positive impact you've had on their lives. Maya Angelou, who passed away earlier this month, once said something that really resonates with me: "In the end people may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember the way you made them feel." As you go out in the world, be kind, understanding, and humble. Help those less fortunate than yourself. Make others around you better, and happier for being near you.
As you head off to college you are going to be one of hundreds or thousands at your new school who will be in a new environment, having to make new friends, and many will be away from home for the first time. Help those who struggle in this transition. Reach out to those who are shy, or not included, and be a friend. You will not only make their lives better, but you'll also feel better about yourself.
As you look back later in life, long after your university life and career is over, the memories you will most cherish are the relationships you have formed, the impact you've had on other people's lives, and the feelings people have about you. To quote movie director Jerry Zucker: "Judge yourself not by your accomplishments, but by the happiness of the people around you. If you can do that, you can do anything, you can go anywhere, you can fail at anything, and whatever you are, you will find a 'there' there, because you'll bring it with you."
To the TASIS England Class of 2014: Enjoy today's celebration. You've earned it. As you leave the school and go out into the world I wish you nothing but the best. Find your passion. Be bold and don't be afraid of failure. And remember to be kind and bring happiness to others. Congratulations and good luck on the amazing journey ahead!
This article first appeared in the TASIS England Today magazine, Winter 2014-2015 issue.