I was fortunate enough to be invited to give the commencement address for the eighth graders at the RTP Charter School in Durham. I’ve never done anything like this, so the speech may be dreadful, but here’s what I plan to tell the youth.
Forgive the caps. I’m not gonna have time to re-type this. That’s the formatting I’ve got to make it easy to read.
I WOULD LIKE TO START BY CONGRATULATING ALL OF YOU FOR MAKING IT THIS FAR. AND BY YOU, I MEAN YOU – THE PARENTS. YOUR CHILDREN HAVE FINISHED MIDDLE SCHOOL, BUT YOU HAVE SURVIVED IT. THIS CEREMONY IS FOR THE GRADUATES, AND I’M CERTAIN THAT ALL OF YOU ARE VERY PROUD, BUT I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU.
AND IF YOUR PARENTS ARE TAKING YOU OUT TO EAT AFTER THIS IS OVER, OR EVEN IF THEY’RE SIMPLY GOING TO WARM UP A PLATE WHEN YOU GET HOME, YOU SHOULDN’T FORGET ABOUT THEM, EITHER.
BUT TO THE GRADUATES, I OFFER THE SAME CONGRATULATIONS. I’M PRETTY SURE MOST OF YOU ARE MORE EAGER THAN ANYTHING TO MOVE ON TO HIGH SCHOOL, WHERE YOU’LL HAVE MORE FREEDOM AND THE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE THINGS. OF COURSE, THE TRADE YOU MAKE IS TAKING ON MORE RESPONSIBILITY. WHAT IS GOOD ENOUGH NOW WILL NOT BE GOOD ENOUGH THEN. YOU HAVE TO CATCH UP TO THE FUTRE, BECAUSE IT CERTAINLY WILL NOT SLOW DOWN FOR YOU.
BUT I DON’T SAY THAT TO TRY TO SCARE YOU, OR EVEN TO WARN YOU. EVEN THOUGH, YOU CAN TAKE THAT AS A WARNING. BUT KEEPING UP WITH WHAT’S NEXT, THOUGH IT’S RARELY EASY, SHOULDN’T SCARE OR INTIMIDATE YOU. IT SHOULD EXCITE YOU.
EVEN AT MY AGE, EVEN AT YOUR PARENTS AGES, AT YOUR TEACHERS AGES – NONE OF WHOM, BY THE WAY, LOOK A DAY OVER 27 – PEOPLE LOOK FORWARD TO SOMETHING I KNOW ALL OF YOU WANT – TO BE ABLE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.
OF COURSE, THAT DOESN’T MEAN MUCH IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. AND HOW DO YOU FIGURE THAT YOU? THROUGH PREPARATION AND BY LIVING.
BY LIVING, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE ALL THE WORLD’S POSSIBILITIES. THROUGH PREPARATION, YOU WILL FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THOSE OPTIONS AND WHERE YOU FIT.
BUT LIVING, OF COURSE, ISN’T JUST EATING, SLEEPING, WORKING AND BREATHING. IT’S TAKING THE TIME TO APPRECIATE WHERE YOU ARE AND WHAT’S BEFORE YOU, TO TALK TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU AND LEARN FROM THEIR DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, TO BE CONCERNED WITH MORE THAN JUST WHAT YOU CAN EASILY SENSE.
AND PREPARATION ISN’T JUST GOING TO SCHOOL. IT’S LEARNING AND NOT JUST UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU’RE BEING TOLD, BUT UNDERSTANDING WHY YOU’RE BEING TOLD THOSE THINGS. SCHOOL ISN’T SUPPOSED TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN REMEMBER. WHEN YOU LEAVE HERE, OR ANY OTHER SCHOOL, YOU SHOULD KNOW THINGS. AND YOU WILL ONLY KNOW THESE THINGS IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO THINK OF THEM.
AS YOU HEARD IN THE INTRODUCTION, I HAVE A FEW DEGREES IN ECONOMICS. BUT I HOST A SPORTS TALK SHOW. PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME HOW I’M USING ECONOMICS IN SPORTS.
FOR ONE, STUDYING ECONOMICS FOR YEARS TAUGHT ME THAT I DIDN’T WANT TO SPEND MY LIFE IN ECONOMICS. BUT ECONOMICS TAUGHT ME TO THINK, AND THAT THINKING HELPS ME DECIDE WHAT TO SAY EACH MORNING. AND, ON TOP OF THAT, THAT THINKING HAS PUT ME IN A POSITION TO MAKE A COMFORTABLE LIVING FOR SITTING IN MY HOUSE IN MY PAJAMAS AND TALKING AND LAUGHING FOR THREE HOURS PER DAY. I’VE HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET PEOPLE THAT I LOOK UP TO, AND THOSE PEOPLE SEE ME AS THEIR PEER. I’VE DONE THINGS PROFESSIONALLY THAT I NEVER DREAMED I WOULD BE ABLE TO DO.
I DON’T SAY THAT TO BRAG. I SAY THAT BECAUSE I’M FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY DO WHAT I WANT TO DO. AND I SINCERELY BELIEVE THE REASON I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT HAS BEEN THE TIME I TOOK TO GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE AND TO LEARN FROM WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY.
SO, AS YOU GO FORWARD, THERE IS PLENTY OF ANXIETY. IT’S CERTAINLY REASONABLE TO BE NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT’S NEXT. JUST ABOUT EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WAS IN THE SAME POSITION ONCE. BUT DO NOT BE AFRAID. THE REAL FUN IS AHEAD. TAKE THE TIME TO GET READY FOR IT, AND ENJOY YOURSELF ALONG THE WAY.