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So here we are. Sometime between four and however many years it took, we’re leaving college.

Where to from here? The answer to that question is as varied as the students who make up this
year’s graduating class. Many of us know (or claim to know) exactly the next step to take,
whether that step is an internship, a full-time job, or even a backpacking trip through Europe.
Others, like me, will tell you we have no idea. The big thing about college is learning about
yourself, and many of us will leave our majors with some vague idea of the job we’d like to get
or business we’d like to start, but nothing more.

Whatever we decide, most of us will agree that Pleasantville was a perfect place to foster our
minds and bodies in this critical learning phase. Outside of that hedgehog infestation, which,
frankly, I thought was a little overblown, the city has been nothing but accommodating to our
sometimes silly, sometimes rowdy behavior.

The same can be said of our wonderful university. I’m a totally different person than I was
coming in as a freshman four years ago. I hope I’m also a better one. I’ve learned so much
about so much—my field, my interests, myself, and so on—I feel like, were I to go back in time,
my younger self wouldn’t even recognize me! I can only hope this passion for learning carries
over when I have to search out the info myself instead of biking to class and taking notes. I
suppose real-life experience will teach all of us a lot either way.

The biggest thing I learned—and again, I’m probably speaking for a lot of us here—is that we
only get one trip around this rock, so we might as well enjoy it. You have to find a balance
between work (school or otherwise) and fun. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It’s
not just a quote from a movie; it’s the truth. A well-rounded person is someone who knows a
little bit about every topic his or her friends discuss, and an interesting person can take that info
and have a conversation about it, even if his or her knowledge is lacking.

To everyone who touched our lives, we say thank you. To parents who stood by us no matter
what. To teachers who tried to instill in us a passion for learning. To administrators who wanted
to make our college experiences as amazing as possible. To advisors who helped us decide
what path to take. To friends who were there for pizza parties, study sessions, and everything in
between. And to all those others we depend on. Without you—without each other—there would
be no purpose to being here, no way to advance. Life, like society, is exactly what we make of it.
Thanks to all the loving, kind people I’ve met during my time in Pleasantville, my concerns about
both life AND society are much smaller. If even half the people I encounter after I leave here are
anything like my Pleasantville cohorts, I know I’ll have nothing to worry about.

And so, Pleasantville Community College Class of 2013, I invite you to take your tassels, flip
them, and toss those hats in the air. Why? We did it! It’s certainly a huge milestone. I’m sure
most of us will remember this day—if not the night after—clearly for the rest of our lives.

Sincerely, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you all.


AMARA UGWU, Public Policy Studies

President Zimmer, Dean Boyer, distinguished faculty, families, and fellow graduates, good
morning. My name is Amara Ugwu and I represent one of the many voices of this graduating
Class of 2013.

Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and author, noted that "if there is no struggle, there is no
progress," and I am sure that we can all attest to the validity of this statement, whether it was
struggling through genetics, life away from home, or the Chicago winters. As a result of the
various challenges we have faced, we all have become stronger, more refined, and more
intelligent versions of ourselves. Today, as we gather with family, friends, and faculty to
commemorate the past four years and to reminisce about our formative college experiences, let
us reflect on who we have become and who we can become.

This Convocation ceremony is important because tomorrow we will be graduates of the


University of Chicago. Tomorrow we will be among the few who were privileged enough to walk
this Quad, to partake in the UChicago Core, and among the few young adults around the world
with a bachelor's degree.

Right now the question is, how do we move forward? What does it mean to be good stewards of
the education we have been privy to?

First, we must acknowledge those who helped make our college experience possible. Today, as
we prepare to move toward the future, it is pertinent that we hold fast to our support networks—
those who have encouraged and grounded us throughout the years. Parents, families, friends,
and mentors, I take this moment to thank you! We ask that you continue to support us as we
embark on our future endeavors.

Like many of my classmates, I came to the University of Chicago because I desired a college
experience that would challenge me. Fellow classmates, we did not choose the University of
Chicago because it was easy. Why then should we look for a life of comfort and ease after
receiving our diplomas and plunging into the "real world"?

We have a responsibility to our communities, to our world, no matter our majors or aspirations.
Whether we are in medicine, finance, or academia, we must not solely focus on selfish ideals,
prestige, or aspirations of grandeur—rather, we must challenge ourselves to be civically
engaged. Life after college should not be about living sedentary or quiet lives. The challenge is
to take these past four years, the connections made, the unique passions, to take this degree
and to do something relevant and positive with it.

Eight years ago, when my family and I emigrated from Jamaica to the United States, I had no
idea I would end up at a school like the University of Chicago. As Nigerians, my parents valued
education, even when the means were very limited. But it was with the help of people like my
high school’s Miss Brown, who dedicated herself to teaching at an urban public school, that I
made it. I am here by the aid of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, because a man pursued
his passion but used his influence and money to make an impact on the lives of others. I am
here because of a medical doctor from Stanford University who created the Questbridge
Program, helping high achieving, low-income students attend top universities. I am here
because of people, much like you and I, who decided to make an impact in the world with the
means and mind that they had.

Today is our last day as undergraduates, and as we prepare for our future, as we move into
tomorrow, let us hold fast to the words of Frederick Douglass, remembering that "if there is no
struggle, there is no progress," and that progress in our own communities, in our world, can only
happen when brilliant minds like us decide to become engaged.

Thank you.

RAHUL ROY, Economics

As someone who feels like he didn't know what the hell he was doing over these past four
years, or why he was doing it; as someone who actually wanted to transfer OUT of this school
during his first year; and as someone who can barely speak to one person, let alone 2,000
people, I feel like I’m probably the LAST person who should be up here, at this podium,
delivering a speech at his college diploma ceremony ....

But, here I am, so instead of giving you the kind of speech that tries to inspire, or empower, or
impart wisdom, I decided to write something a little less serious ... a little more "UNCOMMON,"
you could say. After all, this is the approach I used when writing the essay that got me into this
university, so it's only fitting that I leave it in a similar fashion. It's a poem, that might sound a
little familiar if you're a fan of '90s teen movies. It's called "10 Things I Hate About UChicago."

*Ahem*

I hate the way your brochures convinced me


that you were the perfect place

I hate how I learned so much,


Yet feel like I've retained so little, barely a trace

I hate how I felt like you marooned me


In a boring bubble in the South Side

I hate that all the hair-pulling all-nighters you had me spend at the Reg
Have rendered my brain forever fried

I hate how your stimulating discussion seminars


Forced me to learn through participation
I hate how almost every paper you had me painstakingly write
Was basically just another opportunity for mental masturbation

I hate how stupid and average I felt


In the company of all of my amazing peers

I hate how morbidly depressed your long, cold winters made me feel,
So much so that I disposed most of my income on beers

I hate how four years just flew by,


As if it wasn't that long ago when we first arrived here in the fall

But mostly, I hate the way I don't hate you, UChicago. Not even close. Not even a little bit. Not
even at all.

(a beat)

Well, at this point I should be running off the stage crying, but honestly, I think I did enough of
that during all my episodes of existential melodrama over these past four years—my sister,
parents, and roommates can attest to this.

Honestly, when I sat down to reflect on my college experience, my dominant feeling … was that
of regret.

I hate to say it, but I totally took this school, this rare place and moment in our lives that has
inspired so much love and so much hate, for granted. Indeed, love and hate, on their own, are
pretty boring, binary feelings. But together, in simultaneous tandem, they form bittersweetness,
which is rich, complicated, and powerful.

Today, I encourage you all to let your guard down—because I know for a fact that I've kept mine
up for far too long—and to really embrace and savor this feeling, the feeling of the day, this day
we've been downplaying the significance of for so long.

Let it take over. Let it sink in.

(a beat)

Courage.

JONATHAN GRABINSKY, Professional Option: Public Policy Studies

Hello everyone, my name is Jonathan Grabinsky.


The other day I was sitting outside my apartment on 54th Street waiting for the bus. I was
carrying a backpack that was heavier than usual and wearing a pair of jeans that had absorbed
the strong and strangely comforting odor of the fifth floor cubicles of the Reg.

After a couple of minutes, the 171 bus showed up. Unfortunately for me, it was 10:15 a.m. aka
"University of Chicago student rush hour."

I pushed and got pushed, feeling both a sense of community for sharing a bus with my fellow
students but also a strong rivalry as I competed with them for the precious and limited seating
space.

This is probably what life after college is going to be like, I thought.

Stepping into the world outside of college will be like stepping onto the 171 bus at 10:15 a.m.—it
is going to be slow, it is going to be crowded, and it is going to be very competitive.

The University of Chicago prides itself on sculpting the minds of students in a way that allows us
to handle the most theoretical and abstract concepts. And like most students here, I take pride
in belonging to such an institution.

But faced with an uncertain future, some of us wonder: Why did I spend four years learning all
of this theory, four years learning about Foucault, about the delta-epsilon definition of a limit, if,
at the end of the day, I do not have a set of skills that are transferable into the labor market?
And believe that these doubts, these concerns, although valid, emerge from a distorted
understanding of what the College is about.

I believe the theoretical education provided by the College is, in essence, a skills-based
education. And let me tell you why: First, as conceptual thinkers, we are great problem-solvers.
When faced with a challenge, we will use both our skepticism and our knowledge to dig into the
roots of the issue and tackle the problem from the center outward.

Second, as conceptual thinkers, we can easily empathize with individuals who hold different
views. We can be more empathetic because, after having been exposed to the various
conflicting explanations of the world, from philosophy to economics, from biology to religion, we
know that no such thing as an absolute truth exists, but that instead the world is a tug of war
between many equally valuable realities.

And so when given an opportunity, we will voice our opinions, but we will do so humbly. So that
when faced with an argument, instead of saying "the truth is," we will say "some narratives
propose"; instead of saying "the facts are," we will say "the evidence suggests"; and instead of
saying "you're wrong," we will cite the wisdom of one of the greatest intellectuals of the 20th
century, Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, and we will say "you're not wrong" but "yeah, well, you
know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."
Third, as conceptual thinkers, our capacity to absorb new material comes naturally. And this is
perhaps one of the greatest gifts we take with us from the College: as conceptual thinkers, we
know the right questions to ask, so that anything we don't know, we can learn.

Stepping into the world outside college will be like stepping onto the 171 bus at 10:15 a.m.—it is
going to be slow, it is going to be crowded, and it is going to be very competitive.

But as University of Chicago graduates, as conceptual thinkers, I think we have a good set of
skills—and that should help us find our way around the bus.

Thank you, gracias, and congratulations, Class of 2013!


The guest of honour, distinguished government officials present here, the Principal of DAPP
Dowa TTC, Mr. Blessings Kambewa, all staff members of DAPP Dowa TTC, my fellow
graduating; now qualified teachers, student teachers, ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of the 2011 Team graduating today, I feel greatly honoured to stand before you, with
nothing to offer but with this very short speech of jubilation. We are celebrating that we are
finally fully qualified teachers, going to work in the rural areas of Malawi to be recognized as
agents of change by the public.

Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of my fellow graduating student teachers, I want to let you
know that over the two and a half years we have been here, we have really covered and learnt a
lot in terms of studies and the teaching skills a teacher needs to have.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a clear indication that we are now going out to the countryside
not as Cheaters but as real Teachers. This has been possible because of our willingness to
learn, but still this would have been nothing without the hard working spirit and dedication of our
lecturers, who sacrificed their precious time helping us, even at odd hours. These lecturers
really deserve a hand from us, ladies and gentlemen!

college graduation speech


Secondly, allow me, ladies and gentlemen, to thank the entire staff of DAPP Dowa TTC for the
cooperation that has been in place between them and us for the whole period we have been
their students. It is because of this cooperation that we are the achievers today and we are
celebrating this joint success, together. Let this kind of cooperation and professionalism
continue, so that the current student teachers and other intakes to come, should enjoy the same
fruits we have eaten ourselves - in order to continue realizing better success from each team of
student teachers, annually. This will only be possible if there is understanding of each other,
since where there is no understanding, good and effective communication and oneness, there
can only be failure.

Ladies and gentlemen, when we first came to this college, most of us were acting like a
toothpaste tube, only showing our true value when squeezed. But as of now, I am pleased to let
you know on behalf of my fellow graduating teachers, that we are different. This college -
through its well learned and dedicated staff members - has always fought tooth and nail to
educate us to be self starters and active teachers all the time; and that is what we are as of
now. Ladies and gentlemen, let this send a very strong signal to you that come rain come
sunshine, we are going to be the best teachers Malawi has ever had.

To DAPP Malawi, the Principal and the entire staff of DAPP Dowa TTC, we want to assure you
that we will never let you down. We are going to put into practice all the things you have
imparted to us. Apart from training us as Primary School Teachers, we have been taught many
leadership skills which will help us a lot in cooperating and associating with the communities we
are going to find out there.
To my fellow graduating teachers, we are no longer the leaders of tomorrow but of today. As
such, we need to know that we are not only physically mature, but also intellectually. This
therefore calls for our matured behavior. To be mature means accepting responsibilities.
Sometimes we are going to find very limited available teaching and learning resources. Now as
matured and resourceful teachers, we should always think of how best we can help the learners
in times of limited resources. TALULAR, Teaching and Learning Using Locally Available
Resources should always be our pillar of hope in such situations, where these modern teaching
and learning resources are not available.

Let us go to the world and be exemplary, active, creative, honest and eager to learn more from
others, especially experienced teachers, for they have a lot to share with us. To be a good
teacher begins with being a good learner, so let us always open a room for other people's
knowledge and skills to come in. You should always remember that an experienced dog never
scratches where there is nothing.

Last but not least, I would like to quote what the former Min. of Information, honourable Moses
Kunkuyu, once said. He said and I quote: "Walk with successful people to succeed, for if you
walk with failures, you will fail too." end of quote. Let us go out and just put into practice all the
good things we have learnt here. More importantly, we should go out with open minds for new
and supplementary skills and knowledge, for our continuous professional development.
Learning new things depends on self willingness; you cannot discover new oceans unless you
have the courage to lose sight of the shore. We need not be reminded that education is a
progressive discovery of our own ignorance.

I want to urge you - my fellow graduating teachers - we are teachers, yes, but let us go out a
mile further as explorers. There are many problems that rural primary schools are facing but that
relevant authorities may not be aware of. If we bring such problems to relevant authorities
through the right procedures, I am telling you, we are going to be "Another Kind of Teacher" on
top of being the agents of change. I think Napoleon was right when he said; the world is
suffering a lot not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good
people. Let us now put ourselves in the breed of teachers who will never sit back, seeing things
going astray and unnoticed.

We should always ask ourselves what we can give to our country, rather than always asking for
help from society or from our authorities. We are the change we have been waiting to see in
Malawi's education, for both economic and social development.

The guest of honour, ladies and gentlemen, I have nothing more to say, for I am much engulfed
with the excitement this auspicious day has brought to us, the 2011 Team. Ladies and
gentlemen, I thank you all for the undivided attention you have shown as I have delivered this
speech. Thank you!

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