Excerpts from 2015 Commencement Remarks

UNC-Chapel Hill | Jason Kilar, co-founder and former CEO of Hulu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbP7WUGiBI

Kilar’s deeply personal address dwelled on some of the hardest times in his own life, and the lessons he took from adversity.

Now a successful entertainment executive, Kilar recounted how unpromising his situation looked shortly after graduation. “I soon found myself working for a temp agency back home, installing shelving at a T.J. Maxx that was undergoing renovation. I was personally lost, and professionally about as far from my dreams as one could be.”

He eventually pulled himself together, took risks, and found his way to success. But the lessons of more difficult times have stuck with him.

“The mountains and peaks of one’s life may get the headlines and the Facebook posts. But the valleys — believe me, it is your journey through the valleys that will define you.”

NC State University | France Cordova, Director, National Science Foundation
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article20586471.html

Before Cordova became an astrophysicist, she studied English literature as an undergraduate. But, she confided to students, she always wanted to be a detective. Like Albert Einstein, she said, she lacks a specific talent beyond passionate curiosity.

“I don’t expect that tomorrow you will change the world from your garage,” she said. “Sometimes changing the world starts with a question, wondering why things are and how they got that way.”

“You have every reason to leave here with confidence, pride, a bounce in your step and a little bit of swagger,” said Benjamin Jenkins, chair of N.C. State’s board of trustees. “Be bold. Take chances.”

NC A&T State University | Rep. John Lewis, congressman and civil rights leader http://www.news-record.com/news/schools/civil-rights-leader-encourages-a-t-grads-to-seek-out/article_ca93ea70-f691-11e4-875d-ef07b1fa3371.html

As one of the leaders of the iconic civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, John Lewis suffered a skull fracture at the hands of a state trooper.

On Sunday, he told NC A&T graduates that they have an obligation to seek out their own trials and troubles in service of a good cause.

“Find a way to get into trouble — necessary trouble,” Lewis said. “You have to speak up and speak out and find a way to get in the way.”

NC Central University | Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article20593755.html

Education Secretary Arne Duncan used his commencement address to highlight the growing disparity between college graduates and non-graduates, challenging his audience to do something about it. The gap between classes threatens both national solidarity and economic health, Duncan said.

“We cannot escape this brutal reality,” he said. “I am convinced this is the central problem that all of us have to solve together.”

UNC Pembroke | Wes Moore, best-selling author
http://www.fayobserver.com/news/local/unc-pembroke-grads-challenged-to-stand-for-something-and-to/article_b09c19c7-7a04-52fd-83b9-5d1f2400557e.html

Moore is best known for his 2010 book, The Other Wes Moore, which chronicled the troubled life of a young man who shared Moore’s Baltimore neighborhood and his name.

He told the UNC Pembroke graduates that some of their college experiences would fade with time, but their deep knowledge and values would matter for the long haul.

“This process isn’t about a degree. It isn’t about a major. It is about who you choose to fight for and stand for,” Moore said.