Originally Posted: Jun 25, 2012
Last Updated: Sep 5, 2019
It's June, and at high schools and colleges across America, stages have been walked, caps have been thrown skyward, and hopeful graduates are embarking on the next phase of their lives. In and amongst all the pomp and circumstance of graduation season were the hundreds of commencement speeches delivered by sagacious politicians, actors, journalists, and other public figures.
When I graduated from college, the commencement speech was given by a humorless district attorney whose services were enlisted when the intended speaker—someone better suited to address a gaggle of liberal arts majors—canceled at the last minute. If you asked me today, I couldn't for all the money in the world summon to my memory a single word of the D.A.'s mundane speech.
Not all graduates are so unfortunate, however. Some students are given the parting gift of truly memorable speeches rendered by charismatic A-listers. Here's a roundup of some of my favorite college commencement speeches of 2012, rife with advice, anecdotes, and humor that both you and your students will appreciate.
Christiane Amanpour, Global Affairs Anchor of ABC News
Where: University of Southern California's School of Journalism
Memorable words: "My most fervent hope is that you will find a passion. Unless you love what you do, you can't really be good at what you do."
Watch it here.
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City
Where: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Memorable words: "In the game of life, when the final buzzer sounds, the only stat you carry with you is the number of assists you made. So help other people put some points on the board."
Watch it here.
Steve Carell, actor and comedian
Where: Princeton University, Class Day 2012
Memorable words: "You are young. And because of that, you are wrong."
Watch the speech here (starting at 17:25).
Katie Couric, special correspondent for ABC News
Where: University of Virginia
Memorable words: "Life can deal you some crushing blows, and we all need a deep reserve of resilience to survive. Losing someone is also a reminder that life is short, and fragile. We are all terminal. And that's why we have to be grateful for the time we have and savor the joy that comes our way."
Watch it here.
Viola Davis, actress
Where: Providence College
Memorable words: "You see, the two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you discover why you were born...You veer off course, but all that while, that purpose, that thing that you were specifically, divinely made for will be looming in front of you."
Watch it here.
Robert DeNiro, actor
Where: Bates College
Memorable words: "It's too late to save the tuition, but it's not too late to save yourselves, and...I think this is the most important piece of advice you will hear today: Become a movie star."
Read it here.
James Franco, actor
Where: University of Texas at Arlington's College of Liberal Arts
Memorable words: "Don't be afraid to change your life's course. Don't be afraid to reinvent yourself."
Watch it here.
Ira Glass, host of Public Radio International's This American Life
Where: Goucher College
Memorable words: "The central mission of the commencement speech is in itself ridiculous: to inspire a moment which needs no inspiration."
Watch it here.
Jane Lynch, actress
Where: Smith College
Memorable words: "My advice to you: Live in the moment. Stay fluid and roll with those changes. Life is just a big extended improvisation. Embrace the ever changing, ever evolving world with the best rule I've ever found. Say 'YES AND.'"
Watch it here.
Colin Powell, United States Secretary of State from 2001–2005
Where: Northeastern University
Memorable words: "Do something that satisfies you every day, make our society a better place, and help your fellow citizens. Give your time and talent in service to others. The need to serve others has never been greater in our nation."
Watch it here.
Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State from 2005–2009
Where: Southern Methodist University
Memorable words: "You see, education is transformative. It literally changes lives. That is why people work so hard to become educated. And that is why education has always been the key to human beings and their dreams—a force that erases arbitrary divisions of race and class and culture, and unlocks every person's potential."
Watch it here.
Andy Samberg, actor and comedian
Where: Harvard University, Class Day 2012
Memorable words: "The following majors are apparently useless as of tomorrow: history, literature, all things related to art, social studies, East Asian studies, pretty much anything that ends with studies, romance languages, and finally folklore and mythology...all those majors are now useless. Unless you can somehow turn them into an iPhone app."
Watch it here.
Adam Savage, co-host of MythBusters
Where: Sarah Lawrence College
Memorable words: "You will, at some point, probably move back in with your parents. Sorry, but it's true, it's cool, and it's only temporary."
Watch it here.
Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google
Where: Boston University
Memorable words: "The future doesn't just happen. It's not etched or written or coded anywhere. There's no algorithm or formula that says something will do X for Y to occur."
Watch it here.
Maria Shriver, author, journalist, and former first lady of California
Where: University of Southern California's School of Communication
Memorable words: "Today, I have one small wish for you. Before you go out and press that fast-forward button, I'm hoping—I'm praying—that you'll have the courage to first press the pause button."
Watch it here.
Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter (A Few Good Men, The Social Network)
Where: Syracuse University
Memorable words: "Develop your own compass, and trust it. Take risks, dare to fail, remember the first person through the wall always gets hurt."
Watch it here.
Barbara Walters, broadcast journalist, contributor to ABC News
Where: Yale University, Class Day 2012
Memorable words: "The friends you have made here at Yale may be the best experience you have, and they will continue to be a part of your life long after you may—heaven forbid—forget the name of your professor and whatever he taught you."
Watch it here.
Brian Williams, anchor of NBC Nightly News
Where: George Washington University
Memorable words: "You don't actually have to build a rocket or go into space, but please take us somewhere. Please keep us moving. Push us, lift us up. Make us better."
Watch it here.
Oprah Winfrey, media mogul, talk show host, and actress
Where: Spelman College
Memorable words: "You must have some kind of vision for your life, even if you don't have a plan."
Watch it here.
