I am pleased to introduce our commencement speaker David Berkowitz, chief marketing officer at digital marketing agency, MRY.
And, sought after speaker at events around the globe . . .
David Berkowitz founded the Hinman Alumni Network, has chaired the Metro New York Alumni Network and is the youngest director ever elected . . .
to the Binghamton University Alumni Association Board of Directors.
He's an expert digital marketer and blogger and is frequently quoted online and in print . . .
in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and other high-profile publications.
He was featured by Google as one of four mobile champs.
And, he helped digital agency 360i, win the 2012 media agency award, for the best social media agency.
David graduated from Binghamton University, with a bachelor's degree in psychology, in 2000.
The same year, that he was recognized as student the year.
He was the Hinman College commencement speaker in 2000 . . .
So today, he makes his second commencement speech at Binghamton University.
Please help me welcome David Berkowitz, to the podium.
Wow! Thank you, President Stenger, graduates, family and friends.
faculty and staff, alumni community members, bagpipers . . .
amazing distinguished guest . . .
everyone for welcoming me here.
So, how's it going?
How are you? C'omo estas?
que pasa k-tel now but during this you must rate
keep Hogan he home a sup
Normally, people say these words and don't really care about the response.
It's just a polite greeting.
People are using looking to receive an answer.
If you do have an answer though, it's a really great way to catch people off-guard.
I learned another way to ask how are you?
When I was I was in Binghamton. I will never forget it.
I had a professor here, Jack Weinstein . . . blessed memory.
He taught Yiddish here. Yes, yiddish.
Yes. And, most people who took it, kept coming back for more.
Not really to be proficient in the language . . . but to spend more time learning from Jack.
He was pretty good at teaching linguistics. He was amazing at teaching life!
One of the first lessons that Jack taught . . . was fittingly, was how to ask, "How are you?"
In Yiddish, it's only two word; vos makhstu.
And, people in Yiddish often throw it out there . . . like they are saying, "How are you?"
A casual question that tends to yield a similarly casual response.
I'm good. I'm fine.
Well what professor Weinstein taught me . . . that I'll never is the real meaning of vos makhstu.
The literal translation is far more profound.
Instead of just asking, "How are you?"
You are asking, "What are you making of yourself?" Imagine that.
Imagine that you are at an alumni reunion a year from now.
You run into an old friend, who you used to do scorpion bowl with at the Rat and who you haven't seen since . . .
unless you count a few Facebook exchanges.
And, your friend comes up to you and says, "Hey, how have you been? What are you making of yourself?"
Whoa! How do you answer that one?
What are you making of yourself?
Do you have an answer for that?
Could you even come up with one?
Are you remotely prepared to answer the question?
Today, I hope you are.
Congratulations, by the way. Today, the thousands of us gathered here, should all be convinced that you graduate here . . .
are in the process of making something of yourself.
And, as this ceremony ends you will have done so.
This is a truly wondrous, momentous achievement.
You've earned a degree, one that most of you, have probably worked pretty hard to earn.
And, okay, admit it . . . a few of you probably mailed it in and, okay; admit it . . .
a few of you've probably mailed it in and now's not the time to look over at that friend of yours . . .
who has, if you want to stay friends here after you graduate.
This will almost definitely add some positive momentum to the rest of your lives.
I'm thrilled to consider you all as comrades, in the Binghamton Alumni network.
But, what happens next? Sorry to bring this up . . .
It might be a touchy subject.
You've made something of yourself by earning this degree, you've received today.
That's great, if you were asked what have you made of yourself?
With, each day that's ahead . . . with every tomorrow, how will you answer, "What are you making of yourself?"
Even thinking about this myself, it's incredibly daunting.
Yes. It's been a pretty good run for me.
I wasn't invited back to speak here because the administration felt sorry for me . . .
and wanted to give me some kind of consolation prize.
I clearly wasn't invited back here because I've given the most money to the school. Sorry.
Ah, the Bartell Library will not be renamed the Berkowitz Library, anytime soon.
Which is probably just at well, since I didn't spend very much time there.
I'm assuming someone at Binghamton thought . . .
here's an alumnus who is making something of himself . . .
And, he probably won't embarrass us too much.
Presumably that person hadn't looked too closely at some of the satirical stunts I pulled during my tenure on campus.
And, some other light infractions were kindly brushed aside.
At my first semester, I was taken down to the campus police station in the back of a squad car . . .
for trying to bring my own car to campus, freshman year, before I had enough credits.
Perhaps they will vet the speakers a little more closely next year.
But, thanks again for having me President Stenger.
Since my time as a student here, I have tried to make something of myself.
since my time students here I've tried to make something of myself . . .
And, then remake it.
Unsure of what I'd do, when I'd graduate, during my senior year, I received advice at Binghamton's Metro Career Fair . . .
run by the Alumni Association and Career Development Center . . .
that forever changed my life.
An alum recognized that by ditching Pipe Dream my final year and trying my hand at starting an online publication for the University . . .
I inadvertently, gave myself job skills.
Something I tried as hard as possible, not to do in my four years . . .
First as an English and then a Psych major.
I'm someone who thought that it was a good idea to take Yiddish, after all.
Six courses of Yiddish, not one in Economics.
My parents probably spent years, wondering what it was that they were paying for.
So, I did move out of this place, pretty quickly after college.
I've tried to make my way through, with what was then known as, "New Media in the New Economy."
first, it was technical writing at a dot.com start-up, which let me go five months later and then imploded.
That was also the time that I really learned the meaning of the word, shadenfreude?
there was also the time I really learned the meaning to the word shattered
And, then there was the research firm, which I joined as an editor and then got the chance to make up a public relations role, with no training.
This was followed by a couple of "director of marketing" roles in the interactive media field.
And, then I took a job so focused on making stuff up, that "emerging media" was in my job title.
And, I lasted seven years doing it.
Ultimately, this summer, I joined the agency, MRY, as its first chief marketing officer.
Each time around, it presented new opportunities to make something of myself.
As well as, at the organization I was working for.
That's one thing Binghamton prepared me for, in a BIG way! This is a phenomenal University!
But, it's one where you have no choice but to make something of yourself.
Binghamton, I think we can accept this . . . is not New York City.
It's not a place where there are a million things to do or institutions with hundreds of years of traditions to fall back on.
Or, displayed its move to Division 1. . .
A history about athletic dominance that attracts thousands of alumni back for homecoming.
Binghamton is a school that at the age of 67, is still a work in progress.
It's identity is still being shaped, especially as its brand spreads further, nationally and internationally.
That makes it a ripe institution for entrepreneurs . . .
and, the entrepreneurial spirit.
It's an opportunity to take part in traditions, then creates traditions.
It's a 67-year-old start-up, that's to its credit.
To be around that long and still create an atmosphere, where anything is possible.
Is practically a singular feat.
Look around and see how many 67-year-olds, whether people or corporations or organizations . . .
are open to reinventing themselves.
And, open to everyone connected with them, taking part in the reinvention.
That, in modern parlins? is the definition of crowd-sourcing.
If you've taken a proactive role here in shaping your identity at this University, and shaping this University's identity in the process . . .
you can consider yourself with having unparallel preparation for what's ahead.
The world is now entering a new phase of entrepreneurialism.
It's called the "maker movement."
This is an era where it is possible for anyone to come up with, design, prototype, create, fund and market new products and services.
It's an era where anyone can turn the iPhone in their pocket into Edison's
Menlo Park lab or Hewlett-Packard's Palo Alto garage.
This is an era epitomized by 3d printing, where someone can download a design, practically for any kind of object in the world.
And, print out a unique personalized version of it.
Or, a million of personalized versions, whether from their home printer . . .
or through an industrial printing factory.
It's an era of disruption.
If you think of the industries disrupted by companies such as Google, Expedia, air BnB, Amazon, Uber and others.
Just wait for what's ahead.
Consider just one example . . . or, as Sophia from Golden Girls would say, picture this . . .
A former colleague of mine who's a 3d printing hobbiest, needed shower curtain rings in the middle of the night.
I'm not sure what he was doing . . . where in the middle of the night, he's decided he needed shower curtain rings . . .
But listen to what he did.
He went on a website called "thingiverse;" fun name, right? And, found a design for the shower curtain rings that he liked.
He saves the file for free. Then he sends the file to the 3d printer sitting on his desk.
A maker bot, if you're familiar with it.
In an hour or so, these early versions take a while, he printed the dozen plastic shower curtain rings that he needed.
That was it.
The plastic that he used to print it, came from Makerbot and maybe cost a dollar, and the price is dropping rapidly.
Think of all of the businesses dis-intermediated here.
Goodbye designer at the bathroom supply company.
Goodbye factory in China manufacturing them.
Goodbye DHL shipping them to the states.
Goodbye Bed Bath & Beyond. Good bye the need for the gas in the car and the faster need for the car's oil change.
and the toll paid on the highway, and the pit stop at McDonald's.
And, everything else that would have been affected by his need for shower curtain rings, in the past.
And this is all just the beginning.
Today, it's quickly becoming just as easy to print out a new human organ, that could save someone's life, as it is an unregistered gun, that could take someone's life.
If Bed Bath & Beyond were to be threatened by this new movement . . .
would there be viable businesses taking its place?
What's to prevent you from taking a pocket-sized 3d object scanner into a store . . .
scanning a product you like and then uploading it for anyone to access, for free.
As many lawyers as there are who have graduated from this University . . .
the world's actually going to need even more of them to sort all this out.
Beyond lawyers though, innovators are needed.
The "Maker Movement", needs makers.
The world is now in demand for people who will make something of themselves.
It needs people, who know what it's like to create something from nothing.
To look at what's there and reinvent it.
To imagine how the world should be and could be and will be . . . And, to do something about it.
There have been many good times over the past millennia for inventors, but there's never been such a propescious time, for makers.
You, are one of them.
You need to be one of them.
As you graduate today, you have the talents and qualifications needed to be a maker.
Whatever it is, you choose to make.
And, it's it's not all about goods and services.
Making something of yourself means molding your character and living your life, in a way that you feel it does justice . . .
and, even honor to your name. That's going to be the far bigger challenge . . . with a promise, of a far bigger reward.
For me, it is meant making myself into the best person I can.
The best brother and son and grandson and uncle and in recent years, the best husband.
If all goes well, this February, I will make myself into the best father I can possibly be . . .
One of life's most profound transformations.
The making of your character is a far more meaningful undertaking, than the making of your career.
But the choices you have made and will make, as to your education and life's work . . .
will in turn shape, how you make yourself into who you are.
Making something is not just going to be your opportunity . . .
but your obligation and hopefully you're calling.
Congrats again on making something of yourself.
I join the thousands of others here, in being proud of you in your achievement.
Get ready for each day ahead though.
You know it's the best way to prepare yourself.
Ask yourself each day, "What am I making of myself?"
Listen to your answer. At first, it may be a challenge . . .
And then, as you make something of yourself more often and it becomes part
of your habit . . .
You'll start to love it.
You'll start to live for each moment that you ask . . .
because you're going to take so much pride, in how you respond.
You're going to wish that instead of people asking you, "How you're doing?" or "How is it going?"
They ask you, "What are you making of yourself?"
Because whenever they ask, you're going to know the answer.
Thank you!