» PROFESSOR JANE LIU: Dear Class of 2020 - Hello.
Welcome Back.
I've missed you.
When I was told that you had
selected me to be your graduation speaker, my initial
response was that I was deeply
moved.
An instant later, I did wonder - couldn't they have
just
sent me flowers?
Or donuts?
You see, I have spent a great deal of my life trying to avoid
being in a spotlight.
I insisted on being married in a
courthouse and told everyone that the court
could only fit immediate family - even if that wasn't true.
You
know how in the classroom I had y'all work in teams?
Although I
said that was because collaborative learning is good
pedagogy - the real reason is that I can't stand the idea of
having you all look at me for long periods of time.
But, like many experiences that push you out of your comfort
zone - there is something that I've gained by going through
with this.
By inviting me to
speak to you today, you gave me the gift of setting aside time
to reflect on my own graduation and what has happened since.
You gave me time to think about -
and connect with - the important people who took that
journey
with me.
This was a real gift - and I thank you for it.
Did you know that I was Class of
year, Y2K was looming.
For
those
of you who need a refresher - Y2K refers to potential
computer
errors that were expected when we moved from 1999 into
calendar year 2000.
It was projected to
be apocalyptic.
My class at
Swarthmore went into our senior year thinking that Y2K would
end
the world and we were wrong.
We graduated on a sunny day,
right
on time - and to be honest, it felt slightly anti-climactic.
Twenty years later, you entered
your senior year and well I guess that the havoc that we
thought Y2K would bring just
showed up two decades later.
I know that it wasn't my fault -
but I still want to say: I'm sorry.
But let's back up a bit to where
I graduated 20 years before you.
Thinking about that made me wonder what I have learned in
those 20 years that I could share with you today.
I've got
three things.
First, I've learned that I do not need to do it alone - nor
should I. Getting insights from others is important; it's also
important to just get out of your own head from time to
time.
And when you need to get out of
your own head, I strongly
recommend watching Grey's Anatomy - with 18 seasons
you're bound to find something to help
you in your moments of need.
For me, Meredith Grey and
Christina Yang remind me to
dance it out from time to time and that it's important to have
a person - and maybe even
several persons.
People who will show up when you really
need them - and who can give you
advice when you've been asked to speak at a graduation.
The
people I found myself turning to were all there at my own
graduation.
Most were my classmates, and here are their
thoughts on this auspicious day.
Supriya wants to remind us all that admitting you were wrong
is
hot (she even properly cited Instagram for that quote).
Anita shared that she doesn't remember our graduation day
speeches - but she's pretty sure we were all there, because
we have photos of ourselves on that sunny day.
I think the
takeaway is: make sure to get some evidence of this day,
because even though it was a long time
coming - it's surprising how much of it you will forget with
time.
Sonali wants to remind you of the Tolkien line: not all who
wander are lost.
Just like it's OK to make mistakes - it's OK
to meander a bit too.
Reena wisely notes that not everything needs to last
forever
and your goals and values can change.
Forever does not need
to be the goal and some things can
last a season and still be meaningful.
And my mom has some of the best advice of all: be kind and be
nice.
Wow - that's a lot of advice!
Do you need to listen to it
all?
Maybe not.
There is something
beautiful about the hubris, ambition, and optimism of
youth.
And you should not let go of that.
But this brings me to my second lesson learned - throughout
life, you are going to be getting a lot of advice (and it
will often be contradictory!).
But at the end of the day, you
need to do what brings you joy -
and only you can really know what that is.
But note - when I
say joy, that's different from
just playing it safe.
I recently
read that the majority of things that people regret are
the
things that they *didn't* do.
Some of the things that I have
most regretted are indeed the things I said no to because I
was scared that I wouldn't do
them well - or that, gasp, I would actually fail.
Jen K, fitness instructor to the bold and the beautiful
(which
she repeatedly says includes me), reminds me that to compare
is to be unhappy.
The first time she said this to me, I
thought she was talking about comparing how long people can
hold their planks.
But I've come to realize that wisdom
should be applied to all aspects of life.
In her
classes, I would always grab the 8 lb weights.
Each time,
she'd come around and replace them
with the 10 lb weights.
You know what - I never left her
class
regretting that I should have pushed myself more.
We all need
a Jen K in our lives - someone to push us.
Even better, we
should all make a pact to cut down on the self-conceived
limitations we put on ourselves
- because we can all do a lot, because we are awesome.
[ Cheers and Applause ]
Okay - final lesson.
You are going to have a lot of
opportunities.
There may be many
options when it comes to finding joy and not playing it
safe.
So, how do you choose?
What I've
learned to do is choose those that will help others and maybe
even bring others joy.
When we moved online in 2020, there was
no question for me that I would keep teaching.
Teaching is one
of those things that brings me joy.
The question was how to
shape my newly found online
classrooms.
There were a lot of choices
that had to be decided in a short
amount of time - but each of them found its answer in what
would help you the most - what
could possibly bring you some joy, in that very dark time.
And
the results weren't that bad!
I mean, the experience still
paled in comparison to face-to-face
learning, but it didn't totally suck.
In fact, some parts might
have actually been pretty good,
if I do say so myself.
And I learned so much about
teaching - really teaching - in
those few weeks, that have forever transformed the way I
approach teaching - in person or online.
Turning to you -
those of you who are 20 years my junior - for motivation was
one of the best things I've done.
And that is what I suggest you do too when faced with your
many
future choices - what will make things better for those who
will follow in your footsteps?
Follow
that lead because it can result in great things.
I said I had three things, and I've laid them out.
So you know
we're nearing the end.
The big elephant in the room, however,
is that big C word that I have yet to mutter.
Alright, I'll
say
it: Covid.
A lot of talk goes on about how much Covid took
from you - Class of 2020.
And I am not here to deny that.
But, I want to focus instead on what you have accomplished in
the face of obstacles that the world has not seen in over a
century.
You completed majors
and many of you even completed minors.
You completed theses
and
senior exercises.
You left campus not being sure when you
would return - and then you went on to fellowships,
internships, first jobs, graduate school, law
school, medical school - you've become published authors.
You
learned to cook - and maybe started to actually miss Frary.
You made new friends, you found new passions.
You've lived.
We like to talk about what was taken from you.
But I look at
all you've done during the crisis of a lifetime and I am
simply in awe of yo u.
You are amazing Class of 2020.
You
inspire me to do better and be better.
Thank you for that.
Thank you and here's that other C-word: Congratulations.