SPEAKER 1: Love you, Zamyla.
ZAMYLA: Love you too.
Hello, World is one of the most famous computer
programs in the world, a rite of passage as you begin your journey
into computer science education.
We say Hello, World as an introduction to a new programming language.
Hello, World marks the opening of a new door, the very beginning of a journey.
Each and every time this phrase is uttered,
I am fully aware of the symbolism of these two simple words.
They represent a commitment to add to one's personal development,
to imprint and add richly to Harvard's story.
And this journey is bravely taken.
Despite our very disciplines at the end of CS50,
we can all confidently and humbly say, hello world
and know that we have all passed through this same checkpoint
in our unique, individual journey that is undoubtedly demanding,
but as seen here today, ultimately doable.
And your journey is measured not in where you end up relative to others
but where you yourself end up relative to yourself in week zero.
Indeed I'd argue that CS50's best lessons aren't actually
in programming but for life itself.
You learn quickly that programs with any modicum of complexity
are not written from scratch.
You learn to include and import libraries
of code, functions, and classes, and structures written by others.
And what better library than Harvard's, the largest academic research
collection in the world.
Contained within the library are vast banks of knowledge,
which you equip in your tool box formula from great mathematicians,
rigorous case studies, poems, and religious texts and literature.
Yet even with this tool box, you struggle.
Encountering bugs and glitches, your code doesn't work properly.
It might not even work or run at all.
You often find yourself questioning whether the system itself is broken,
or maybe are you the one that came broken?
You get your feedback, parse the error messages,
and start to debug line by line.
This journey is painful.
It is grueling.
It is filled with frustration, struggle, and sleepless nights
in Currier dining hall fretting over assignments and deadlines.
But with the lows come many highs, the camaraderie of your study group,
a surge of strength and confidence from your blockmate's encouragement,
the aha moment when you finally solve a complicated problem.
Your aha moment is when you learn the difference between knowledge
and intelligence and that logic can link the two.
Your aha moment is when you realize that there
are many options for how to implement something,
all of them viable solutions, just as all of us have different paths.
Some of us have crossed oceans to get here today, have fought prejudice
to get here today, have battled physical and mental health complications
to get here today, have sacrificed more than I can mention to get here today.
Many of us here today have achieved beyond our wildest dreams.
As a proud black Asian female, first generation,
working class engineer, scientist, educator,
but most importantly, always a learner, I
want to shout out to all of you, hello world.
I see you.
And I'm here with you.
Each one of us has done it.
But also we have done this together.
We have imprinted forever on Harvard's network, made our own contribution
to the library.
And the Harvard story continues.
We see our own tree planted as we also see the forest that we are a part of.
This journey is exhilarating and the most exquisite learning
adventure that I have ever had the pleasure and honor to experience
and share with all of you.
So with pride, humility, and bravery, let us all together say, hello world.