ALEXANDREA PIMENTEL: In 2006, I graduated high school--
a high school that was geographically
located only about 15 miles north of here.
But little did I know then, that my journey to Brown
was still thousands of miles away.
After over a decade of detours, setbacks, and meandering paths
traveled--
I finally found myself here.
Today, most of us are here with our families
and loved ones celebrating this important milestone
in our lives.
And overall, we feel accomplished and happy.
Maybe some of us are nervous about what is yet to come.
Or where we will best fit in the world.
Do not worry, you are ready.
Whichever path you choose is the right path
because it is the path that makes
the most sense for the time.
And is the path that will lead you to find a deeper
meaning in life.
In Steven Pinker's book, Enlightenment Now-- he
discusses the difference between people
who seek to live happy lives and those who
seek to live meaningful lives.
He says happy people live in the present.
Those who live meaningful lives have a narrative for the past
and a plan for the future.
Based on what I've observed from all of you here at Brown,
I think it is safe to say that most of us
are choosing to seek out a life of meaning.
Right now, I know it may feel like whichever
path you choose next will determine
your the rest of your life's trajectory.
But I'm here to show you that sometimes your path in life
is meant to be discovered, not necessarily decided.
As a non-traditional resumed undergraduate education
student, I'm honored to have the opportunity
to speak with you all today.
My path after high school did not
lead me straight to college.
But it did still lead me to seek out a life of meaning.
It allowed me to learn through experiences.
And value the importance of both professional and personal
growth.
My opening statement in my application of Brown
said, I come from a family that many would
consider destined for failure.
At the time, this was a point that I had spent so much
of my life trying to disprove.
But the truth is, I've failed many times.
But I use each failure as a navigational tool
to reorient my path back to success.
Ultimately, failure is what tells
us to change directions or try another way.
So if you have a clear goal in life--
never quit, but do know when to change directions.
There are many days of failure ahead of all of us.
Do not let that alarm you because those
are going to be the days that we are going to lead us
to our path through success.
If hard work and persistence does not reap reward,
then it is time to change directions.
Or pave a completely new path.
In these moments, it may seem devastating,
but this is when you will dig deep.
It is not when we we're at the top and everything
is going great that we learn our true grit.
It is when we are at our lowest and quitting seems
easier than continuing on.
That we find a way to reorient ourselves back
to the path of success.
In my senior year of high school,
a good friend of mine and I began planning for college.
We were two young girls that were so excited to be
roommates at UMass Amherst.
We were both so excited to start this new chapter together.
We talked about matching sweatshirts and the best place
to find good food on campus.
But when my decision letter came in the mail,
I was not accepted to UMass Amherst.
Or even my state college--
URI.
Those were the only two colleges that I applied to at the time.
My classroom grades were good, but I did not
do well on my SAT exam.
And ultimately, I was rejected from both colleges.
I remember feeling demoralized at the time,
not knowing what to do next.
But some circumstances are beyond our control.
Eager to make a better life for myself and stay out of debt,
I enlisted into the United States Navy.
My time in the military taught me so many great lessons.
The most important lesson for all of your futures
is understanding the value of great leadership.
And seeing how poor leadership can greatly
strain a mission and its people.
The best leaders constantly mentor the next generation
and encourage them to keep growing.
They lead their teams with honor, integrity, honesty,
and excellence.
To lead with honor is to have the utmost respect
for yourself.
Exercise your mind.
Exercise your body.
And exercise your soul.
And to have the utmost respect for what you represent--
your community, your family, and your culture.
To lead with integrity is to always do
the right thing for the long-term,
even when no one else is looking.
See problems and solutions all the way through
before taking action.
Respect yourself and know your value.
To lead with honesty is to hold yourself
accountable for your thoughts, behaviors, and actions.
Be forthcoming about your mistakes and admit fault.
It will earn you respect and it is the highest credential
one can achieve, as honesty is the only avenue for peace
of mind.
And lead with excellence is to take pride
in your name and the team that you represent.
Strive to do your best at whatever it is you're
investing your time in doing.
But also take the time to grow your people and your team.
They will become your most valuable asset in both
the short-term and the long.
If you develop a passion for hard work and excellence,
then you will be free to explore all of your interests in life.
I was lucky enough to have an excellent leader
during my last tour in the Navy.
Her leadership was so great that I
planned on separating from the military
and continuing to work on her team, just as a civilian.
This was going to be my new life trajectory.
I was prepared to commit my future
to being a career analyst.
It was a great plan.
But once again, failure came to guide me another way.
The government was going through sequestration.
And there was a nationwide government hiring freeze.
It could take months to over a year
before I could continue on with the government hiring process.
I remember this was a really, really scary time.
There was no going back to my parents.
There was no going back to the military.
Unsure of what I was going to do next
and where I would find the most meaning in life,
I enrolled in college at the New England
Institute of Technology.
NEIT had an open enrollment with a mechanical engineering
program that later became my motivation
for applying to Brown.
While at NEIT, I started to focus my efforts
on getting the kills necessary to effectively contribute
to the human space exploration mission.
I had done research on one of the newly selected NASA
astronauts from 2013, Jessica Meir--
who is a Brown alum.
I became more motivated than ever
to embark on a similar journey and set
my sights on Brown University.
By the fall of 2015, I started my first semester here
at Brown.
It was going to be amazing--
I just knew it.
Maybe some of you remember having similar thoughts.
I started engineering classes and became
immersed in my studies.
Things were going OK in the beginning,
but then things steadily began to feel unstable
around midterms.
And then finals.
I was not doing well on my exams.
And this was the largest part of our grade.
It was devastating.
I became so concerned that I actually
saw a doctor to assess if there was something wrong with me.
I was fine and my IQ is high, but I just
had a different way of thinking.
Reflecting on this moment, I learned
to validate myself and my own growing knowledge.
Sometimes things don't go as planned.
But I needed to be patient and respect the time and hard work
that I invested in gaining other skills, such as research
and analytics.
But once again, failure reoriented my path.
I changed my concentration to geological science
and visual art.
This is when I started to look forward to doing homeworks,
where I could read, analyze, and write academic papers
discussing planetary science.
It was amazing.
This new path also increased the amount time
that I was able to spend with leaders and experts
in the field.
The planetary science Friday research meetings
became my favorite aspect of Brown.
I could sit in the back of a room on a Friday evening
while observing and listening to renowned experts
discuss engaging space-related topics every week.
I no longer needed theoretical engineering.
I was still at Brown and now, I could
spend the majority of my days thinking
about the moon and Mars, while creating visual art.
It felt like a dream.
Looking back now, I cannot imagine what my life would have
been like had even one of those things gone differently.
So I encourage you all to embrace your journey and relax.
Let failure guide you.
And live to be incredible, where others do not
have the power to validate you.
You know who you are.
And if you conduct yourself in good character
and stay focused on your mission,
then you will have freed yourself
to explore all of your interests in life
with confidence and usefulness.
Because to live a meaningful life
does not mean to live a perfect life without mistakes,
setbacks, or detours.
But it is to learn from those mistakes
and grow over your obstacles, while blocking out
the naysayers.
You all are exceptionally talented and motivated.
And will absolutely do amazing things in your lives--
there's no doubt about it.
Sometimes we may not get the credit and recognition
we feel we deserve, but our contribution still
may very well influence the world.
In these moments, it is important to reflect
on your character and on your contribution
and have that be enough to make you proud.
We are graduating from Brown University
and with that comes the expectation that we
are highly competent.
And that we value personal growth.
As we all go on to do great things
and become our world's future leaders,
look to lead with honor, integrity, honesty,
and excellence.
It is through these experiences that I
have found deeper meaning and happiness in my life.
It is my hope that in sharing my journey with you today
that you all can get a head start
at learning how to use failure as a tool for navigation.
Learn to validate yourselves by being confident
with your own growing knowledge.
And take the time to develop a great character along
with your great professions.
Thank you all so much for your time.
And I cannot wait to see who you all are about to become.
Congratulations, class of 2018.5.
[CHEERING]