STUDENT SPEAKER.
>> "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO B
YOU GROW UP?" WE'VE ALL BE
ASKED THIS QUESTION. AND AS
CHILDREN, WE RESPONDED WITH
AMBITIOUS, OFTEN FANTASTIC
I WOULD ALWAYS REPLY, "A
PRINCESS OF COURSE!!!" WHIY
TWIN BROTHER WOULD SAY SOMG
LIKE, "DUH, LEBRON JAMES."T
WITH TIME AND PERHAPS A BER
SENSE OF REALITY OUR RESPOS
TO THIS SAME QUESTION CHAN
BECOMING MORE REALISTIC AN
AND I IMAGINE IF I WERE TO
ALL OF YOU TODAY THE SAME
YOU'D PROBABLY RESPOND WIT
OF THE STANDARD DUKE ANSWE
TELLING ME HOW YOU GOT YOU
DREAM JOB AT A TOP COMPANY
FINANCE OR CONSULTING OR, Y
EXPLAINING HOW WHAT YOU'REG
NEXT YEAR ISNT YOUR DREAM ,
BUT HEEEY.... IT PAYS THE
OR YOU MAY EVEN SAY THAT Y
HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WH
YOU'RE DOING NEXT YEAR, AN
DESPITE WHAT YOUR PARENTS
SAY, THAT'S PERFECTLY ALRI%
BUT DID YOU NOTICE THAT NO
THESE RESPONSES ACTUALLY
ANSWERED THE QUESTION I WA
BECAUSE "WHAT DO YOU WANT
IS NOT THE SAME QUESTION A
"WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?" G
VS DOING. WE OFTEN CONFLATE
THESE VERBS AND THUS RESPOO
THE FORMER QUESTION WITH A
SUITED FOR THE LATTER. "DO"
MEANS ACTION. "BEING" TAKET
A LITTLE DEEPER TO IMPLY
PRESENCE AND INTENTION IN
AND WHILE THIS DIFFERENCE
SEEM SMALL, IN THE REAL WO
WHO WE CHOOSE TO BE IS FAR
IMPORTANT THAN WHAT WE CHO
IN WHICHEVER CAREERS WE CH
TO PURSUE, WE'LL FACE DEAD
PRESSURE, EXHAUSTION-SOUND
FAMILIAR, ANYONE? AND IN T
ENVIRONMENT, SOMETIMES IT
FEEL LIKE THE ONLY WAY TO
THROUGH IS TO DO, DO, DO. O
MUCH IS LOST IN THAT APPRO
WHEN WE JUST GO THROUGH TH
MOTIONS, WE LOSE SIGHT OF
GREATER PURPOSE.... OF WHYS
ALL MATTERS. IT'S WHEN WE
AND EVALUATE WHAT IS TRULY
IMPORTANT TO US... AND WHAS
AROUND US THAT WE GAIN A SE
OF PURPOSE AND FULFILLMENTM
THE WORK THAT WE DO. BUT IO
WAY DO I WANT TO MAKE IT SM
LIKE I HAVE THIS ALL FIGURD
OUT-BECAUSE THAT COULDN'T E
FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH. FOT
OF MY LIFE, IT FELT LIKE AI
KNEW WAS HOW TO DO. TO DO ,
ORGANIZING MY TIME AROUND O
LISTS, ALWAYS FEELING PRESD
TO DO MORE. IT WAS ONLY REY
THAT I WAS EVEN ABLE TO UN
EXPERIENCES OF BEING. TO B
TO BE IN LOVE. TO BE
PATIENT-WITH OTHERS AND MY
TO BE JOYFUL. AND I DON'T W
IF THAT'S JUST A PRODUCT OF
GROWING UP... OR MAYBE FINY
LISTENING TO MY MOM'S ADVI,
BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS THATT
OF THIS PERSONAL GROWTH OCD
WHILE I WAS HERE AND I ALSW
THAT I STILL HAVE A LONG W
BUT AS MUCH AS TODAY IS AB
IMAGINING OUR FUTURE
DIRECTION-WHAT WE'LL DO AN
WE'LL BE-IT'S ALSO ABOUT
REFLECTING ON HOW FAR WE'V
SO IN AN EFFORT TO EXPRESS
ALL OF YOU WHAT THESE PAST
COUPLE OF YEARS HAVE MEANT
ME, I AM GOING TO SHARE A
WROTE, TITLED "THE POWER O
WHEN I WAS SEVENTEEN YEARSI
SWORE I DIDN'T HAVE A DREA
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVED ME. OS
THOUGHT I WAS JUST PLAYING
SO TO NOT GET TOO HIGH OF
FOR STANDING OUT IN A SEA
OVER-QUALIFIED APPLICATIONT
I COULDN'T CONVINCE MYSELF,
THAT I WASN'T IN LOVE WITH
AND WHAT TO THIS DAY CONTIS
TO BLOW ME AWAY. IS THAT IL
IN LOVE WITH DUKE BEFORE MG
ANY OF YOU. BUT NOW WHEN IK
OF WHAT I'LL MISS ASIDE FR
AND 3RD FLOOR PERKINS BRID
IS ALL OF YOU AT THE TOP O
THE PROFESSORS WHO HAVE TU
INTO FRIENDS AND THE FRIEN
HAVE TURNED INTO FAMILY. YE
THE ONES WHO HAVE MADE DUKO
SPECIAL TO ME, & THROUGH TE
LASTING RELATIONSHIPS I HOE
IT'LL FEEL LIKE WE NEVER H
BUT TODAY IS THE DAY AND
ALTHOUGH WE'D LIKE TO STAYN
CONFIDENTLY STATE THAT IN E
CLASSIC DUKE WAY, WE ARE
OVER-PREPARED FOR WHATEVER
AFTER TODAY. FOR THE PAST E
OF YEARS YOU HAVE LEARNED D
LIVED WITH PEERS WHO, LIKE
CONTINUE TO STAND OUT. STAT
FOR HOW THEY THINK BUT ALSW
THEY CHOOSE TIME SPENT AS E
THE ONLY STUDENTS I KNOW W
WILLINGLY SLEEP IN A TENT.E
STUDYING TEXTBOOKS TO THEIS
FOR ONE NIGHT IN CAMERON WH
OUR CLOSEST 9,000 FRIENDS.S
TO ME IS THE DUKE DIFFERENO
FIND BALANCE IN ONE'S LIFE
PRIORITIES WHILE STILL TEN
TO ACADEMIC DUTIES AND IT S
WHAT YOU'VE ALL TAUGHT ME:T
TO BE HAPPY I HAVE TO LET F
BE A LITTLE MORE FREE TO PE
KNOWLEDGE ADAMANTLY SEEK
EXPERIENCES OF DIVERSITY, D
TREAT OTHERS COMPASSIONATE
THIS IS WHY I CONTINUE TO
DUKE AND IT IS THE REASON
CHERISH ALL OF YOU. YOU
UNDERSTAND "BEING" AND "DO"
AS SEPARATE ENTITIES, & CRD
THAT INTO YOUR IDENTITIES.U
CAN FEEL IT IN THE AIR THEY
WE CARE ABOUT OUR WORK... T
ALSO WHO IT AFFECTS, RATHEN
JUST WHICH BOXES IT CHECKSD
THAT'S WHAT MATTERS FOR USW
AND THE YEARS AFTER THAT WE
DO ALIGNS WITH WHO WANT TOE
AND THE FUTURE THAT WE WAN
AND FOR THAT, NOW JUST BET
YOU AND ME I THINK WE'RE A
OF THE BEST PLACES TO BE. E
PLACE THAT TAUGHT ME SUCCE
CANNOT COME WITHOUT TRYING
GRADUATION CANNOT COME WIT
THE PLACE THAT TAUGHT ME L
TOO SPECIAL TO BE SPENT
STRESSED, HOW TO GET THROU
ANOTHER CHEMISTRY TEST. ANT
IMPORTANTLY, THAT OUR BLUE
SO IF I COULD TRAVEL BACK
THROUGH TIME AND SPACE I'DL
MY SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD SELFE
POWER OF THIS PLACE. >> THK