COM Commencement Speech 2014

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• published: 20 Mar 2015
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To the College of Communication Class of 2014, welcome and congratulations. We have made it to graduation day! Today, we share this beautiful moment with those who have gotten us here. Our friends, our family, our teachers, our potential future employers (turns to Joe Roth and Jay Roewe). Hey Mr.Roth, Hey Mr. Roewe. How’s it going? I hope you’re enjoying the ceremony so far. I took the liberty of taping my resume to the bottom of your chairs – you know just incase you get bored. Feel free to give it a look, no big deal. I’m lucky to be joined today by my family, including my sister, mom and dad who were all able to be here on this special occasion. Sorry for not telling y’all I was the commencement the speaker. But I’m also joined today by the biggest family I have: my COM family. Or my COMilia. See what I did there? COM? Familia? COMillia. I don’t know…I thought it was clever. This is a huge honor. Thank you all for sharing this experience. Gracias por estar aquí. It's amazing the things we do for the people we love, isn't it? How far we are willing to go? The effort and sacrifice we are willing to make despite the situation we are in. But the real question--and what I want to talk about--is how far are we willing to go for ourselves? Do we have it within us to keep moving even when the road ahead becomes dark or unclear? I ask these questions because we are now entering into a time of uncertainty in our lives. There is no set plan, no road map, and it’s exciting but frightening all at the same time. We are not only at the beginning of our professional careers, but at the beginning of this new chapter of adulthood. I want to offer some words of encouragement: we can navigate through the darkness because we are here today. We are graduates of Boston University’s College of Communication, the best communication school in the nation. (PAUSE). The reason we are here is because we are creators by nature. We have the ability to shift narratives and shape stories, including our own. We are storytellers for our generation and it’s our time to contribute a verse. Now let’s make that verse count for something. We are all so incredibly fortunate to be here. Not just studying at COM, or BU, but the fact that we received a college education, and a damn good one at that. Did you know that only 6.7 percent of the world has a college degree? My family is from Chile and at the moment, my cousins are protesting for the right to a better education. They are taking a stand. It’s important for us to remember that we have so many opportunities that others do not. There are 21, 22 year olds all over the world who are not afforded the same privilege as we have right now. Let’s not waste this moment. I feel extremely blessed to be here and proud to say I am a Latino filmmaker. Among the people who have gotten us here, let’s not forget that we have gotten ourselves here. It was our all nighters and silent moments of victory that allowed us to push towards excellence. It was our own want to make something of ourselves that drove us to not give up. It's not arrogance, but confidence that will allow us to keep on keeping on throughout the rest of our lives. The values that we've learned at COM will guide us like lanterns through the night. However, no one will get us there. The only thing you can count on is you. Because in the end, although life is uncertain, the only constant is you. It's you versus yourself. You versus no. You versus can't. We must be the ones who make the effort and never be content. To never be satisfied and to achieve more. In the afterglow of these events, there will come a moment when things slow down and you’ll be left with a decision to make. The decision is what do you do now? Where do you go? Which journey do you follow? I don't ask these rhetorical questions with the intention to scare or freak you out. In all honesty, I say this because I’m in the same position. Unfortunately, there is no curriculum to life. But whether you decide to travel to Hawaii, take that road trip you always wanted to do, or simply decide to binge watch all seasons of Girls for the hell of it, know that our journeys are just the beginning of the beauty and adventure of life. Guys, I'm really going to miss this place. COM, BU, Boston will always be a home to me. But as we depart this great place, I can only hope that like me, you will keep the values and traditions that the College of Communication has given and forever keep them close in your minds. That these collegiate embers will glow and keep us warm through the years as we all move forward. That we will not go quietly into the night. We will not give up without a fight. We will continue to succeed because it's all we know how to do. To the class of 2014 and to the pursuit of our next adventure, here's to you. Thank you and congratulations.