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i went to my uncle and my mentor and chairman of the company and i said, this is not going to work. we should liquify the company. you know, you've learned it in business school. some costs. but my uncle, in all of his

wisdom, told me not to panic. and to look at the long term prospects. he understood the big picture. we were about to undergo a massive demographic shift in our country as the baby boomers moved into their 70s and beyond. so we retooled our approach, revised the product and hired better talent whose values were more in line with the mission of the company. so changing our approach, it was not easy. it was really hard. it took not just the recognition that we needed to pivot, but the perseverance to make those significant shifts and today this is innovative leader in senior living and the lessons that i learned from that experience have informed my entire life. like me, over the course of your

careers, you are going to make mistakes, big mistakes. don't panic. be confident. if your ideas are good, don't let it be derailed by the missteps you will inevitably make along the way. my experience taught me to look beyond the immediate challenges, beyond the quarterly earnings report and take the long view. i also learned that business is a team sport and you must be intentional about the talent you choose. to get it right though, first, you need to know yourself, to know your strengths and your weaknesses. for example, i'm good at numbers, sales and tactics but i struggle with marketing, branding and strategy. so find a team who fills in your

gaps and compliments your talents because the people you surround yourself will be the key to your long-term success. this brings me to my second story. a good friend of mine is a ceo of a fortune 100 company and like many companies in today's economy his business has a large number of job openings but too few people that have the specialized skills needed to fill those positions. he told me a document of weeks ago, we were together having brake fast and he said, you know, i am constantly approached about hiring people who need jobs but they don't have the skills needed to succeed. and my friend knew that it might be charitable to offer those folks jobs in the short term but that would not end well and would not be sustainable either

for his company or for the people that he hired and he understood though, that his community needed more than charity. it needed thoughtful, entrepreneurial solution to a systemic problem. so the ceo is considering setting up an academy to give people in his community not only the skills they need at his company but skills needed for long-term success. he wants to build this academy in the poorest part of the city, and he plans to invite other companies in his sector to participate. now you heard me. keep in mind he is talking about working together with businesses to which every day he competes. we're all fighting for the same market share and the same new

hires yet my friend wants to bring every one to the table to provide a holiestic solution that works for both the businesses and the workers. i have met a lot of business leaders in my life and the ones who i admire and the ones that i remember, are those who are committed to their community. so make no mistake, being committed to your community is not inconsistent with being an extraordinarily successful business leader. in fact, it enhances your reputation, the bedrock of your success. so as you move up the ladder, you're going to find yourself becoming more and mover responsible for the well being of your neighborhood, your city and your region and as a business leader you will have the power to become a force for good.

the question is, what you choose to do with that influence. just look at what happened in georgia earlier this year, when governor diehl vetoed a so-called religious liberty abouts bill following pressure from disney, time warner, sales force, and others. whether you spend your entire career in the private sector, or take a detour into the public sector as i did, you will have the ability to not just affect our economy but to effect the the very fabric of our nation. as a famous jesuit you might have heard of and one of my favorite heroes said, and let me quote pope francis, business is a vocation and a noble vocation, provided that those engaged in

it see themselves challenged by the greater meaning in life. challenge yourself, to the greater meaning in life. become a force for good. seize the opportunity afforded to to you as a business leader to change your country and our world for the better. so congratulations to the georgetown university mcdonough school of business class of 2016. i wish you all the success in the world. hoya saxa. [applause] >> coming up on c-span2, our look at commencement addresses continues with small business administrator maria contrary was sweet, speaking to graduates at

whittier college in california. after that senator barbara boxer speaks to graduates at university of california berkeley. followed by attorney general loretta lynch at spelman college in atlanta. later oracle founder larry ellison speaks to the graduating class at the university of southern california. >> booktv with 48 hours of non-fiction authors every weekend. here are programs to watch for. saturday night at 10:00 eastern on "after words," senate majority leader mitch mcconnell discusses his life and politics and his book the long game, a memoir. he is interviewed by tennessee senator lamar alexander. >> all majorities are fleeting and depending upon what the american people decide this november i could be the minority leader next year and the majority leader position does present a real opportunity, even

in a body like the senate which is very difficult to make function, there are advantages setting agenda and what we call the right of first recognition to move the country in the direction it would like to go. >> on sunday, "in depth," live with guest steve forbes, author and editor-in-chief of "forbes" magazine. he will join us to talk about his life and career and his latest book, reviving america, which he argues repealing obama care, replacing the tax code and reforming the fed. other recent book titles include, money, freedom manifesto, how capitalism will save us, and power, ambition and glory. join us in the conversation. we'll take your phone calls and tweets and emails live from noon to 3:00 eastern. sunday, cbs "60 minutes" correspondent lesley stahl discusses the science behind grandparenting, in her book,

becoming grandma. miss stahl interviewed colleagues, friends, doctors and scientists about the changes that occur in women as they transition to the role of grandparent. go to booktv.org for the complete weekend schedule. >> next, maria con contreras-sw, the head of the small business administration, delivers commencement at at whittier college in california. this is 15 minutes. >> all right. how is everybody doing so far? are you all awake, class of 2016?! [cheers and applause] >> all right. i want to first and foremost thank all of you for the gracious invitation to be with you here today.

you pulled me out of washington, d.c., and brought me back home. thank you so much. thank you. [applause] what a joy it is to be with you at this very moment. how many of you know however, what the president's cabinet actually does? nothing he said. let me just say, any of you ever watch "madam secretary"? , "veep"? "house of cards?" all right. now i know we have the ratings points. very good. it is not quite like that. but anyway, it is truly a remarkable journey from here, living in whittier to now walking the halls of washington, d.c. and traveling around the world representing the greatest force on earth, the united states of america. [applause] i have the best job and cabinet.

i sit next to the cabinet secretary over defense, secretary of state, secretary of education, agriculture, interior, commerce, but i provide the voice for the small business. those who create in today's time, two out of three net new jobs and employ half of the workforce, and have built a momentum of 74 months of consecutive job growth that has never happened in the history of our country. thank you to the entrepreneurs, the small businesses. [applause] it is truly a privilege today to become an hon requirery poet from the very distinguished whittier college. i will wear my purple and my gold ever so broadly. to professor hertz burger and professor nino, the staff the platform party, the honored

guests, family and friends, and you, you our graduates of 2016 who are ready to launch. today is it, an end and a beginning. today you say good-bye to late night breakfast, to spring sing, to cape poet, and to the rock. today you step off the precipice and into your futures. it is exhilarating, terrifying, bittersweet, all at once. i know the hard work you have put in, the wait has been long, the path uncertain at times, but on this beautiful day, a little warm, you're just a few speeches away and a short walk from holding your degree. congratulations.

maybe i didn't do that last one so well. i know how hard you worked, how much you sacrifices to reach this day and it felt like the earth moving under your feet and the pressures were incredible and too much to endure, you steadied yourself and found a way to keep going but let's remember, you didn't do it alone well, today is about your achievement and the realization of your dreams. it is also about the fulfillment of your family's dreams for you. this is their day too. graduates, please stand up and give your family, friends who are here to support you a big round of applause. [applause] yes! that's right. all right.

there you go. today, today i stand before you not only as a former community banker here in your community, as a businesswoman and entrepreneur, the president's voice entrepeneurship, but as a fellow calfornian. one thing is for sure, you can't possibly know what life will throw at you the next day but despite this what you now know is the wind is at your back. well right now it is a little coming at us too but there are three things you can count on, first, and foremost, the love of family and friends, they helped you get here today and they will continue to propel you forward, particularly in the moments when you feel like the only direction you're moving in is backwards.

second, you can count on yourself. what makes you special? what distinguishes you from others? in business we call it your unique value proposition, figuring out yours is key. do a self-assessment and understand what the strengths are about you, how you distinguish yourself. in business 101, we call it the analysis. no, we won't do a test on this. it stands for strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats. in my view, strengths and weaknesses are about you. opportunities and threats are about the world out there and what you make of it. you don't have to be going into business to make a business plan. so take this opportunity to plot a long-term strategy allowing for a little bit of flexibility. you know, as the old saying goes, if i don't know where

you're going, any road will get you there. so start where you hope to end up and walk, build it backwards. there is no time, and especially this time is not the time to set modest goals. the degree you received today will open doors, many doors, from this prestigious university. you will have the courage, you must have the courage to turn the key and walk through that door. the third thing you can count on is, this place. the united states of america, los angeles, california, the place that you have called home. where you were nutured and supported, where you learned and prepared to grow. you're living in the epicenter, the absolute epicenter of the 21st century economy. california is the bellwether state. this is where trends begin, they flow over to massachusetts,

new york, eventually ripple through the rest of the country and the world. you are the very essence of what a harbinger represents. you are the ones that are setting the trends. around the world people ask me about people in southern california. they ask me about you. they want to know you. here at whittier you have been steeped in something very, very important. you have been in a plurality of cultures, of backgrounds and perspectives. people who are black and white. people who are revved and yellow. red and green in california. in california we always count our environmentalists. you've been grounded in a fundamental belief that every individual has unique gifts to develop and to share. think about the myriad of colors around is and movements that emanated from the rock. a painted dove to represent peace for victims of violence in the palestine area. a painted message.

we love you little miss, to remember marco latif. a painted ribbon and the words, you are not alone, to raise awareness about sexual assault. here in los angeles, you live among people that come from 180 different countries who speak 140 different languages. l.a. truly is the hub of the pacific rim. california today represents the 8th largest economy. our state far outranks the rest of the country in venture-capital investment. we rang in the top five for entrepreneurial activity in the nation. we are strivers. here you are part of that heritage, a part of the grit that makes this area so strong, because you have perseverance and determination. each of you is at an advantage because you come from a college

and a region where minorities, are actually the majority. those of us who come from other countries speak other languages, or practice other faiths and religions, or those who aren't as tall as we wish we are, whatever our differences, we know that makes us part of a community of difference is actually something that is deemed a strength, not a weakness. let me just say that when i first got here from mexico i couldn't speak a word of english and i remember struggling. i remember my school teacher yanking my ear and i wrote to my grandmother and i said, i don't think i belong here. i don't understand anything and she said, stay with it. bring others along. the power of generosity.

finally in third grade i wrote to her, i'm learning english and i have become the third grade milk monitor. and she said, second lesson, it's not the titles you have, it's what you do with the titles you have that matters. that was an important lesson from my beautiful aqulita. i know you have a grandmother just like mine. so i learned the power of language that although in my first big job starting at 7-up, r cbot link country. when i was in third grade, i learned the language and became in charge of the milk, i learned the importance of learning the language of business, of finance, knowing my numbers, putting numbers up on the board every week that allowed me to grow and become a officer of the country and eventually a equity partner. next lesson she taught me was the power as i said of language.

later on when i left that, i decided to hang my shield and start my own company and along the way i started there were so many strong businesses that weren't getting business, that weren't growing. so right after i started my business the governor asked me to be the secretary for you for the state of california in charge of transportation. can you imagine how cool that was to be over the highway patrol? that was cool. but moving forward, what i learned was that small businesses couldn't get access to capital to be able to, get some of the contracts i was putting out as secretary of transportation. and so i said to them how can i help you get many so of the work we put out? we are putting out billions of dollars of work. they said we can't get access to capital. i did what every woman seeks to do when she see as problem and she wants to solve it, i did it myself. i started a community bank to

help get access to capital for small businesses. the first latino-owned bank in california for two generations. the power in that was the next lesson i learned, the power of a network. i called on 25 girlfriends who helped me build that bank and raise the capital. so having a powerful network really came into play, so that would be my next important tip for you. that the next thing i learned i was asked to serve on a corporate board, breaking the glass ceiling and i served on that board and i was proud that now i was in a corporate board of directors, up what i remembered was the next lesson that my grandmother said, right? bring others along. and so i said, what can i do here at blue cross? working with the management and my colleagues on the board of directors we founded a brand newfounddation, a philanthropic organization, endowed it with

$3 billion and helped to improve the health status of californians and today that organization remains strong and it is changing the lives for so many who don't have access to quality, affordable health care. i'm proud of that work. [applause] and finally again i was called by the president you're providing counseling, capital and contracting opportunity for small businesses. that's what sba does, that is what we want you to do for our country. so the lesson that i have taught myself is, the global nature of our economy, do not just think about what's available in the next store or the next community, your opportunities as young people today, graduates of today is that your marketplace is borderless. it is borderless. you can connect and use the wind at ire back, use the absolute wind at your back to connect with people from the western

hemisphere and latin american countries. in the last month i had opportunity to travel to colombia, to medellin and meet with people there. two weeks ago i was in el salavador. a week before that was in argentina. a week before that i was with the president to travel to the historic visit to cuba. i can tell you they all want to meet you and do business with you. 95% of the world's consumers are outside of the united states. imagine if you only do business in this country, you have only got 5% of the marketplace. so challenge yourselves to reach out to broad, bold markets, and finally what i learned, my lasts lesson was that i matter. that my voice matters and so does yours. wherever you go speak with confidence because you are from the rock. when you speak, have pride,

dignity and confidence what you can contribute. your difference is an asset, a value-add. corporations, ceos, non-profits, ngos, countries are seeking people who speak other languages, who have an understanding and cultural competencies of others around the world to help them reach those markets. so seize that opportunity and use that wind and fly with it. soar, soar, soar. i'll tell you why i am so passionate as you just heard. in writing to my grandmother, after i have was settled in, she said, keep at it, maria, because i believe that although our family has had a history of being migrant workers, i have seen your mother, my mother, work in a poultry processing plant, to work hard. i saw her legs stiffen and her fingers thicken but she said i believe this country provides mobility. so my grandmother said, although

we have been migrant workers, i believe that some day you will be able to work in an office and to be a secretary. her prayers were answered, and i am now holding office and as a cabinet secretary. [applause] these are the opportunity that only california can harvest with such bounty and i believe as it is for me, that those are the opportunities that present themselves to you. go out with a few little lessons i have shared and all you learned from your family friends and from the poet. go out and conquer the world. i want to leave you with two of my favorite quotes. one is from steve jobs who said, your time is limited. don't waste it living someone else's life. don't be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of

other people's he thinking. don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your inner voice. and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and your intu wigs. my other favorite quote is dr. martin luther king. he said, what good is it, what good is it to be able to sit at an integrated counter if you can't afford to buy the hamburger? he understood that as we fought for civil rights, civil engagement with civil society, that we had to advance economic and market rights. social mobility, deepen our democracy and expand our middle class. so if dr. martin luther king were here today i would say, let's not go back to buy the hamburger. let's build institutions that are our own. let's go back and buy that restaurant. let's build ownership and make america great.

thank you so much for allowing me to be here with you today. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. [speaking spanish] [cheers and applause] >> retiring california senator barbara boxer gave the commencement address this year at the university of california, berkeley school of politics. this is ten minutes. [applause] >> thank you so much, professor, and irvaci, i'm so sorry about that internship but remember, jennifer lawrence did not win "american idol." we all make mistakes and i apologize and my staff is here

and they're going to get an earful too. what a wonderful welcome, and i want to say to all the faculty, the parents, the friends, it's wonderful you're here and most of all, i want to say, congratulations to the uc berkeley class of 2016. fantastic! [applause] congratulations, you did it. no more late nights at dough or maset libraries. no more last minute cramming for your last polly sigh finals. it is over, folks. no more. today you can finally celebrate. right now only one thing standing between you and your hard-earned diploma and that's me. so i get it. and despite being a united states senator i promise you not to filibuster. because this is your day. you earned it. you studied, yes?

let's do a little bit of -- yeah. you focused. >> yes. >> you learned. >> yes. >> you worked. >> yes. >> and you managed to do all that and live your lives. you started relationships. you started relationships and you ended relationships. somebody is really happy about that break-up. i could tell that. [applause] you missed your family, but you enjoyed being away from your family. you ate healthy and you exercised. and -- [laughter]. well, that's debatable. but then you squandered all of that good work at top dog and kingpin doughnuts. [cheering] you balanced your budget. [laughter]

and on occasion you busted your budget, right? i think you are the very definition of the word, survivor well i'm a survivor too. i have survived 40 years in elected office. 40 years, yeah. oh, my god, thank you for supporting me, most of you, to get that done. but like you i managed to enjoy living my real life and a lot of my real life is here today. you were introduced to my son and his family, my his stuart is here. we're going to celebrate 55 years of marriage very soon. wow! [applause] of course when you take time away that i was in all those planes, it is only 25 years but, it is still fabulous. and more than 20 years ago, as the professor stated, i had the honor of speaking to another

class at uc berkeley graduates. doug was one of those graduates. he got his degree in, and i quote, the political economy of an industrialized society. that was his degree, the political economy of an industrialized society. well, my husband and i were very impressed but we did have one parental concern. just who exactly can not wait to hire someone with a degree in the political economy of an industrialized society? after many hours of deep discussion and drawing frankly a total blank, we realized there was only one answer, law school. by a show of hands, how many of you are thinking about going to law school? show of hands. you can be proud, higher. how many of you are thinking about careers in public service

maybe working for a state senator, member of congress? well i hope you do because we could use you in public service which as a career i can attest to is fascinating frustrating and at times extremely rewarding. i decided to write about it over the past three years. i'm excited to tell you my memoir will be released at the end of the month. i it is called the art of tough and i have battle scars to prove it. i can tell you will have to be learn to be tough in your life regardless of your career choice. people will try to dissuade you from your dreams. people will try to scare you into silence and on to the sidelines. people will try to make you doubt your resolve, even doubt yourself but if you master the art of tough, you will win the day. now let me be clear. the art of tough doesn't mean

being a bully or being obnoxious. we've seen some of that in politics, haven't we? what it means is, being smart, doing the right thing, not being afraid to step up, even when you are called every name in the book, and i have been and i can attest to it. for example, one day i woke up and i heard on the radio someone say this about me. please do not applaud after i tell you what they said. they said, i trust you. they said, barbara boxer is a great candidate for the democrat ic party, female and learning disabled, okay? that is what they said about me. someone else wrote this. barbara boxer is quite possibly the biggest doofus ever to enter the senate chambers, and you would not believe what they said about me when i spoke out against the iraq war.

some even called for my resignation. when i was one of the few standing up for gay marriage and when i stood alone protesting the impossibly long lines during the 2004 election in ohio, one senator, speaking on the senate floor said this, he said, barbara boxer is driving herself further toward the political fringe with the long grass already tickling her knees. i'm happy to tell you that guy lost his race the next time and i got elected. that was good. that was good. [applause] but here es a the thing. when you are attacked for something you deeply believe in, you need to wear those attacks as a badge of honor. if you know that you're doing the right thing you simply have to do it. now, when i was a kid there were no women in politics to speak of but as i grew older i saw things

in the world that made no sense to me. just like you see things in the world that make no sense to you and perhaps that is why you chose this major, to change things for the better. i saw a war that made no sense to me, the vietnam war. i saw racism that made no sense to me. the great baseball player, jackie robinson booked and attacked because of his skin color. i saw women being treated less than equal and having no say over their reproductive health care. i saw all of these things happening and i knew i haded to take a risk and i hope you are ready to take a risk too. are you? are you ready to do that? [cheering] now, you know it is an election year. you can't miss it and you hear those cynical voices, people who say, there are no, there is no difference between the candidates.

well your political science majors and your graduates now an you know better. you know because you have a sense of history. if people in the '60s had said, why bother voting, we would never have passed landmark laws like the civil rights act and the voting rights act. if people had sat out the election eight years ago, we would have never elected the first african-american president in our nation's history. well, yes, this year every issue is at stake. women's rights, civil rights, voting rights, income inequality, the environment, our country's security, all is at stake. so we need your energy and your voice in this debate. when you hear a presidential candidate say, 11 million immigrants should be deported, or that we should ban muslims from entering the country, if you disagree with that, you need to speak up an speak out. with a clear voice. [cheers and applause]

when you hear someone say that climate change is a hoax, you need to speak up with a clear voice, if you disagree. when you hear states like north carolina discriminating against the lgbt community, if you disagree, you must speak out and -- [cheers and applause] and when you hear people say, oh, there is no student loan crisis, you know they're wrong. you must speak out if you disagree. i could go on and on, you don't want me to so i will skip to the next part of my speech. you have a college degree from one of the greatest universities in the country. you know how to think, you know how to write, you know how to speak. in short, every single one of you, you now have the tools to be a leader. you have no excuses to shrink from what you know is right. and i know you're aware you did not get here alone, so one more

time, let's hear it for your family and friends out here cheering you on. [applause] let's hear it for your professors who are out here cheering you on. [applause] so now i'm about to get to the two words everyone loves to hear a senator say, in closing, i have been so lucky in my life because of you and the people of this great state. i have been able to work on my passions for 40 years and i don't intend to retire from the work that i love. i just would be doing it from california, not on those long flights. but now it is your time to focus on your passion. it is your time to employ the art of tough. and it is not going to be easy. there will be times when you wondered why you decided to speak up. you're at a party or at an event. everyone is echoing the next one and you say, you know what?

i don't think that's right. and you will wonder later, why did i bother? there will be times when you want to pull the covers over your head and just give up. but you know better, because you have this degree, almost in your hand. you want to make the world a better place, it starts with you. part of mastering the art of tough is ignoring the naysayers, following your passions. so that's what i want to say. don't be afraid ever to do what you believe in, to take the risks, be thankful to your family, to your friend, to your professors. never forget them because they will be cheering you on and so will i. so i ask everyone to join me in a raucous ovation for our graduates, the berkeley political science class of 2016. go bears! [cheers and applause]

fabulous, congratulations. [applause] >> nix attorney general loretta lynch delivers the commencement address to the graduating class of spelman college in atlanta, georgia. this is 20 minutes. [applause] >> good afternoon, graduates. good afternoon, family members. good afternoon, everyone who is here, to celebrate these remarkable women. thank you so much, president campbell, for that warm introduction but also for your

tremendous leadership not just at spelman college but the entire spellman sisterhood, a family that spans generations, stretches across borders, and goes around this globe. all blossoming from a tree planted 135 years ago. let me also acknowledge, chairman brewer, and the spellman board of trustees, for their stewardship of this great institution. and let me also salute a few of your members i have had the privilege of meeting earlier today. your class president mia he everying an, my future in collegelaw and your future president and and all the work she has done, my fellow orator on the stage, your valedictorian, faith kirkland. [applause] let me also salute other award

recipients. sister precious muhammad, a lives a life of faith and service to others, an inspiration to us all. and my fellow honorary degree recipient, stevie wonder. i have written some kind words to say but i will simply quote the discussion that stevie had with my father earlier, before we came down to this beautiful event, when my father saying hello said, there are some who preach the gospel through words and there are some who preach the gospel through music but it is the same gospel. stevie, thank you for your message of love and faith in humanity and love and faith in our possibilities. now you have received many awards, deservedly so, but i suspect that one of your most meaningful achievements is about

to walk across this stage with her class, in a few moments, and join you in attaining a spellman degree. i am so grateful to be here with all of you this afternoon. it is an enormous privilege to he receive an honorary degree from spelman college, but it is an even greater gift to be part of this happy occasion, to stand alongside all of the professors, all the administrators, and the family members who have given so much to help you reach this day. and to join them in congratulating you on this job. and even though i have not been with them every step of the way, for you, as they have, looking out at all of you, i join them in saying how incredibly proud i am of all of you. 2016, congratulations. [applause]

now let me also extend a very welcome and very special acknowledgement to our most special guests, the family and the friends of our graduates. you're all here to celebrate. mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, aunts, cousins, friends, you are all here because that's what families do. we come together to commemorate the most special times in your lives. when you graduate, we graduate. and i also suspect that we may have been on you, graduates, a little bit lately. maybe even a little bit more than usual and that's because all of this is finally so real to all of us. we are finally seeing you as the women that you were born to be.

and even though we do know that you're ready, you're ready to fly, you're ready to soar. we hold on just a little while longer. and we pull you and we prod you. we ask you all those questions. you want to live where? that's so far away. are you going to church? what's happening with that young man? why won't you accept my facebook friend request? [laughter]. now on that last one, if i leave you with any advice today, don't accept it. just don't. just let it sit there. now i know it seems like we're actually holding on to you, so tightly now, just when you were headed off into the world, but it is because even as we see you today, in all of your graduation

glory, we also see you on your first day of school, when you still held our hand to cross the street and know this. as you listen and as you sigh, as only a daughter can do, that all of our prodding, all of our questioning, all of our hovering comes from a love and a pride, that is so deep and so boundless, that when we look at you, it literally takes our breath away. so please forgive us if we want to hold on just a little while longer. but we know that when we do let go, and you hit the world, you will shine. now it is also possible that when you take a look at the world that you are about to inherit, you may find yourself wanting to hold on a little bit longer as well. it is certainly true that we are

in challenging times. we just are. we have ethnic strife across the globe. we have the largest wave of refugees in europe since world war ii, since world war ii. with an attendant rise in xenophobia and ethnic hatred that pulls at our darkest memories. our oceans are rising. our seas are warming. and in this country as well, right here at home we face threats to our national security, to our cybersecurity, threats to our most vulnerable populations. we have the challenges of building and strengthening the bonds of trust between law enforcement and the community, and that is not a small task. we have the challenge of protecting the sacred right to vote. that is not a job we will ever

drop. and we still, we still have too many instances in this beautiful country of ours where our friend, our family, suffer discrimination and harm because of where they're from, because of what they look like, because of where they worship, because of whom they love, or because of something as profoundly simple and private as where they use a restroom. now we see all these challenges facing you, facing all of us and they are indeed daunting. but let me tell you what else i see. i see a global recognition that we can not allow the despots of the world to rest their feet on the necks of their people. i see scientific advances that will change the way that we live and the way that we heal

ourselves. as painful, indeed as painful as the incidents that have spurred all our outrage, i see a conversation on civil rights, in this country, the likes of which we have not had since the days of the civil rights movement itself. now might have faith in our ability to not just withstand but to conquer these challenges is bolstered by what else i see today. i see over 480 strong and motivated young women who have already decided to use their choices to change the world. [applause] i see the agents of change who are already committed to making a difference in their communities. i see brilliant and driven leaders, yes, all of you, with the potential to leave a lasting

mark on the world. i see spellman graduates. you exude the poise, the elegance and the confidence that this institutions strives to confer, the qualities that will mark you as a spellman woman for the rest of your life. of the most importantly i see a sisterhood, one that will stand together every step of the way, no mater how difficult the circumstances, no matter how daunting the tasks, and i know, that especially from where you sit today, the tasks ahead do seem daunting but know this. we have been here before. we faced fundamental challenges to our good will, to our very humanity and we have prevailed. our strength as a people, our strength as atry, has always been to turn great challenges

into great opportunities and many of our greatest advances in equal rights, in human rights, have come after searing pain and heart-breaking loss. this never has been easy but we have always, always pushed ever on and with every challenge we face, with every milestone we overcome, we come just a little bit closer to that essential dream of this country. we have held the equality of all men to be self-evident. we have fought to maintain a government by the people, for the people, and of the people, and we have followed a dream deeply rooted in the american dream. these are our values, these are our beliefs and when we hold on to them, we do great things. and what we learn from all of our challenges, is not that our

values are not true, not that our values are not good, but that every generation must commit to them and work to make them real for the challenges of their time. and we've also learned, that the catalysts for change have always been young people just like you. young people who reject stereotypes, who turn away from old ways of thinking, who insist that we can and will do better. now i can not tell you that your choice to change the world, the way you live in service and honor and obligation to others, i can't tell you this will always be comfortable, i can't predict the exact results of your actions, but i can assure you, i can tell you today, that by working to improve the circumstances of your own

particular time and place, you will create ripples of change that will flow far into the future, expanding as they go, in ways that none of us can ever imagine. and if you need proof of that, look no further than our own history in this country. now we know, that the lawyers and the merchants, who gathered in the pennsylvania statehouse to declare their independence pro britain did not have you and me in mind when they asserted all men are created equal. they weren't thinking about us. they had pushed us off the page. but their words have inspired movements for equality ever since. because one does not claim liberty and equality by virtue of one's gender or race but by virtue of being a child of god. [applause]

and the organizers of the seneca falls convention in 1848 who were trying to get women the vote did not expect to awaken a national campaign but their example has galvanized and empowered women to this day. because when the full force of woman hood is awakened, nations change and dreams come true. and the students, your age, who sat at a lunch counter in greensboro, north carolina, who sat in the basement of my father's church and planned their next move, were not looking to change federal law, but their actions ignite ad wave of protests throughout the south that fueled the civil rights movement everywhere and helped bring about a greater society. because when freedom is awakened in the hearts of a people, it

will never sleep again. and the 11 women, some of them former slaves who sought an education in the dim basement of an atlanta church 135 years ago did so not knowing if their dream of around education for themselves, for all their daughters, for all of us, would ever come true. but you're here, we are here, because of them. because the power of black women to lean on faith, to make a way out of no way, can move mountains. [applause] graduates, class of 2016, you are the heir to the vision of the founders, the to the courage of those sufficient -- sufferer,

they pannedded the hope of opportunity not just for themself but also for generations to come. but know this also, as you think about their example, as you think about the legacy they leave, and sometimes the burden that can be placed on you, they all, everyone of them, at one time sat exactly where you sit today, on the brink of moving into a world that they were still learning how to navigate, that they were not sure would open its arms to them and their talents, and they all wondered, as you do, how will i find that way? what will be my path? and they moved into the world, not knowing what impact they would have, and in many instances not even living to see the fruition of their efforts,

but they sought not a title but a task. they stepped out on faith and wanted to be known for their works. and as you all prepare to leave here today i urge you to draw strength from this inheritance, to lean on that example and never doubt, never doubt the smallest step can create the most sweeping change. i want you to go forth into this world that is waiting for you. explore the sciences that will expand our world, the economies that keep it running, and the laws that set us free. but i urge you, to never lose sight of our comrades in humanity, on whose behalf we are all called to work with a faith that will sustain us through it all. and this is my call to you, to

find your change and to live it. and my graduates, my sisters, don't ever forget to lean on the bonds of sisterhood. that will sustain you through your questions, it will support you through your work, it will give you the strength to carry on no matter how challenging the task. it will be there for you, no matter how long you need it, all the days of your life, for a year or just 166 days. and so today we let go of your hand, knowing that you will soar, you will fly, not just across the street, but across the world. knowing that as much as we want to hold you close, the world needs you more. so i want to congratulate you, the class of 2016.

thank you for letting me spend a few minutes in your brilliance today. i can not wait to see what you all achieve because i already am so much in awe of what you have brought. congratulations, graduates, your families and all of us who have come here to celebrate these wonderful, wonderful, women. thank you. [applause] . . >> this is 20 minutes.

>> good morning class of 2016. thank you for inviting me here today. i am honored to be with you for your graduation from the university of southern california. this morning i would like to talk to you about how a few experiences and a couple of ideas taught me some important lessons and help the discover my dreams. when i was your age living in a school in chicago back in the 1960s, i used to dream about this place, ma the university of southern california. back then this is all true, back

then, my dream was to go to the usc medical school, get married, raise a family, and practice medicine in los angeles. growing up in a lower middle class community on the southside of chicago, madison was considered the pinnacle of professions. noble and humane. virtually everyone important in my life, my family, my teachers, my girlfriend wanted me to be a doctor. over time, their dreams became my dreams. they convinced me i should be a doctor. but as hard as i tried i couldn't do it. after a few difficult and unhappy years as a premed student, it became painfully clear to me that i did not like the courses i was taking. i thought my comparative