you know what i mean. today, we celebrate the 56th commencement of the commonwealth's oldest, first community college. this is it. [applause] >> congratulations. i want to offer my congratulations. not just to this graduating class but also to your parents.

and, we applaud your success and the success of everyone who helped get you here. that is what we do. i know that this moment is a time for celebration, a time to taste the success. i want to talk about what you had to master to get here we are not talking about elementary statistics although 7.24% of you did that. i'm not talking about overcoming the long, long track from campus to the fitness center. i am not even talking about the roughness of winter on record. i am talking about mastering the art of making something happen. i'm talking about learning to

fight for what you believe then. sometimes it means fighting for yourself sometimes it means fighting for something bigger than yourself. figuring out what you want is the first step and fighting to make it happen is the necessary second step. president lincoln said determined the things that can and shall be done, and then we shall find a way. today, we celebrating a graduating class will of people who determined that something can and shall be done. your graduation. and then you found away. you face down some real challenges, even some tough ones. i have no doubt there were plenty of people who told you what you couldn't do, people who said how hard this part would be or how that would stop you dead in your tracks. money, child care, work, play of

things to do. plenty of reasons not to enroll again. you hung in there and you made this day happened. one more time. you did it. [applause] senator warren: one more time! you did it. [applause] senator warren: so today, you are going to walk across the stage, we are going to celebrate reaching your goals, but i hope you will celebrate even more the hardware, the determination, the great that got you here because -- grit that got you here because those other ingredients that you will need to reach the next goal and the one after that and the one after that. graduation speakers are supposed to inspire, but i know my limits. i cannot play instruments, i cannot sing like james taylor, i cannot put on a fashion display

like lady gaga, but i can set a goal and make it happen. just like you did. so i am here to urge you to use the same skills and determination that got you to this day to help you get to a lot more days that are just as meaningful. i once had a day like this. graduation. for me, it was a celebration of fighting for what i believed in. the president talked about this. i grew up in a family that had a lot of ups and downs, and college wasn't in the cards for me. nobody in my family had made it through college, but i wanted to be a teacher and i believed that i would be a good teacher. and i thought that was a goal worth fighting for. the path was tough, i borrowed money, i married young, i dropped out of school, i went back and, finally, i got lucky. i got really lucky. we moved to a place that was about 30 miles away from a commuter college where the

tuition was $50 a semester. i held on for dear life. you and i pieced together and you off classes, including correspondence courses, and i graduated. and best of all, i got that job teaching special needs kids in public schools. i loved that job. i think i was good at it. but i had a baby on the way and back then, there were rules about pregnant teachers. so i had to give it up. i won a big battle. and that made me bolder. and each time i fought for something i believed in and won, i believed i could do it again. the challenges got bigger, the results got better. the twists and turns became more and more unexpected. so i just want to fast-forward to a fight from a few years ago. at the time of this fight, i was a professor. just like your teachers.

for about 20 years, i had been doing research on what was happening to america's working families. i saw people getting slammed cheated on, credit cards pulled, checked on mortgages, and it got worse and worse. i watched as big banks raked in billions of dollars by trapping people in debt. and i watched as millions of families lost their homes, their paycheck, lost their hope. what really burns me deep was that there was plenty of law to stop those banks, but the government agencies that were supposed to enforce those laws couldn't be bothered. i wanted to change that. and that is when i had an idea. what if we built a new agency?

what if we gathered up all those laws about mortgages and consumer loans and give to one agency and we gave that agency the tools to enforce the laws? a sort of financial cop for american families. and then we held that agency accountable? a tough cop who was willing to take on wall street and big banks. what would happen then? i talked to everybody i could about this idea. i went to washington, i talked to folks in congress, policy gurus, newspaper people, anybody i could. pretty much all of them told me two things. first, that is a good idea. that is actually an idea that could make a difference. and the second thing they told me, don't do it. think about that. they gave me 1000 reasons not to do it, but the reasons all boiled down to one very painful point. you can't win.

don't do it because you can't win. don't even try because you can't win. you will never get to this consumer agency passed into law. they pointed out that the biggest banks in the country would hate this idea and they would send hundreds of millions of dollars to stop it. and they said to me, you are just a teacher. you've got nothing. you've got no money, organization, political juice. it won't happen, so don't even try. i heard this, but there was something deep inside me that just refused to believe them. they said don't try, and what i heard was try harder. and that is what i did. i jumped in and i fought for that little agency because i truly believed it could make a difference. the way i figured it, you don't win anything that you don't fight for. so i was ready to fight as hard

as i could. the fight was just about what you would expect, only worse. the banks hated the idea of a new consumer agency. duh. these guys have built whole business models around treating people and they spent millions and millions of dollars to make sure that there was no cop to stop them. they hired an army of lobbyists, and i say that, no joke. as the battle heated up when i went to down to washington to fight for this little consumer agency, those lobbyists thundered through the halls of congress in herds. people like me were pushed against the wall like we were invisible. the biggest, most powerful lobbyists in washington, they thought they could eat us for lunch.

and sometimes when i was pushed up against those walls, i thought they just might do it. but i didn't back down, and neither did anyone else. we kept looking for ways to make it happen. writing papers, organizing groups, this is david taking on goliath. we won. we actually won. [applause] senator warren: i still can't believe it when i say that's little consumer agency, the consumer financial protection bureau, is now the law of the united states. [applause] senator warren: now, before you go, and you say to yourself when this is all over, you say, i just clapped for the creation of a government agency, i must be turning into a total nerd. let me just remind you about this little agency. it has been up and running for just about four years now and it has already forced the biggest financial institutions in this country to return more than $5 billion directly to people they

cheated. that is government working for us. [applause] senator warren: that is how it works. [applause] senator warren: so, look, i get it. i know that building an agency to keep people from getting cheated on credit cards and mortgages may not be on your bucket list. it sure wasn't on mine. at least, it wasn't on my bucket list until it was on my bucket list. and that is really the point. i believed in the good that this little agency could do and so i fought for it. even when people told me i couldn't win. the truth i learned along the way was pretty basic. you can't win what you don't fight for. so, i say to each of you, you want to change something? nobody is going to give it to you. you've got to fight for it. i wanted to be here today not

just to be on the same stage where the boston symphony orchestra, james taylor, and lady gaga do their stuff. i wanted to be here because i believe in what you can do. i believe in what you can do if you fight for what you believe in. no matter the odds, no matter who you are up against, if you fight, amazing things can happen. amazing things will happen. after all, we are here to celebrate your amazing graduation and to think of many more amazing things to come. so, thank you all and keep fighting. [applause] senator warren: thank you. thank you. [applause]

>> admiral michelle howard delivered this years commencement address in troy new york. she encouraged graduates to stay true to themselves. >> president jackson, faculty, students, thank you for this wonderful privilege we have given me, this honorary degree. my fellow on iran's are somber and keen men of intellect and achievement. they would not be want to let you know this is pretty cool.

it feels a lot like a superman cape. does it stop bullets? i could use that. president jackson, fellow on iran's, especially the class of 2015, it is a sincere honor to join you on this extraordinary occasion. today marks a triumphant milestone in your life, you will cross over into the next phase of your life. you will pound into your soul the sweet filling of accomplishment. years from now you will recall the challenges of that last calculus class, the anxiety of

preparing for your last test the excitement of your last big red freak out night and the last witnessing of the shirley ann jackson weather machine. [laughter] [applause] avriladmiral howard: i thought it appropriate that i start this speech and share with you a see story. in my service, the sea story is an important exchange of wisdom. generally in a small place with a beverage of choice and generally reaches great origins of mythology over the lifetime of an individual. this is true.

it is not mine. it was given to me by the women whose leadership award is named after of your i met her when i was a young lieutenant commander. that began a relationship of mentor protege. that was an iconic -- she was an iconic leader. she was born in 1911 and came into the navy in world war ii. with the start of the war, our nation needed the strengths and talents of everyone. she was one of the first women to join. she had a degree in business and was one of the first women to take courses at harvard. as the war moved out, women took on greater and greater roles. they went from administrators to

intelligence is a list best specialists. -- intelligence specialists. maybe women were not allowed to serve overseas. until 1944. we decided that hawaii was once again safe enough, it was a base of planning operations and we would send waves to help continue fight the war. lieutenant winnifred quick was selected with two of her friends to go and set the stage to bring in over 5000 waves to support the war effort. she was pretty excited. she told me this remarkable thing happened. i was astounded at the story because i'm from colorado and nothing like this has ever happened to me. a denver millionaire offered the use of his ouahu mansion.

he left it staffed all the time. they went to hawaii and started to work in that first week, the eagerly went to this mansion. they put on their bathing suits, were getting ready to head to the beach, winnifred quick is standing in the living room looking out this great expanse of class and sees a man walking down the beach. she is not sure that as he comes closer, she starts to think, my goodness, is that -- he was one of our eco iconic warriors in the pacific theater. a man who had persistence and tenacity and great courage. but also is deeply feared by the japanese, deeply feared by his sailors as well. as he is coming down the beach lieutenant quick starts to

believe it's him and then to our astonishment, this man comes up to the house, knocks on the door , comes in and she introduces herself. i'm when a, how may i help you? he said i'd seen this house, it's never been occupied, i've always been curious come i wanted to see the inside. would you let me see this beautiful home? she offers him a drink and she says of course. her friends show up and all of a sudden, the man gets a panicked look on his face and runs out the door. the three lieutenants are concerned. they don't know what they've done. being good lieutenants, they went ahead and decided to enjoy themselves and hit the beach. monday morning, lieutenant

winnifred quick is at her desk and the phone rings. it's a two star admiral. he says, were you at a beach house this weekend? she says yes. did admiral halsey show up? she says come i believe so. you did not introduce yourself. he did not introduce himself. the chief of staff continues. lieutenant come admiral halsey walks that beach every weekend. he has always admired that house and when he saw it was opened, he decided he could see it. when he came in, he saw what he saw and when he got back to the rec area, he submitted his staff or right away. he goes, gentlemen, there is a house on the beach, three lovely women in this house and their names are quick, wild, love.

[laughter] i believe they are spies. in they are sent here by the japanese to put on the swimsuits and seduce our secrets out of us. i want to know who they are and i want to report that a report on my desk tomorrow. his staff gets to work and they come in monday morning. admiral, there is good news. they are only naval officers. admiral halsey said, i did not see any naval officers. the staffs belted out for him. -- spelt it out for him. women naval officers. he goes, dear god, not even the japanese get did this to me. [laughter] women naval officers.

throughout her time -- she served another 20 years. captain collins rose to the highest rank she could achieve. the head of all the women in the navy. she could never have been an admiral because by law, which you serve, no women could be an admiral or general. only one woman could be a captain at a time. that law changed in 1967 long after she retired. what she taught me was her story. as you go on this journey, you have to keep your sense of humor. more importantly, you have to keep your sense of self. that brings me to you. in preparation for this special day, asked one of my trusted lieutenants to visit rpi and get a sense of the school culture. he came back telling me about some wonderful times he had undergone -- after hearing about

your most recent grand marshal week, he said i should bring my own jar with a lid. i don't know what that's about. [laughter] he left me with this quote from one of you. "a lot of people stereotyped university as strictly an engineering school. but, it's so much more than that. ." all of you will walk out of her with a bachelors of science or architecture degree. there are over 200 student clubs from the palestinian groups -- mockupa capella singing groups -- as a graduate of a technical school myself, regardless of stereotypes, i am here to tell you to remember your roots. you are an engineering school.

your newspaper is the polytechnic and your mascot is the engineer. over 100 years ago, he referred to the university is the first school of science in civil engineering which has a continuous existence to be established in any english speaking country. if after surviving intro to engineering design you have not come to grips with who you are and where you are from, let me tell you, you are engineers. as your commencement speaker i'm required to give you council

that will provide you the foundation for success for the rest of your life. i offer you one thought. embrace your inner engineer. embrace your inner engineer. without rpi graduates, the country would be a different place. your academic ancestors invented the ferris wheel, built penn station and explored outerspace without rpi engineers, the world would not only be a lot less user-friendly, it would be a lot less fun. embrace your inner engineer. it's time to stand up and admit it. you love the logic of spock. you spent countless hours blank super smash brothers and you laugh at big bang theory.

-- playing super smash brothers and you laugh at big bang theory. you love research. the coolness of algorithms. the smells from chemistry labs. and, most likely, you took apart some family prized possession when you were young to see how it worked. a few decades later, all of who you are and what you have been taught coleman aids in this moment. a diploma that affirms your academic prowess and represents your bright future. proud family and friends who are thrilled that you have a job and for you biology majors, the ability to create the zombie antidote when the apocalypse happens. [laughter] embrace your inner engineer. whether or not you work as an engineer, remembered this from your time at rpi. embracing your inner engineer means you always learn, you will never lose the love of discovery and you will always be ready to roll up your sleeves for hard work.

embracing your inner engineer means you face failure with courage. for failing only means you limited the path of pursuit. you prized teamwork, you understand the value of different perspective and generating ideas. you love competing with the best because it makes you better. whether you realize it today or whether you realize it later the past four years has made you better. when you embrace your inner engineer, you realize that rpi gave you structure, discipline and focus. give back to your community. transformation, modernization and animation. with broad reaches of the universe yet to be explored, what great building or bridges are yet to be built, take what

you have learned here at rpi the knowledge, the methods, the relationships and apply it to our world most mixing problems. embrace your inner engineer to find what makes you feel alive and makes you wake up happy every day. use this passion and turn it into goodness for all of humankind. we need rpi graduates for our most challenging problems. wherever you go, there will be others who have embraced their inner engineer. connect with your fellow professionals because their backgrounds and experiences will amplify all of your successes. class of 2015, remember who you are and where you have come from.

as you walk from your chairs to destiny that awaits you, you can proudly say you are an engineer and embrace every aspect of what that means. as you walk this earth on your own journey and you come across another engineer, give thanks. you not only have found a kindred spirit, you have a surefire partner for this on the apocalypse. -- for the zombie apocalypse. when that moment comes and that panic sets in, is there an engineer in the house? rise up and say "i am an rpi engineer." [applause] class of 2015, congratulations. [applause]

>> california congressman eric falwell gave the address in california. he talked about his journey of becoming a congressman. rep. swalwell: good morning. thank you dr. russell. thank you chancellor jackson. thank you board members. thank you to the faculty in the class faculty.

thank you to the administration here and thank you to the maintenance workers, the people who clean the classrooms before you got there in the morning who will take down these chairs when we leave today. this is a community college and it took a community effort to educate our youth. and our future. thank you to the parents and the families who look just as surprised as my parents looked when i was the first in my family to graduate from college. i don't know if you knew this but today's graduation is being broadcast on c-span. normally, c-span is the channel of congress. and i have to watch it all the time. you guys look a lot better sound smarter, and have a lot more hair than the people i

normally watch on c-span. [applause] for many of you your have to this stage was certainly not a straight line. i draw inspiration from a rabbi from the 19th century, of ukraine, who described his troubles and the challenges we face through the human condition as the world's, the whole world is a very narrow bridge. but the most important part is to have no fear. there are many of you who had no fear in your path to this stage. i think about sierra solis, who is the president of the poetry club.

she served as the interclub council secretary, stepped into the role of the aslpc director of events when it was vacated and all the while earning a 4.0 gpa and working with autistic children and families to support her own family. i think about katie lott, your valedictorian and the narrow bridge she had to walk without any fear. she didn't just work hard to become the valedictorian. she also just recently won a national speech competition. and she did that struggling with and overcoming tourette's syndrome. she described her narrow bridge as, when i'm in an environment

where i have to be very focused like forensics, it's easier for me to suppress the tic, and it kind of goes on the back burner. once i'm up there in front of an audience, i go into speaking mode. i feel like i try not to use tourette's syndrome as an excuse. so yeah, my tics are something that i do all the time, and it's natural to me, but it's not going to ruin my life. it's how i look at things and it's probably helped in a positive way. when i think about the narrow bridges that you've had to walk i think about our veterans who are graduating today. who have made it so far. from the battlefield ss, from across oceans, and now going off into the community, taking the skills that they have acquired to help others. this narrow bridge is a journey i know myself. and my path to the stage

certainly was never a straight line. i grew up in this area, the oldest of four boys. my mom, she still works today as a secretary. my dad is a retired police officer, and their dream for me was to be like many of you, the first in the family to graduate college. and we saw very early on the surest, the fastest way i was going to get to college, because we didn't have many resources to pay for it, was going to be through a soccer scholarship. and i made better and better teams. and i got more and more expensive. at one point, my parents thought i wasn't going to be able to pay competitively because the travel costs were just too much. but i pushed back. i later became a lawyer in life, but i started my first negotiation as a teenager. i said, what if i helped out and pitched in? and we all took side jobs and tried to pay for my soccer? and my brother's soccer? they thought i was crazy, just like any parent would.

but on the weekends, it was a family affair. every single one of us, from oldest to youngest, my mom and my dad, we all refereed soccer in between our family games. during baseball season, we were umpires. i worked at aeropostale, folding clothes as a teenager. i was just as bad folding clothes there as i was folding clothes at home and that job didn't last too long. i sanded window frames after school and before soccer practice. i was a wedding entertainer's assistant. and i did all of this because i knew if i pitched in, if i helped out, it would reduce my cost of soccer and i could achieve the family dream of being the first to go to college, and i did. i was able to play division i soccer back on the east coast. my parents were proud. and like every young athlete, i thought i was invincible and i

would play professionally, and like what happens to mouth athletes, i got injured. but i had a teacher from high school who looked out for me. and he called me and said, eric, i know you had your heart set on playing professional soccer. but i saw in your as a student someone who could also work and help others. something i had never thought about. i only thought about myself and my own athletic pursuits. he said, why don't you go to capitol hill and work as an intern? so i applied on a lark. i was hired, and i called home and i told my parents, mom, dad, i got that internship on capitol hill i applied for. they said to me what every one of your parents would say to your son or daughters. that's great. how much does it pay? i called the teacher back. i think we're good. i think it's all lined up. my parents want to know, are we talking $8 an hour, $10 an hour? how much does this pay? he said, eric, it's an intern

ship. you're going to work 40 hours a week, and if you work hard enough, you'll get a good letter of recommendation if you ever want to go to law school. so my parents told me, son you're going to have to do the same thing we did when we didn't think we could pay for soccer. you're going to have to work. and so from 5:30 to 8:30 in the morning before i took that unpaid internship, i handed out gym towels at a local gym right around the corner from the capital. oftentimes members of congress would come in and i would check them out and show them around. from 8:30 to 5:30, i worked on capitol hill, giving tours answering the phones, responding to constituent mail, and starting to fall in love with the idea of helping people in need. but that didn't pay anything. at 5:30, i went one more block down capitol hill and i put on a restaurant server's outfit and i served mexican food at a little mexican restaurant.

and members of congress would come in and i learned very early that if i learned their name, i got good tips. i know it's shocking to hear that it's so easy to flatter a member of congress. that was my narrow bridge. handing out gym towels in the morning, serving members of congress in the evening, and having no idea that 13 years later, i would serve with many of them in the halls of congress. but what i had was a family who cared about me and risked it all, a teacher who looked after me, and a will to never have any fears as i walked across that very narrow bridge. and i know each and every one of you in your own journeys has fearlessly put yourselves up here today. so now, you're moving on. some of you going to four-year universities. others going off ina different trade and different jobs.

and for so long, we asked young people, what do you want to do when you grow up? what do you want to be? but today, the certainty of the market, the jobs that are out there, are so different and they're changing all the time. over half the jobs that will be around in ten years don't even have names. and so i'm asking you right now not what do you want to be. what problem do you want to solve? and i actually want you to tell me right now. we passed out these cards. and you can tweet and take out your phones on the hashtag hashtag #solveaproblem. right here as you're getting your degree and moving on, tell us what problem you think needs to be solved. mark it down. we'll look back and see if it

was addressed. #solveaproblem. maybe you're going to solve a local problem like fixing our drought. we can't make it rain. but as californians, all we've ever known is how to innovate. maybe you'll be the next engineer who will work on desalination or water recycling projects to make sure that california can continue to thrive. maybe you'll think more nationally. and solve a problem like access to education. our generation has $1.3 trillion in student loan debt for 40 million young people. and it affects every major decision we have to make. it's a problem that needs to be solved. from the decision to start a family to buying a home to taking the job you really want our student loan debt is a generation weighs down on us like an anchor.

and we must address this and make sure that anyone who is qualified has access to an education. maybe you'll solve a business problem. i think about the sharing economy and new companies like uber and lyft. or two people in san francisco who were room mates and couldn't afford to live in an expensive city and they were struggling to get by. when they realized they could host travelers in their apartment as a reasonable rate. they created a company that became one that is now the face of the sharing economy, airbnb. they thought creatively about how to solve a problem, their own problem, and then created a website to give others a way to do the same thing.

tonight, one million people will sleep underneath the roof of an airbnb. there are so many problems that we need you as a generation to solve. so again, i challenge you, tell us, tell me what problems you'll solve. i see natalie padilla said getting more help for people who have cancer. jalen, who is in the audience, a graduate, says climate change. these problems you have been given all the tools from las positas college to solve. and i hope as you go along your path, as you continue to find mentors and teachers, that you'll remember that you have two hands. one to continue to reach up and receive more skills to solve the problems around us. but don't forget that the other hand should be used to reach down and to lift others up. next year, five years, ten years from now, hundreds of graduates will sit in those very seats and it's my wish for you that

you take all of the skills you have acquired and remember that they will be better and more enriched if you reach down and lifted them up like you were lifted up by your mentors and your teachers. las positas college, john f. kennedy said and it was his birthday this week, that the american by nature is optimistic. experimental, and a builder. who builds best when called to build greatly. today, you were called. you were called to solve some of the greatest problems of our time. remember how you got there, how you walked across that narrow bridge. answer the call and reach down and pass your knowledge on to others. thank you so much. [applause]

>> catherine sullivan is a former astronaut, the first american woman to walk in space. she recently gave a commencement address at american university in washington where she talked about her experience on the interconnectivity of people and encourage her to pursue her work in the sciences. she has the national -- [applause] kathryn sullivan: president kerwin, friends and family and graduates of the class of 2015 i'm honored to join you today for this joyous occasion. graduations remind me of the time when i sat on the

challenger. you didn't expect that. like all you guys, i was dressed up that day in an uncomfortable outfit and forced to listen to a bunch of people while they groaned through an elaborate ritual that would not end. the anticipation that was about to happen was overwhelming. exhilarating yet terrified for what was to come. like a lot of you, i questioned if i was ready for what lay ahead. i knew every detail was a countdown procedure: was unfolding around us. i was well-versed in the scientific experiments i was responsible for.

i still couldn't help but wonder if all my hard work and expensive technical training had prepared me for my next step as the first american woman to walk in space. american university has provided all of you with opportunities that fostered your intellectual development, your creativity and your spirit. you are united by that experience. the strength you take today comes from diversity of perspectives amongst you. as i look out upon this assembly i see future leaders eager to develop solutions to the problems of today and take on the challenges of tomorrow. today is a day filled with joy relief and satisfaction. it is the culmination of a five-year journey.

for one of you, this journey took longer. 31 years longer. since taking his first higher education class, steve gamble studied buddhism in nepal, got married, answered questions at the university i.t. help you shied away from asking hard questions. when asked what it means to him to walk across the stage, he doesn't hesitate. he explains his education instilled in him a more developed understanding of the world, more vivid appreciation of life itself. for a handful of parents and grandparents, this is a very special day filled with great pride. you watch the first member of your family receive a college degree. what a fabulous moment and tremendous achievement. [applause]

i suggest that today is not simply a day to celebrate what you have in common as the class of 2015, but to rebel in your differences and to celebrate the environment university provided to learn through the exploration of those differences. on this day we celebrate more than your journey to this moment. we celebrate the capacity for the road ahead to explore new perspectives. that is why i'm excited to be here today. the elaborate countdown ritual at the kennedy space center wrapped up and we got the final go for launch. before we could blink the shuttle left off the pad. any hesitation, it is seriously

too late now. [laughter] within minutes we were over england. i got my first glimpse of this little blue marble called earth. i was overwhelmed by the beauty of our planet. entrance with how her interconnected systems evan flow with one another. from that vantage point you can hardly make anything other than cnn atmosphere. -- sea and atmosphere. one that dramatically shantou i am today. during your time, you have been blessed with an environment that encourage similar exploration albeit with more gravity and certainly better food. au challenge you to consider the world in a different way, and in doing so this university

shielded you from the danger of collective acceptance and complacency. today this institution will hand each of you a diploma to recognize your achievement. you will be told this document attests to your accomplishments and will prove to people, potential employers that you are ready and able to contribute to society. that is not quite right. your diploma is a piece of paper. it does notthat alone doesn't say anything about the value of what you gain at american university. there is one thing on your diploma that does speak to that. the only thing that speaks to that. it is your name on that certificate. your name represents who you became in reaching for this recognition. it represents the investments you made towards that moment

today. and embodies all of those late-night and the thankless hours that you spent working at a job on capitol hill. the resolve to press forward that you had to date deep to muster after just barely passing a class in a subject that was well beyond your comfort zone. also, your willingness to allow the differences you encountered to unite you with your colleagues and a lead you to engage in expiration in new points of view. your name on that diploma is also a reminder of the hard work and sacrifice in vested on your -- invested on your behalf by the people who challenged and supported you to this moment.

just like a rocket launch, college graduation is much more than a moment of individual achievement. this was were many who stayed up late for hours, struggled with the impossible, and put our quest for their own concerns. remember and thank those people today. carry the lesson of their sacrifice with you on the next leg of life's journey. pay their gift forward to others who are on grand or difficult journeys. as of tomorrow, and american university will no longer provide you with this wonderful space for intellectual exploration, this protection against complacency and groupthink. you are about to be transformed -- projected into a massive world of tribal schisms and all of this is happening amongst systemic trust of global institutions. so, next generation, how will you continue to grow in perspectives? how will you develop the foundational understanding that

you leave this campus with into a force for good? are you ready? for me, the experience of being in space led me to understand that the most pressing challenges of my world for the -- were in fact those circling us every day. circling the world every 90 minutes for days on end became clear to me that all of us here on earth are linked to each other. there is no "i" or "them," we are one. our very existence everyone of us is completely dependent in that little blue marble that we could hold in our hand. i came to believe that we owed it to ourselves to make good on that point of view. it was this newfound perspective

that led me to leap into my next professional adventure, putting scientific understanding of the earth to work for all of us. and so when i returned to earth, i built, not found, but built, a career focused on achieving that outcome. my work has allowed me to make good on this, and contribute to the problems most pressing of our times and most vital to our futures. these great challenges, like so many in the past, can only be solved by coming together and thinking of the generations yet to come. this will take listening to each other, learning and reaching to new perspectives, decisively to have the sense of learning that american university has instilled in you. you must check personal agendas at the door and work towards a collective. you have been subjected to more

diverse backgrounds and experiences that many people will ever come to know. i hope you have realized through this that it was only by taking the time to stop and listen that you were able to grow and learn. your experience at au has also provided you with much more than an academic credential. you head off into this world with ideas and ideals, and with passion and purpose, and with a strong sense of what it takes to build a community and how vital community is to life. so i am sure that the answer to my earlier question about your readiness for the next step is yes, you are well prepared for what lies ahead. in due time, you will surely forget the name of mona a's most famous impressionistic painting -- many things, like monet's most famous impressionistic painting, but you will surely not forget what american university has instilled in you.

we all must strive to never become complacent in our quest to seek out more understanding of how our world works, and perspective is what allows us to find happiness and true meaning in our lives. your journey to new perspectives actually begins today. i encourage you to search for controversy, for contrast that is both revealing and catalytic. to use your ears more than your mouth. for learning can only happen when we pause to listen. to take the challenging path always, and to not the afraid of the change. like gravity, it is just kind of everywhere forever. resistance is futile. [laughter] and always be a better neighbor. not because it is expected of you, because it makes you a better person and you know it is

the right thing to do. the gift of education and the habit of exploration have prepared each of you to be leaders in your careers, your communities, and your families. cherish this and make it count. communities made up of people who listen keenly, think deeply, and act wisely are those that are most able and perhaps only able to create progress and peace. we owe this to ourselves, we owe this to each other. and we owed this to the little blue marble we call earth. please know that each of you has my greatest admiration and i congratulate you and wish you each the very best of luck. [applause]

>> lucy hayes was the first first lady to earn a college degree. soldier serving under her husband called her the mother of the -- she hosts a first annual white house easter egg roll. this sunday night at 8:00 eastern. examining the women who fill the position of first lady and their influence the presidency from martha washington to michelle obama. >> c-span gives you the best access to congress. live coverage of the u.s. house,, giving you a vince that shape public policy.

washington journal's live with elected officials, policymakers, and journalists. c-span, created by america's cable companies and brought to you as a public service by your local >> coming up, some of the latest products and services in the tech world. but first, a look at the jobs numbers released today, showing employers added 223,000 jobs last month. the unemployment rate following down to 5.3. the new york times reports that although the economy added a jobs, other indicators showing wages glowing -- growing slowly. average hourly earnings stateying flat indicating that the labor market has plenty of slack. you can read that at the new york times online. president obama talks