Hendrick Hudson High School Commencement Address

June 23, 2013

Thank you so much for inviting me to join you at Hendrick Hudson’s graduation. Congratulations to the class of 2013 - your teachers, your parents, your family and your community are all very proud of you.

I want to share with you the two biggest things I’ve learned since graduating from Hen Hud in 1987. To you, that may seem like a history class, but it feels like yesterday to me.

The two things I want to share are discovering what you love and the importance of kindness.

Many people will tell you to do what you love. And that’s true and important. If you do what you love, you’ll love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life. But that takes time, hard work and imagination. When I graduated from high school, the Internet was in it’s earliest form and none of the companies I worked for over the past 15 years - Twitter, Google or Yahoo even existed! I couldn’t have even imagined the job I am in today.

When I look back on the first few jobs I had, they were terrible. In fact, my first job while I was at Hen Hud was at Roy Rogers over on Route 6. I was the cashier and there were a bunch of mean kids from Lakeland in the back who found joy in throwing chicken nuggets at my head. Please tell me the Hen Hud football team beat Lakeland this year? Good. Well, I lasted 2 weeks at that job.

After my dismal debut into the workforce at Roy Rogers, I went off to college and the best thing I did was to go abroad… twice. It was the best thing I did because it was challenging and made me see the world differently. It also made me different. Instead of worrying so much about fitting in, I learned the value of standing out.

I can’t stress enough how important international experience is. You are at the perfect time in your lives to start thinking about where you’d like to spend a semester, or even better, a year abroad. And as much as I love the UK and Australia, that doesn’t count. You need to learn a second, or even a third language before graduating from college. You’ll have more job choices with language skills and you will be way cooler. While you are abroad, travel as much as you can - you will be amazed at how much you can do and see with just a small backpack. And if you have a special skill - teaching math, computer programming, or writing - find volunteer opportunities to give back to your community, at home and abroad. Success in life isn’t measured by how much money you make, but by how much you give back.

Be rigorous about picking your major and your classes. Don’t go easy on yourself. Challenge yourself to try new things, difficult things, things that make you nervous but excited. Create your own path in college and beyond, and know there is no right way or wrong way. There is only your way.

Mark Twain said the two most important days in your life are the day that you are born and the day you find out why. Your experiences in college and the journey you take to find the career that you love can be a big part of answering that question, ‘why?’ Strive to discover what you love, then commit yourself to getting really good at it.

The second thing I want to share is the importance of kindness. As much as today is about you graduates, it’s also about the parents and the family that raised you. Be kind to those who supported you to this day. You may think that they are corny, have terrible taste in music and you may roll your eyes when they tell you that they just joined Snapchat (parents: while I can’t recommend Snapchat, I thoroughly endorse your use of Twitter). But I can guarantee you that no one loves you or wants to see you happy more than they do.

Be kind to one another. As you get older, you will forget many things you learned in school. You will forget your SAT score and your GPA (unless of course it was great and you should absolutely feel free to remember and brag about that). You will forget the names of some teachers and even some of your friends. But you will never forget how people made you feel. Hold onto the friends you have at Hen Hud who make you feel great and who truly care for you. Unfriend the rest. And as you go to college, surround yourselves with smart, kind people who will challenge you with diverse perspectives.

And of course, be kind to yourself. When you’re 17 or 18, there is often a sense of invincibility. Not too long down the road of life, you’ll see that it’s not the case. In 5, 10 and 20 years, you’ll be able to tell who wore sunscreen and who didn’t (and even those who paid a ton to cover it up). Eat healthy, work out and be careful about what you put into your body. You only get one body and it needs to last a really long time. And a friendly PSA, don’t text and drive. No text is that important.

As you celebrate today, know that you are loved and that you matter. Soak in the celebrations with your family and friends and cherish every moment. Go out there, see the world, find what you love to do and get great at it, and throughout life’s journey, be kind and give. Give the world your ideas. Give your love to your family. Give the best you can in every aspect of your life.

Before I close, let me capture this moment with a quick Vine/Tweet.

Congratulations on reaching this important milestone in your lives.

Dream big and go get ‘em class of 2013!