Graduation Speech (Princeton University; History Majors)

DISCLAIMER:
This only a sample motivational speech. The character/speaker is only an imagined personality. 

Graduation Speech

Bachelor of Arts in History Batch 2019

About the Speaker

Lauren Phoenix (34 years old) is an educator and entrepreneur who graduated Cum laude in Bachelor of Arts in History at Princeton University in 2008. A few months ago, she landed in Forbes’ “35 under 35” list of most influential and young entrepreneurs of 2019. Her company Sens8  has been achieving the goal of democratizing education with its platform to get educators all over the world to conduct online classes on an array of different subjects. To date, her company has 25, 000 instructors worldwide making it one of the highest grossing applications in the education field as of this year. The Sens8 team has also been active in charity work for several years now by holding free digital classes to thousands of schools in poverty-stricken areas across South East Asia.

She also co-founded iQualify to contest the biases in the traditional hiring process of companies and replacing it with tests that measure more holistic qualities such as leadership and creativity. Their team now has a thousand of clients including her beloved school Princeton and international tech companies like Tencent. All these accomplishments under her belt while still being a supportive wife and a loving mother of two. 

Script:

Graduates, at this very moment, you’re probably anticipating that I’ll be talking about the excitement the real world has in stored for you and how exhilarating it is to take the next milestone to your success; however, it would take me hours if I do so, and I don’t want to break the excitement your faces is giving off right now to be finally stepping out of this university to discover new things, so I feel like saving it for another day. Instead, I am here to crack that confidence and pride you have to think that today, you are relevant and important. Yes! You heard that right!  

 “It’s NOT relevant!” or “It’s NOT that important.” Do these words ring a bell? These are the most common responses of people every time you tell them that you are studying History.  As reported by the National Center Education Statistics, there has been about 33 percent decline in History majors since 2011 and a 30 percent drop in 2017. Unfortunately, the decline in the number of students enrolling or studying this major has been continuous. In the last 20 or so years, people strongly believe that fields related to the advancement of society such as Engineering, Information Technology, and other science-related studies should be prioritized the most. On the other hand, students and parents think that History, Humanities, Language, and other non-science-related majors are impractical. Come to think of it, we can't deny the fact that Science-linked majors are really important fields. What about History? Does it have any relevance to our lives now? Is it necessary? Isn’t History about kings, queens, revolutions, Greeks, Romans, dates and events? If so, in what way is it detrimental? Why bother studying it? What kind of job can you have after graduating? Will it help you to be a successful person someday? You only memorize dates and names of dead people, and in a broader sense you only just study about the past so, do you even learn skills necessary to land a good job? And so on. 

As you all know, I am one of you and you might be asking what my point is. Well, nothing much. The facts and figures I had memorized are still in my head. Do I use these information at work? Definitely not. But here’s the thing, I was able to develop a skill of learning new things fast, I was able to practice my writing, I was able to learn to manage my time effectively, I was able to understand how and why trends start, and I was able to learn how to strategise to avoid possible conflicts I have foreseen. What are these for? These are what I consider to be my strengths as an entrepreneur and an educator. These are the kinds of abilities you have learned and mastered throughout your years here. Luckily, these are all the skills that most employers look for in all work fields. Sure, you might not always be their first choice but you’re definitely not the last. For today is just the beginning of a much tougher battlefield that you will face. For you are still irrelevant and you must equip yourself with all the things that you need. For every challenges that you will encounter, try to apply what you have learned. In that way, you will leave a footprint in everyone's heart and that's how you become relevant and important. 

Though you have to remember that in your journey, there will always be circumstances that will make you doubt your abilities and falter in your decisions. In times when you come face to face with these, bear in mind that you’ve gone a long way to just admit defeat. Heartaches and disappointments will pursue; however, learning is the key. Learn to make your opportunities be your strengths. Every single day that will be given to you will be a day for you to be a better you. Be willing to show off your abilities in acquiring knowledge for they will be of great help to you in the long run. Here goes the cliche: Use your skills and climb yourself to the top. Be humble enough and always work in the quietest way possible. We all know that a plan announced is a plan that will surely fail.

In the days ahead, a lot of people will tell you to find your purpose and do not be afraid to do whatever it takes to achieve this. It is a very propitious life lesson indeed; however, as I speak to you now, my dear graduates of class 2019, what I would like you to realize is that finding your purpose and achieving it is not enough. You are venturing into a world where sense of purpose is greatly needed.  The real challenge for you, as History graduates, is to create a world where everyone inspires and learns from one another.

I remember a time when I had a very fortunate encounter with a school janitor in a medical school where I was invited to give a talk. I saw him carrying a mop and I asked him what he was doing and the humble janitor replied, “I am helping students to become future doctors.”

Will you continue to be irrelevant? Will you continue to be unimportant? Purpose is what makes everyone matters. Be like the humble janitor I have met: he carried a remarkable sense of purpose. We may think our action is small yet in reality, we are part of something bigger than ourselves. Dear graduates, you are all History majors.  You are the jack-of-all-trades. Success does not only commensurate money, fame, lavish lifestyles and other luxurious chattels, but success is becoming the person you always wanted to be — the person who fosters aspirations not only to himself but also to others. I hope you find courage to make your life a blessing. Thank you so much and congratulations graduates of class 2019! 

END