As Daniel goes on to Teach for America, he leaves a university that is changed for the better.
The changes you have seen on campus and around the globe also provide a roadmap that can serve as a guide to the changes you can create in society.
Purposefully contributing to change requires courage, trust, and the willingness to listen and consider many voices. It works best when trust is built by finding common ground, and when we reject the view that it is “us versus them” — that there must be winners and losers.
This is how we can overcome the erosion of trust and begin to collaborate to work through differences.
It takes courage to open ourselves up to opinions and interpretations we don’t agree with. But it’s also how we learn, sharpen our own arguments, and hone our ability to persuade others.
Your time at Michigan has provided a wonderful proving ground to develop your ability to create change. Where else can you seek solutions among such talented scholars, all pursuing knowledge and understanding to advance a quintessentially public mission?
U-M is a place where data and evidence matter, where all voices can be heard, and where talented and hard-working students emerge as leaders and best.
Last month we opened our Trotter Multicultural Center on State Street. This inspirational new home devoted to unity, peace and understanding brings together people from all backgrounds, in a building planned and designed in collaboration with students.
It was an historic change for our campus — and it was made possible by a legacy of student activism. Members of our Black Student Union, past and present, shared their experiences on our campus and their aspirations for a better Michigan. Some are even graduating today.
They mobilized their fellow students and called on, and worked with, the university to create the new Trotter.
And while our work to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion is far from finished, the University of Michigan is changed for the better.
Another member of the Class of 20xx used the power of journalism to create change.
In March of 20xx, Kevin Sweitzer wrote an editorial in the Michigan Daily criticizing the name of a house in our West Quad residence hall. Winchell House had been named after a 19th century U-M professor, whose published work supported white supremacy.
In 20xx, Kevin submitted a formal request under the process we established to reconsider the names of university spaces. After a review by our prominent committee of historians, humanists, and many other experts, we removed the Winchell name.
Kevin is graduating today, from a university changed for the better.
CSG President Daniel Greene, who also graduates today, spent much of his time in office advocating for greater affordability, food security, mental health services, and diversity.
The results produced by CSG this year include a housing survey, the expansion of a food pantry for students in need, greater mental health awareness, and a plan to help student organizations achieve their full potential.
We live in an era of accelerating change where often as a society and as individuals we seem to be struggling to keep up.
Graduation is all about change. And at Michigan that means it’s not only about the change in you, it’s about the changes you will contribute to in society.
In the fall of 20xx, when many of you started as undergraduates here at Michigan, our world was a different place.
Me Too was not yet a hashtag. The event horizon of a black hole had never been imaged. And midterm voter turnout on university campuses across the country was just 19 percent.
Each of these examples, in their own way, demonstrates the often long and difficult path to change.
The Me Too Movement was founded in 20xx by activist and sexual assault survivor Tarana Burke. Burke wanted to provide a place for survivors to tell their stories, for empathy, and for healing.
She spent more than a decade persevering and advocating on the behalf of those whose stories are marginalized, or not told at all. Then the idea she started went viral, transforming into global conversation and, we must hope, change.
The image of the black hole event horizon presented last month required two years of computer analysis, data from 8 observatories on three continents, and a team of 200 scientists, which included 20xx U-M Electrical Engineering graduate Katie Bouman.
We have now seen what had previously been described as un-seeable, and pushed the frontiers of knowledge to the darkest regions of the universe.
And during the 20xx midterm election, Tufts University reports that youth turnout increased in every state for which they have data. In 27 states, it rose by double digits.
Plus, precincts that serve Big Ten campuses saw their turnout increase by an average of 24 percentage points. This is more than double the increase in nearby areas, indicating that students made their voice heard. Higher turnout was a goal of the Big Ten Voting Challenge. Well done!
Choosing to commit to the work needed to make change, and see it through, can produce amazing results – but it can also frustrate.
Change doesn’t happen in a straight line. It’s messy. It can take years, or even decades.
But when it is founded on principled dedication, collaboration, and hope – all the ingredients are in place.
Our campus has wonderful examples.
In the walls of ice, in the thrones of iron, we see a mirror for our times.
We recognize our own world, where too many live for their tribe alone. Where too often, we listen only to those who think, look, and believe as we do.
Where the game seems rigged against open and free exploration. We hear too few dissenting voices, and we consider too few conflicting views. But remember: None of this is inevitable.
We can glorify our own tribe to the exclusion of others. We can build up our walls, and we can cast down those who are different.
Or we can better use the strength in our hearts and the power in our hands.
Our many identities and beliefs: We make these our threads. Our diverse backgrounds and goals: They become our loom.
From this world of differences, we can weave a tapestry of communities.
Weaving…yeah…weaving is hard work, especially when we interlace many into one. Our identities may clash. Our beliefs diverge. We disagree over where we want to go. We argue about the best way to get there.
But when – together – we embrace the challenge, the cloth of human understanding grows more resilient. We craft something stronger by far…by far than iron thrones and walls of ice.
Thank you. Thank you.
Good morning! Good morning, Class of 20xx! You look fabulous!
Though many of you may…maybe you feel a little bit tired?
Last night, some of you were out to dinner with family. Some of you were up late packing. And some of you went out with classmates and friends.
And this is Penn, I have to ask: How many of you managed to do all three?
Okay, I thought so! But did anyone here last night find time to turn on the TV…maybe turn it on…to HBO?
Are you ready? Are you ready? It’s time for a special edition of Game of Thrones!
Graduates: All of you today sit on either side of a great divide.
To my right: Southern Alliance! Among you are several Great Houses.
Arrayed on the field are members of House Engineering! House Nursing! House Wharton! Houses…Houses Medicine to Dental; Law to…Law to Design; SP2 to Education; and Annenberg to Vet! All…all of you to my right form the Southern Alliance!
Now, to my left: The Northern Alliance! Your Great…your Great Houses may be fewer…your Great Houses may be fewer, but man, are they big?
Arrayed on the field, as you can see, are the members…many members of House College! And House Arts and Sciences! All of you…all of you to my left form the Northern Alliance.
We have two sides, and spoiler alert: we’re going to do battle. But instead of a battle with spears, this will be a Battle of Cheers.
Whoops! Who left a Starbucks cup here? Not supposed to be here! Oh well, oh well…. We’ll figure that out later.
I’m…I’m going to call on each of your Alliances in turn. When I do, you need to make…I hate to ask, I know how hard it is, but you need to make the most noise you can. The side that cheers the loudest wins! Okay? Ready?
Okay, let’s hear it from the Southern Alliance!
Impressive! Impressive! Okay, now let’s hear it from the Northern Alliance! Alright! Also …also impressive!
Both sides gave it your very best shot. Now it falls to me….
But I will not call a winner. Instead, instead, I ask you to consider this a window into the human heart.
Listen up. Here we are, proud members of the Penn community – this beloved community. Yet, when called upon, how readily we divide to do battle for our side.
Game of Thrones became a global phenomenon for many reasons. We obsess over the characters. We love the dragons and the drama. But its deepest attraction is allegorical.
本人性格开朗具亲和力，乐观耿直，诚实守信，有良好的心理素质，环境适应性强，有吃苦的精神，做事有毅力，喜欢挑战，行事积极认真富有责任心;能够注意统筹安排，进行有效的自我管理;注重团队协作，善于沟通协调;学习能力强，并喜欢学习和接受新事物，深信有耕耘就会有收获。凭着年轻，我会不懈努力，让自己做得更好。给我一个舞台，我会给你满意的表现。相信年轻，相信自己!您的信任与我的实力将为我们带来共同的成功!
诚实守信，待人处事热情大方，性格开朗，能很快接受新事物，富有创新和开拓意识，勇于挑战自我，有较强的时间观念和责任心，善于思考，虚心向学，并始终坚持严于律己，宽以待人，懂得“若要人敬己，先要己敬人”的道理，良好的人际关系和丰富的专业知识为我的成功之路作了铺垫。
Our passion for change is why we are the nation’s No. 1 public research university.
It’s why the discovery process has been a foundational centerpiece of our Michigan DNA for more than 200 years.
It’s why we strive, always, to extend our impact beyond the borders of our campus – to the communities we serve, and to the frontiers of human knowledge that now span galaxies.
It’s why I hope you are asking, on the day of your graduation, what you can change next.
The challenges we face as a society are numerous and complex – from climate change to poverty to conflict between nations.
But these and many other challenges can unite us as we strive for change – if we choose the path of courage.
Listen to different views.
Trust one another.
Find common ground.
And commit to the discussions and the discoveries that can produce a better world.
Class of 20xx, our society is yours to change.
Seek out new evidence, develop new methods, and consider many points of view.
And choose the path that will make ours a better world – as you Go discover, Go achieve, Go serve, and Go Blue!
Commencement is a milestone—one of life’s landmark occasions, a time when graduates, family members, and friends gather to celebrate past and future.
At the University of Michigan, Spring Commencement is a festive, campus-wide event where graduates are recognized by their school or college as a group, and honorary degrees are conferred. In addition to Spring Commencement, which all graduates are welcome to attend, each school, college and campus hold individual ceremonies to celebrate their graduates’ accomplishments.Class of 20xx, Congratulations!
I join your professors, family members and friends in expressing my utmost pride as we celebrate your accomplishments as the newest graduates of the University of Michigan.
Graduates, you did it!
Each one of you earned a place here – and you made the most of it.
I know that for many of you, the road to get here was not easy. Perhaps you traversed some potholes along the way.
I have it on the highest authority, however, that these potholes are about to be filled, and the roads are going to get fixed …
But for those of you who are first-generation students, military veterans, or from communities, cities and towns that don’t send many students to Michigan – I hope you are especially relishing this day.
As members of the Class of 20xx, all of you have conquered the rigors of our curricula.
You exceled in your studies, your research, your advocacy and your service. You found ways to navigate central campus, when we decided to renovate the LS&A building and the Union at the same time. And you even survived a polar vortex – with not one, but TWO, days of canceled classes.
Since we are here, you must have used that time to study.
我是湖北民族学院应届本科毕业生，专业是临床医学。明年6月我将顺利毕业并获得临床医学学士学位。近期获知贵公司正在招聘人才，我自信我在大学五年的学习情况会有助于我来应聘这些职位。
大学五年，我努力学习各门专业知识，在校时各科考试均取得了优良的成绩。实习期间，我积极主动学习，对于各科的常见多发病有了较深的了解。特别是外科，曾在老师指导下主刀一次阑尾切除术，获得了带教老师的好评。
我有较好的计算机知识和应用能力，并于20xx年通过了全国计算机等级考试(二级qbasic)的考核，现在正准备参加三级网络技术考试。我能熟练的进行windows98操作，并能使用c，qbasic等语言编程，并能熟练运用offices软件。我具备英语的听说读写能力，于20xx年通过了cet-4。
在大学期间，我多次获得各项奖学金，发表多篇文章，还担任过班干部，具有很强的组织和协调能力。很强的事业心和责任感使我能够面队任何困难和挑战。我很希望能加盟贵公司，发挥我的潜力。随信附上我的简历。如有机会与您面谈，我将十分感谢。
As many of you may know, I am a first-generation college graduate – I’m proud of it. My family had very little money. We lived in a small town.
And try as I might to fit in, I always felt like an outsider and often was treated as one. My father was an immigrant, and the only person around who spoke with a strong foreign accent. In elementary school, I was the only Jewish girl.
And…and one day – I remember this vividly – in fifth grade, I learned just how easily false stereotypes about minorities can arise.
That’s when another blond-haired, blue-eyed girl moved into my class. My best friend Diane took one look, turned to me, and said, “Oh! She must be Jewish, too!”
My hometown may not have understood or celebrated diversity, but it treated me and my family respectfully.
I never took that for granted given my father’s escape from Nazi Germany. My parents even joined with others in neighboring towns to create the first synagogue.
Wonderfully…wonderfully…wonderfully dedicated and caring teachers helped prepare me for college. And I couldn’t wait to go.
when I finally arrived on campus, I was in for a surprise. In fact, I was stunned. I had never before in my life felt poor. As a scholarship student, suddenly, I was surrounded by people who were so astoundingly rich! I was also fascinated by this and other differences – different faiths, politics, ethnicities, and culture.
And sure, at times it was uncomfortable. There were many moments I just wanted to turn around and go back home to my mother’s warm embrace – and also her great home cooking!
And like every one of you…every one of you, I made the best, most important choice of my life: I would pick up the threads of differences to weave myself a new community.
This would become my cause, my mission, my identity. I had found my purpose, rooted in beloved community.
I was inspired by the work of Dr. Martin Luther King. He called upon us all to embrace inclusion, love, and justice. He preached the soul force of nonviolent protest.
He warned against the perils of tribalism, of clinging to the familiar and holding sacred the status quo.
King famously addressed his…go ahead…he famously addressed his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” not to his jailers, but to his “fellow clergymen.”
He challenged them to reject the status quo. In King’s words, we find the essence of beloved community, recognizing that: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”