Barack Obama graduation speech: Arizona State University (ASU)

Now my job is very difficult. How do you introduce a person that everyone already knows, but I still want to put the president's introduction into context because I found myself over the past few weeks studying the syllabus for his classes and looking at the grading mechanisms he had in place. implemented and observing a There are many things you have written and it is a fantastic story. So, it is an honor and a privilege to present to you and I will explain this to our president. Let me start with the following. Let me explain why the president's visit here is so important for this institution, for this

state

and for our country.

Barack Obama is an intellectual man dedicated to the common good, which is a rare, rare thing. Barack Obama is a man whose journey from childhood teaches us all about the power of a purposeful individual life and every one of our graduates should remember this. Barack Obama is a man who understands that the dream of and for the United States knows no limits. That dream often of a limitless America, however, often comes from a different point of view, coming from those who have benefited from their parents' economic success or their family's social status, and sometimes from those who see the limitless dream of America. have a fantasy vision of our history.

A vision that is often inaccurate. Sometimes, and this is rare, this understanding of the true greatness of America and our potential comes from a deep understanding of the need to drive change and that fact is, in fact, America as a

state

ment of change itself. The fact that the United States represents the change we have experienced around the world is the central theme I want to focus on. Martin Luther King once said that change does not come on the wheels of inevitability, but rather comes through continuous struggle. Barack Obama understands, from his family's experiences in both the United States and Africa, his work organizing communities in Chicago, his deep knowledge of the American Constitution, and his raw and powerful intellect, that the continued struggle must bring us closer. even more to the ideal America.

In this ideal America, we must remove the yolks that hold us back to create opportunities for success. One of those themes has been the fight to educate all children, to give them all the same opportunities. Our history as a country here has been long and difficult, and while progress has been made since the 1950s, we remain far from the ideal. 25% of our children, more than a million children per year, do not graduate from high school and those who do come from the lowest socioeconomic group, only 15 percent of them will have the opportunity to graduate from a

university

.

Mr. President, no national leader before you has fully understood the role of education, learning and knowledge in realizing the American ideal, in advancing the continuing struggle for change, in the study of your life and achievements. As a community organizer, constitutional law professor, and Statesman, I can see your fantastic awareness of the enigma of our present-day America. How come we have changed so much and still have a long way to go? You realize that our constitution, and therefore our civil rights, our right to vote, and our right to be educated, is not something static but is, in fact, an ever-evolving ideal.

It is this evolutionary process that we consider change to be essential to our lives, to our future as Americans. You see an America where all children graduate from high school and most go to college at some level. In this process of change we see an United States where every talent can be used and where every dream has real potential. Mr. President, you have already taken many bold steps to improve our nation and move us forward. I think you have already changed the way we conceive education. Education is now a national civic duty. It is not a privilege, it is a civic duty.

You have given hope to all who dream of what they can be, and as I begin to see it more and more as a common pursuit, you have lit a fire under all of us to move America forward using our ideas and our creativity. . Mr. President, we feel that fire, we share your drive for change, we have heard your

speech

before Congress, we have seen you moving closer to the ideal, to a better America, your expansion of Pell grants, your goals of educating all of America . , your drive to have a great college education, not just a college education but a great college education for all who work hard, we hear you, we join you, in fact, we join you today in committing to you and to the people from Arizona that we will continue. building ASU as an equal center for advanced teaching and learning and we also commit to you that no Arizona student will be left out of this institution and what we have to offer because of their family's income.

Mr. President, we are pleased to announce the establishment of the Barack Obama Scholarship Program and we promise to work and fight to make accessible education the change that takes America to the next level. It is an honor to have you here with us tonight, ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. thank you thank you thank you ASU! Thank you so much! Thank you so much! Thank you so much! Thank you! Please thank you very much! Good thank you! Thank you, President Crow, for that extremely generous presentation and also for your inspired leadership here at ASU.

I want to thank the entire ASU community for the honor of attaching my name to a scholarship program that will help open the doors of higher education to students of all backgrounds. What a wonderful gift, thank you. That notion of opening doors of opportunity for everyone, that is the central mission of this school. It's the primary mission of my presidency, and I hope this program serves as a model for universities across the country, so thank you very much. Obviously I want to congratulate the Class of 2009 on their incredible achievement. I want to thank the parents, the uncles, the grandparents, the grandmothers' cousins, the pumpkin cousins, everyone who participated in helping these extraordinary young people reach this moment.

I also want to apologize to the entire state of Arizona for stealing their wonderful former Governor Janet Napolitano from me. But here we have an excellent governor and I also know that Janet is now applying her extraordinary talents to serve our entire country as secretary of homeland security to keep America safe and she is doing a great job. Now, before we begin, I would like to clear up that little controversy that everyone was talking about a few weeks ago. I have to tell you, I really thought this was much ado about nothing, but I think we all learned one important lesson I learned: to never pick another team over the Sun Devils in my NCAA brackets again. it will not happen again.

Chairman Crow and the Board of Regents will soon find out how to be audited by the IRS. Now, in all seriousness, I come here not to question the suggestion that I haven't accomplished enough in my life yet. First of all, Michelle agrees with that assessment. She has a long list of things I haven't done yet waiting for me when I get home, but more than that, I accept the idea that I haven't done enough in my life. I totally agree. I am here to assert that one's title, even a title like President of the United States, says very little about how well one has led one's life.

That no matter how much you have done or how successful you have been, there is always more to do, always more to learn and always more to achieve and I want to tell you today, graduates of the class of 2009, that despite having achieved a notable milestone in your life, even though you and your families are so rightfully proud, you too cannot rest on your laurels, not even some of those notable young people who were introduced earlier, not even that young woman who obtained 4 degrees. Coming today, you can't rest. His own work is also yet to come.

Now, some graduating classes have entered this stage in easy times, times of peace and stability. When we ask our graduates to just move on and don't screw it up. Other classes have received their diplomas in times of trial and upheaval, when the very foundations of our lives, the old order, have been shaken, old ideas and institutions have collapsed, and a new generation is called to remake the world. By now it should be clear to you which category everyone falls into. Because we gather here tonight in times of extraordinary difficulty for the nation and the world. The economy remains in the midst of a historic recession, the worst we have seen since the Great Depression, a result in part of the greed and irresponsibility that spread from Wall Street and Washington, as we spent beyond our means and failed to make choices. .

We are involved in two wars and a fight against terrorism, the threats of climate change, nuclear proliferation and the pandemic define national borders and easy solutions. For many of you, these challenges are also felt in more personal terms. Maybe you're still looking for a job or struggling to figure out what career path makes sense in this disrupted economy. Maybe you have student loans, now you definitely have student loans or credit card debt and you're wondering how you're going to be able to pay it off. Maybe you have a family to raise and are wondering how you will ensure your children have the same opportunities you had to receive an education and pursue their dreams.

Now, faced with these challenges, it may be tempting to resort to the formulas for success that have been so frequently touted in recent years. It goes something like this, you're taught to chase all the usual brass rings, you try to get on this who's who list or that top 100 list that you chase after a lot of money and you find out how big your corner office is. . You worry about whether you have a fancy enough degree or a fancy enough car. That is the message that is sent every day or that has been in our culture for too long.

That through material possessions, through ruthless competition pursued only for personal gain, this is how you will measure success. You can take that path now and it may work for some, but at this critical time in our nation's history, at this difficult time, let me suggest that that approach will not get you where you want to go. It demonstrates a poverty of ambition that, in fact, the elevation of appearance over substance, of celebrity over character, of short-term gains over lasting achievement is precisely what his generation needs to help end. ASU I want to highlight... I want to highlight two main problems with that tired old first approach to life.

Firstly, it distracts you from what is truly important and can lead you to compromise your values, your principles and your commitments. Think about it, it is in the pursuit of titles and status, in worrying about the next election rather than the national interest and the interests of those they are supposed to represent, that politicians often lose their way in Washington. They spend time thinking about surveys but not about principles. It was in the pursuit of flashy short-term profits and the bonuses that came with them that so many people lost their way on Wall Street. Incurring extraordinary risks with other people's money.

On the contrary, the leaders we revere, the enterprises and institutions that endure, are generally the result not of a narrow pursuit of popularity or personal advancement but of devotion to a greater purpose, the preservation of the Union or the determination to raise a country. of a depression, the creation of a quality product, a commitment to its customers, its workers, its shareholders and its community. A commitment to ensuring that an institution like ASU is inclusive and diverse and provides opportunities to all. That's the hallmark of true success. Those other things, those other things, the trappings of success, may be a byproduct of this larger mission, but they cannot be the focus.

Ask Bernie Madoff: that's the first problem with the old attitude. The second problem with the old approach to success is that relentlessly focusing on external indicators of success can lead to complacency. It can make you lazy. Too often we let the external, the material, serve as an indicator that we are doing well, even though something inside us tells us that we are not doing the best we can, that we are avoiding what is difficult but also necessary, that we are retreating rather than rising to the challenges of the times and the point is that in this new hyper-competitive era none of us, none of us, can afford to be complacent.

That's true. Whatever profession you choose. Teachers may earn the distinction of tenure, but that does not guarantee that they will continue to work long hours and late nights and have the passion and drive to be great educators. the sameprinciple holds true in your personal life. Being a parent is not just a matter of paying the bills, doing the bare minimum, it is not just bringing a child into the world that matters, but the acts of love and sacrifice that are needed to raise and educate that child and give them opportunities. It can also happen to presidents, if you think that Abraham Lincoln and Millard Fillmore had the same title.

They are both presidents of the United States, but their tenure and legacy could not be more different and this is not only true for individuals, but also for this nation. In recent years, in many ways, we have fallen in love with our own past success, lulled by the brilliance of our own achievements. We have become accustomed to the title of military superpower, forgetting the qualities that got us there, not only the power of our weapons but the discipline, courage and code of conduct of our men and women in uniform. The Marshall Plan and the Peace Corps and all those initiatives that show our commitment to working with other nations to pursue the ideals of opportunity, equality and freedom that have made us who we are.

That's what made us a superpower. We get used to our economic dominance in the world and forget that it wasn't reckless deals or get-rich-quick schemes that got us where we are, but hard work and smart ideas, quality products and smart investments. We started taking shortcuts, we started living off credit instead of accumulating savings, we saw companies focused more on rebranding and packaging than on innovating and developing new ideas that improve our lives. Meanwhile, the rest of the world has become hungrier, more restless in constant motion to build and discover, not content with where they are now, determined to strive for more.

They are coming, so now it is very clear that we have to start doing things a little differently. In their own lives they will need to continually adapt to an ever-changing economy. You will end up having more than one job and more than one career throughout your life. They will have to continue to acquire new skills, possibly even new degrees, and they will have to continue taking risks as new opportunities arise and, as a nation, we will need a fundamental change in perspective and attitude. It is clear that we need to build a new foundation, a stronger foundation for our economy and our prosperity.

Rethink how we grow our economy, how we use energy, how we educate our children, how we care for our sick, how we treat our environment. Many of our current challenges are unprecedented. There are no standard remedies, no solutions this time. And the class of 2009, that's why we're going to need your help. We need young people like you to step forward, we need your boldness, we need your enthusiasm, we need your energy, we need your imagination and let me be clear when I say young I am not just referring to the date of your birth. certificate. I'm talking about an approach to life, a quality of mind and a quality of heart, a willingness to follow your passions no matter if they lead you to fortune and fame, a willingness to question conventional wisdom and rethink old dogmas.

A lack of regard for all traditional markers of status and prestige and instead a commitment to doing what is meaningful to one, what helps others, what makes a difference in this world. That is the spirit that led a group of patriots, not much older than most of you, to confront an empire, to begin this experiment in democracy we call the United States. It's what drove young pioneers west to Arizona and beyond, it's what drove young women to reach for the polls, what inspired a 30-year-old runaway slave to run an underground railroad to freedom, what which inspired a young man named cezzah to go out and help. farm workers, what inspired a 26-year-old preacher to lead a bus boycott to demand justice, is what led firefighters and police officers in the prime of their lives to climb the stairs of those burning towers and the young from across the country to drop what they were doing and come to the aid of a flooded New Orleans, leading two garage guys named Hewlett and Packard to form a company that would change the way we live and work, leading to scientists in laboratories and novelists in coffee shops working in the dark until they finally managed to change the way we see the world.

That is the great American story. Young people like you who follow their passions and are determined to face the times on their own terms. They weren't doing it for the money, their titles weren't fancy, former slaves, ministers, students, citizens, many of them didn't get honorary degrees, but they changed the course of history and you can do it too, ASU. . You can too, class of 2009! You also can. With a degree from this outstanding institution you have everything you need to get started, you have no excuses, you have no excuses not to change the world. Did you study business?

Start a business or why not help a struggling nonprofit find better, more effective ways to serve people in need. Do you study nursing? Short-staffed clinics and hospitals across the country are desperate for your help. Do you study education? Teach in a special needs school where the kids really need it, give an opportunity to kids who can't get everything they need, maybe in your neighborhood, maybe not even in your home, but we can't afford to give them up. Prepare them to compete for any job anywhere in the world. Do you study engineering? Help us lead a green revolution, developing new sources of clean energy.

It will boost our economy and preserve our planet, but you can also leave your mark in smaller, individual ways. That's what many of you have already done during your time here at ASU tutoring kids, registering voters, doing your small part to fight hunger and homelessness, AIDS and cancer. One student put it best when she talked about her senior engineering project building medical devices for people with disabilities in a village in Africa. Her teacher showed a video of the people they had been helping and said that when we saw the people in the videos we started to feel a connection with them.

It made us want to be successful for them. Think about it. It made us want to be successful for them. That's a great model for all of us. Find someone to be successful for. Raise your hopes, live up to your needs as you think about your life after

graduation

. When you look in the mirror tonight, after the party is over, that shouldn't spark so much joy. Maybe you look in the mirror tonight and maybe you see someone who isn't really sure what to do with their life. That's what you can see, but a troubled child can look at you and see a mentor, a homebound senior can see a lifesaver, people at your local homeless shelter can see a friend, none of them.

Most of them care about how much money is in their bank account or if you're important at work or if you're famous in town, they just know that you're someone who cares, someone who makes a difference in their lives. So, the class of 2009, that's what building a body of work is all about. It's about the daily work, the many individual acts, the big and small decisions that add up over time, throughout a lifetime, to form a lasting legacy. That's what you want on your tombstone. It's about not being satisfied with the last achievement, the last gold star, because the only thing I know about a job is that it's never done.

It is cumulative, deepening and expanding with every day you give your best, every day you give back and contribute to the life of your community and your nation. You may have setbacks and failures, but you're not done yet. You're not even starting, not by a long shot, and if you ever forget, just look at the story. Thomas Paine was a failed corset maker, a failed teacher, and a failed tax collector before he made his mark on history with a little book called Common Sense that helped start a revolution. Julia Child didn't publish her first cookbook until she was 50.

Colonel Sanders didn't open his first Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 60 years old. Winston Churchill was dismissed as little more than a past-timer who enjoyed too much whiskey before taking over as Prime Minister and accompanying Britain into its prime. No one thought that a former football player who filled the shelves of the local supermarket would return to the game he loved, become the Super Bowl MVP and then come here to Arizona and lead his Cardinals to their first Super Bowl. Your work is never done. Each of them, at one point in their lives, didn't have any titles or much status to speak of, but they had passion, a commitment to follow that passion wherever it took them and to work hard every step of the way, and it's not just so.

You will ensure that your own life is well lived, that is how you will make a difference in the life of our nation. I previously talked about the selfishness, selfishness, and irresponsibility on Wall Street in Washington that spread and led to many of the problems we face today. I talked about focusing on external markers of success that can help us get off track, but here's the 2009 kind of thing: It works the other way around, too. Acts of sacrifice and decency without regard for what is in it for you, that also creates a domino effect. Those who lift up families and communities, who spread opportunity and boost our economy, who reach people in the forgotten corners of the world, who committed young people like you see the true face of America, our strength, our goodness, our diversity, our lasting power, our ideals.

I know that starting a career in difficult times is a challenge, but it is also a privilege, because it is times like these that force us to try harder and dig deeper and discover gifts we never knew we had. To find the greatness that is within each of us. So never shy away from that effort, don't stop expanding your work. I can promise you that you will be better for that continued effort, as will this nation we all love. Congratulations class of 2009 on your

graduation

! God bless you and God bless the United States of America.