Thank you, President Wintersteen, for that gracious introduction. Good evening, everyone! This ceremony is a celebration of our graduates and everyone who has supported them through their lives and their education. Thank you to all of you! To the graduates: Congratulations!! You have accomplished a great milestone in your lives. Well done and well deserved to each and every one of you!
When I was asked to give this speech, I wondered what great wisdom I had that would leave a lasting impact. Then I realized that I have only 5-10 minutes and that you are more interested in getting that diploma than listening to me. Talk about taking some pressure off of the whole situation! But let me try any way.
I thought of many inspirational topics and quotes and was inspired by reading and listening to other people's speeches. Boy, do I have so much to tell you. But, again, I only have 5-10 minutes to convince you that with that ISU diploma you will change the world.
Then I realized that you have already changed the world. From the day you were conceived, you changed the world. From experience, I can tell you that when you were born, you definitely changed the world - at least for those who raised you. Every action/inaction that you have made, every word you have said or not said has modified the world - at least your corner of it. Through all of your studies and interactions throughout your academic career, you have been changing the world.
So the real question is not will you change the world, but how will you change the world? Will it be with love, respect, and kindness? Will it be with hate, disrespect, and meanness? Or will it be with something in between - maybe a sort of action through inaction or avoidance approach. No matter what approach you take, you will be changing the world.
So, how will you change the world?
How will you deal with and change a world were there seems to be so much division and conflict - some real and some perceived? I posit that it must be with love, respect, and kindness.
How will you respond to and influence those who see the world differently than you do? I posit that it must be with love, respect, and kindness.
How will you deal with and maybe even work with that one person who just seems to get under your skin and makes you so angry? I posit that it must be with love, respect, and kindness.
I know of no other way that can have a positive change on the world and bring people together. I have never won a friend by being thoughtless. I have never changed a person's opinion through anger. I have never left someone feeling better about their circumstances by showing disrespect. In general, I have only widened the gap and made it more difficult to have a real conversation and positive influence in the situation. I will say that there is no guarantee that love, respect, and kindness will change another's opinion or turn an enemy into a friend - even with the best of data and best of intentions. But I know of no other method where there is a chance.
Treat each person with love, respect, and kindness. Give them the benefit of a doubt. It is easy to fall into the trap of categorizing people based on statistics and bin everyone into some type of label or labels. This is our mental shortcut for trying to place each person into our vision of how the world works. However, each one of us has travelled a different road to get us to the point where we are right here and right now. There are so many factors that make you who you are: the amount of money that was and is available to you, the number of parents you had and how supportive they were, the faith that you profess, the depth and width of your support system, your education, and yes, the color of your skin, the physical and mental abilities that you might have, and many other life factors. Everyone has experienced different challenges, successes, and life experiences. Each person is unique and is not the "average" person. So, don't give into stereotypes. Don't give into labels. Don't judge based on what you see on the outside. Meet each person where they are and give them grace enough to understand their individual journey. Treat each person with love, respect, and kindness - and you may be surprised how much the world changes and how much you change.
How are you going to change the world? I hope that it is through love, respect, and kindness.
But what does that look like? There are so many different ways this can play out. Basically, it is being a positive influence in the lives in your sphere of influence. Being the one to simply listen to another person without judging them. Being the one to lovingly tell another that while you don't agree with their position on a particular topic, that you still respect them as a human being. Being open to understanding that someone who may appear confident may be fighting a significant insecurity. Helping someone who has great ideas, but who is not confident, to share their ideas in an environment of acceptance. Giving that grumpy checker at the grocery store a smile and thanking them for their work. It may be the only smile and compliment that they will get all day.
While you may not have a choice in what circumstances you will face, you have a choice in how you behave in those circumstances. Choose love, respect, and kindness.
By the way, these are not just values that I learned from my faith, my Mom, and my lifetime of experiences. These are also Cyclone values.
You may think that following these values is a pretty intimidating calling. It definitely can be. But be a positive influence where you can.
So, ask yourself, how are you going to change the world? I hope that you will take your newly minted ISU diploma and the education that you obtained here and choose to change the world through love, respect, and kindness.
My congratulations to all of you and thank you for listening!