I would like to begin by congratulating everyone in this arena for enduring the tiresome task of finding a place to park to be here with us today. There is no better way to get a taste of what it’s like to be a student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Thank you to everyone who traveled from near and far and sacrificed so much to celebrate this occasion. To my parents, thank you for supporting my decision to move 5,000 miles away in pursuit of a degree from a top ranked international business program. To my husband, you have been the core of my support system, and your selflessness has been invaluable. I could not be more grateful.
Class of 2016, we did it. Some courses we conquered, and others it seems like we barely survived, but our ability to endure attests to the reason we are known as the Warriors. However, I doubt I would be alone in saying that some of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my time at UH took place outside of the classroom. Whether it’s the relationships we build or the places we travel, college is one of life’s greatest opportunities for exploration and growth. Shidler College of Business gave me friendships that I will always cherish and is continuing to provide me with opportunities like traveling to Hong Kong to participate in an international case study competition at the end of this month. I have spent many valuable hours in classrooms that I know have helped me grow as a scholar, but one of the most important things I have learned as a student is that no essay, presentation, or exam score can determine your ability to succeed in this world. It does not matter whether you are graduating with a 2.0 or a 4.0 GPA today because the only test that truly matters is the one we will face after we walk across this stage: making our lives worth living.
We are standing at the doorstep of our destinies with anxiety in our hearts and excitement running through our veins. Fear may be hovering over our shoulders, but success is in sight as long as we choose to see it. As the powerful poet Suli Breaks put it: “If you do not build your dreams, then someone else will gladly hire you to build theirs.” The decisions we make from this day forward will lay the foundation for the rest of our lives. With each passing day, we will have the responsibility of making the choice to get on the field or sit on the sideline, but know that the game goes on.
We live in a society that encourages us to do things later in life when everything around us is moving faster than ever before. We are taught that our twenties are a time of self-discovery, but too many of us have been blinded by the myth that when we turn thirty, somehow we will suddenly have it all figured out and will finally be prepared to take active responsibility for our adulthood. More than ever before, it is normal to start careers later, marry later, and in a lot of cases we just so happen to graduate a little later. Hey, we’re human, but we are also the masters of our fate, and we have an abundance of talent to offer to a world that is desperately in need of our contributions. Our competition is coming from every corner of this big, blue planet, and there is no time to waste.
Each of us has something unique to offer, and the path to manifesting our greatness begins today; not when we are twenty-five, not when we are thirty, and definitely not once we have finally managed to find a way to pay off our student loans. From this day forward, take heed to these words from my favorite advocate for Millennials, Dr. Meg Jay: “Do something that adds value to who you are. Do something that is an investment to who you want to be.” When we walk across this stage today, we are not only receiving a degree. We are accepting the start of a new beginning and the duty to take what we have learned and use it in a way that brings value to the people around us and the planet. Take each step of the journey with purpose, honor, and humility, and I am certain that you will receive the best that life has to offer. Congratulations Class of 2016. Good luck.