There’s nothing as inspiring as hearing a speaker who really moves you to believe in yourself and lately, the First Lady has been particularly on point. If you haven’t heard her commencement speech from earlier this summer at City College of New York, it’s being heralded as a showstopper. Filled with emotion and an honest look at the state of the world, she gave graduates some wisdom to transition them from student life to the real world. She was honest, poignant and didn’t hold back – here are a few highlights.
She began with a few thank you’s and led right into congratulating the members of the class of 2016:
But most of all, I want to acknowledge all of you -– the brilliant, talented, ambitious, accomplished, and all-around outstanding members of the class of 2016! Woo! (Applause.) You give me chills. You all have worked so hard and come so far to reach this milestone, so I know this is a big day for all of you and your families, and for everyone at this school who supported you on this journey.
And in many ways, this is a big day for me too. See, this is my very last commencement address as First Lady of the United States. This is it. (Applause.) So I just want to take it all in. And I think this was the perfect place to be, because this is my last chance to share my love and admiration, and hopefully a little bit of wisdom with a graduating class.
She also took some time to recognize the level of diversity at City College of New York and how special and important that is. She recognized students for commuting long hours, holding jobs and supporting their families while attending the school and even gave nod to studying on the subway. And, then recognized the group for their tremendous hard work, awards and even volunteerism.
And somehow, you still found time to give back to your communities –- tutoring young people, reading to kids, volunteering at hospitals. Somehow, you still managed to do prestigious internships and research fellowships, and join all kinds of clubs and activities. And here at this nationally-ranked university, with a rigorous curriculum and renowned faculty, you rose to the challenge, distinguishing yourselves in your classes, winning countless honors and awards, and getting into top graduate schools across this country. Whoa. (Laughter.)
She also talked about the state of the world. Mentioning violence and leaders who rule through intimidation – reminding the graduates that that’s not who we are in America. We celebrate differences, we thrive on diversity and we are our best when we work together.
Graduates, that is not who we are. That is not what this country stands for. (Applause.) No, here in America, we don’t let our differences tear us apart. Not here. Because we know that our greatness comes when we appreciate each other’s strengths, when we learn from each other, when we lean on each other. Because in this country, it’s never been each person for themselves. No, we’re all in this together. We always have been.
And here in America, we don’t give in to our fears. We don’t build up walls to keep people out because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people who were born elsewhere but sought out this country and made it their home -– from innovations like Google and eBay to inventions like the artificial heart, the telephone, even the blue jeans; to beloved patriotic songs like “God Bless America,” like national landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and, yes, the White House -– both of which were designed by architects who were immigrants. (Applause.)
From beginning to end, Michelle Obama’s last commencement speech as First Lady was eloquent, moving and if you have a moment – worth watching (or reading) in full. You can find the complete speech here and watch it below.
