Good Morning President Lynch, members of the Board of Trustees, honorary degree
recipients, faculty, staff, alumni, family, and friends.
I know this is an unusual way to start a speech, but I want to let you in on a secret. Can
you promise not to tell a soul? To keep it between the thousands of us? Okay, here
goes…
The architecture on this campus is just a little ridiculous.
I’m sure that if some of you are here at Brandeis for the first time, you might not
understand what I’m getting at. I implore you to walk around campus later today -you’ll see exactly what I mean. Our campus center is the same color as the Statue of
Liberty, the first-year dorms look like giant Lego blocks, and of course, we have a castle.
Though I was a little surprised at first, I got used to the clashing architectural styles on
campus after a few weeks. As Brandeis quickly became my home, I no longer noticed
how the buildings didn’t look alike in the “traditional” college way. I cared much more
about the people within the buildings, about the learning, growing, and connecting that
was taking place.
The people of Brandeis are what make this school extraordinary. With that in mind, I
don’t think it’s a stretch to compare the mishmash of buildings on campus to the
students here. Over the past four years, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting peers from all
walks of life and from all corners of the globe. Connecting with students who come from
backgrounds so different from mine has been both educational and inspiring. I’ve had
conversations until the early hours of the morning and it felt like no time had passed at
all. I’ve formed relationships with students, faculty, and staff that I know will last a
lifetime. I’m sure every single one of us can point to someone here who has shaped the
person we’ve become. I’m sure every single one of us in this room can point to someone
we know we’ll stay in touch with after today.
These relationships only came to be because of Brandeis. It’s corny, but it’s true. These
relationships are what make Brandeis unique. Just like the buildings on campus, we all
have our own stories. We all have our own quirks. But when we come together in this
space, we become a community that works so well together. We become a campus
community that I find -- even architecturally -- to be beautiful.
So where am I going with this? Commencement is a time for reflection. It’s a time to
pause, to think, and of course, to celebrate. And since I’ve already brought up the
buildings on campus, I figure I might as well stick with it. As I look back on my four
years at Brandeis, I have so much to be thankful for, and I’ve decided to share that with
you, by bringing up my thoughts about three of the buildings on campus.
First up is Ford Hall. Yes, I know that it’s no longer existent, but what Ford Hall has
come to represent -- through the original student takeover in 1969 and the protests that
have taken its name since then -- is still alive and kicking. According to my calculations,
we’ve all heard the words “social justice” about once every 10 minutes during our time at
Brandeis. Some studies even say it’s as frequent as once every 5 minutes. Though at
times we may feel that social justice is just a buzzword, the fact of the matter is that
we’re doing a pretty good job of living up to our founding principles. Whether it’s
pushing for divestment from fossil fuels, protesting as part of the Black Lives Matter
movement, fighting for equal pay for all people, or anything in between, I’ve been
routinely impressed by how much Brandeis students care about their community and
the world. Since coming to Brandeis I’ve learned about so many issues that were never
on my radar, and even more importantly, I’ve met so many people fighting for causes
they believe in.
Class of 2016, please, don’t change. Promise me that you’ll continue to fight for your
beliefs to help repair this broken world. Let’s continue to remember the downtrodden
and those who need help. Bruce Springsteen, inspired by my favorite novel, The Grapes
of Wrath, sings the following in his song The Ghost of Tom Joad: “Mom, wherever
there's a cop beatin' a guy, Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries, Where there's a fight
'gainst the blood and hatred in the air, Look for me Mom I'll be there.” This is the sort of
social justice that I’ve seen embodied at Brandeis, and it’s the sort of social justice I
know you will continue to fight for.
Next up is Usdan. This brick labyrinth is the land of opportunity. It’s a strange
combination of things all under one roof: the study abroad office, student financial
services, the chaplaincy offices, Hiatt, the game room...and I could go on. Looking back,
I’m incredibly thankful for the sheer amount of resources that we have at our disposal as
Brandeis students. Sitting at Orientation four years ago, I would have never expected my
time at Brandeis to take me to the beaches of Sydney, Australia or to meditation classes
in the peace room.
Sometimes, it’s important to remember the small things too; I would also be remiss if I
didn’t mention that Usdan is also one of those special places that serves as a social
gathering spot. Though I haven’t started missing the dining hall pizza yet, I can’t say I
won’t have cravings in the future. I also can’t begin to count the number of late night
trips to the C-Store I’ve been on, but let me tell you, every time was an adventure of its
own. Thank god our campus is so hilly so I could justify eating all that junk food.
Finally, we have the castle. The castle has been here since 1928, two decades before the
first Brandeis students walked on campus. It’s been a symbol of our school, and even
with the coming changes, its flag will still wave high above campus. It’s also
representative of our class. Right now is a time of great transition as we head into the
“real world.” Well, it’s a time of transition for the castle, too. Yes, our lives will be
changing dramatically, but just as parts of the castle are going to remain the same, so
will we. We need to remember the experiences we’ve had at Brandeis and keep them
with us over our upcoming journeys. Just as President Lawrence used to say, “You may
be at Brandeis for four years, but you’re a Brandeisian for life.”
This year, students applying to Brandeis were able to answer the following question in
the supplement to their applications: “There’s a ticket in your hand, where are you
going?” Yes, it’s a fun, revealing question, but at the same time it touches on something
much deeper: Where are you going? What are your plans for next year? What are you
doing with your life?
These are the questions that I’ve been asked on an almost daily basis this year, and I
have a suspicious feeling that I’m not the only one. Some of us are certain about where
the next few years will take us. Many of us aren’t. But when I look out at this room and
think of that question -- Where are you going? -- I am inspired. I’m inspired because I
know that sitting right here right now are some of the brightest, most driven, passionate,
enthusiastic people in the world. I’m inspired because I know that among the Class of
2016 are the future scientists, world leaders, businesspeople, physicians, and everything
in between. I’m inspired because I know just how much we care about making a
difference and about leaving this world better than we found it. I’m inspired because I
know that we will live up to what Justice Brandeis meant when he said that “Most of the
things worth doing in the world were declared impossible before they were done.”
Class of 2016, this is it. We’ve come such a long way since Orientation, but this was only
the first part of our journeys. We’ve been so privileged to have had exposure to the
things each of the buildings I mentioned represent – social justice, opportunity, and
tradition – and now they are tools that we can carry with us the rest of our lives. It’s
time to take the world by storm and prove just what being a Brandeisian is all about.
Paulo Coelho once wrote, “You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle
of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.” Now’s our time to take risks and
see where the world takes us. But at the same time, let’s not forget where we came from.
Class of 2016, I can’t wait to continue to be inspired by you for years to come.
Thank You.