As the 2017 school year comes to a close, college graduates are receiving sendoffs into the real world with commencement speeches. Speakers ranging from politicians to actors have shared their insights on following dreams and achieving success to the graduating class of 2017. Each speech is fueled with inspiration and life lessons that are personal to the speaker. But not all the reactions from the student body were positive ones.
Here are the most talked-about commencement speeches of 2017.
1) Vice President Mike Pence, University of Notre Dame.
Vice President Mike Pence was selected to give the commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. The former Indiana governor encouraged graduates to instill the values and ideals they learned from their time at Notre Dame into their futures. He called on them to be leaders in their families, communities and careers. The vice president also spoke about the growing intolerance of free speech happening on college campuses around the country. “I would submit that the increasing intolerance and suppression of the time-honored tradition of free expression on our campuses jeopardizes the liberties of every American,” said Pence, “This should not, and must not be met with silence.” However, not everyone was pleased to greet the Vice President. Some students organized a protest and walked out of their graduation ceremony. A few “boo’s” could be heard as well when Mr. Pence took the stage.
2) President Donald Trump, Liberty University
President Donald Trump delivered the commencement speech at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. The President spoke about family values, having faith, and never giving up on yourself. With this being his first commencement speech as president, Mr. Trump spoke on the challenges he faces as a political outsider. “Relish the opportunity to be an outsider. Embrace the label. Being an outsider is fine,” he said. “Embrace the label, because it’s the outsider who changes the world and who makes a real and lasting difference. The more that a broken system tells you that you’re wrong, the more certain you should be that you must keep pushing ahead.” Mr. Trump received an overall positive reaction. But when it was announced that the President would be giving the speech, a group of students called Liberty United Against Trump wrote a statement in protest, saying the President “is the antithesis of our values.”
3) Will Ferrell, University of Southern California
Taking a break from politics, actor Will Ferrell gave a hilarious commencement speech at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. Ferrell talked about his own experience as a graduate from UCS and how his life after college was a challenge. Despite getting a degree in Sports Information (which was later discontinued), Ferrell says he and his family could recognize his dreams of becoming a comedian. While enrolled at UCS, Ferrell talked about the pranks he would pull off in class that helped construct his acting abilities. This lead to his involvement in a local improv group that eventually took him to Saturday Night Live.
“To those of you graduates who are sitting out there who have a pretty good idea of what you’d like to do with your life, congratulations. For many of you who maybe don’t have it all figured out, it’s okay. That’s the same chair that I sat in,” Ferrell said. “Enjoy the process of your search without succumbing to the pressure of the result… Don’t listen to the critics, and you will figure it out.” The speech, unsurprisingly, ended on a humorous note with Ferrell singing a rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”
4) Betsy DeVos, Bethune-Cookman University
The Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos perhaps received the most notable about of response from her audience during her commencement speech at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. From the time Mrs. DeVos started talking, students stood up and turned their back on her. The “boo’s” from the crowd grew so loud, the university president threatened to mail their diplomas instead of carrying on with the ceremony. The student persisted in their opposition of her, while DeVos asked for their understanding.
“I also want to acknowledge that we all arrived here today with different life experiences and different perspectives. I view that not as a negative, but as a gift. Any time we meet someone new, we have two options. We can focus on differences that might divide us, or we can choose to listen, to be receptive and to learn from others’ experiences and perspectives,” DeVos said. The controversy continued days after the commencement speech, with the Florida branch of the NAACP calling for the university’s president to resign.
5) Sheryl Sandberg, Virginia Tech
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg spoke at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. She began her address by talking about resilience. Sandberg’s husband passed away two years ago, leaving her shocked and struggling to move forward. But like the Virginia Tech students who still remember the lives lost in the 2007 campus shooting, everyone must continue forward in the face of fear and uncertainty. “Build resilience in yourselves. When tragedy or disappointment strike, know that you have the ability to get through absolutely anything,” said Sandberg. She encouraged the graduating class to grow from these moments and join together to overcome the obstacles in life.
More from the Ethos3 Blog:
Get Inspired: 10 Of The Best Commencement Speeches
Spiritual Inspiration: Jim Carrey’s Commencement Speech
