0:02 [Music]
0:05 see this is my very last commencement
0:07 address as first lady of the United States
0:08 States
0:11 this is it so
0:13 so
0:15 I just want to take it all in and I
0:17 think this was the perfect place to be
0:20 because this is my last chance to share
0:23 my love and admiration and hopefully a
0:25 little bit of wisdom with a graduating class
0:26 class
0:29 and and graduates I really want you all
0:31 to know that there is a reason why of
0:33 all of the colleges and universities in
0:37 this country I chose this particular School
0:38 School
0:41 in this particular City
0:47 and
0:50 I'm here because of all of you
0:52 as the president eloquently said at the
0:55 school you represent more than 150
0:58 nationalities you speak more than 100
1:02 different languages whoa just stop there
1:05 you represent just about every possible
1:08 background every color and culture every
1:10 faith and Walk of Life
1:13 and you've taken so many different paths
1:15 to this moment
1:17 maybe your family has been in the city
1:19 rate the city for Generations
1:21 or maybe like my family they came to
1:24 this country centuries ago in Chains
1:27 maybe they just arrived here recently
1:30 determined to give you a better life
1:31 but graduates
1:34 no matter where your journey started you
1:36 have all made it here today through the
1:38 same combination of unyielding
1:42 determination sacrifice and a whole lot
1:44 of hard work
1:47 commuting hours each day to class some
1:48 of you juggling
1:52 I guess amen
1:55 juggling multiple jobs to support your
1:59 families and pay your tuition
2:01 studying late into the night early in
2:04 the morning on subways and buses
2:07 and in those few precious minutes during
2:11 breaks at work and somehow you still
2:13 found time to give back to your
2:16 communities tutoring young people
2:18 reading to kids volunteering at
2:22 hospitals somehow you still manage to do
2:25 prestigious internships and research
2:28 fellowships and join all kinds of clubs
2:29 and activities
2:32 and here at this nationally ranked
2:34 University with a rigorous curriculum
2:37 and renowned faculty
2:39 you Rose to the challenge
2:41 distinguishing yourselves in your
2:44 classes winning countless honors and
2:47 awards and getting into top graduate
2:50 schools across the country whoa
2:52 so graduates with your glorious diversity
2:54 diversity
2:57 with your remarkable accomplishments and
2:59 your deep commitment to your communities
3:04 you all embody the very purpose of this
3:05 school's founding
3:07 and more importantly
3:10 you embody the very hopes and dreams
3:12 carved into the base of that iconic
3:16 statue not so far from where we sit
3:19 on that island where so many of your
3:21 predecessors at the school first set
3:24 foot on our Shores
3:26 and that is why I wanted to be here
3:29 today at city college I wanted to be
3:32 here to celebrate All Of You the school
3:35 the city
3:37 because I know that there is no better
3:40 way to celebrate this great country than
3:42 being here with you
3:45 see all of you know for centuries the
3:48 city has been the gateway to America for
3:52 so many striving hope-filled immigrants
3:54 folks who left behind everything they
3:55 knew to seek out this land of
3:58 opportunity that they dreamed of
4:01 and so many of those folks for them this
4:04 school was the gateway to actually
4:06 realizing that opportunity in their
4:09 lives funded on the fundamental truth
4:12 that talent and ambition know no
4:15 distinctions of race nationality wealth
4:19 or fame and dedicated to the ideals that
4:21 our founding fathers put forth more than
4:24 two centuries ago that we are all
4:27 created equal all entitled to life
4:29 liberty and the pursuit of happiness
4:31 City College
4:34 became a Haven for brilliant motivated
4:37 students of every background
4:39 a place where they didn't have to hide
4:41 their last names
4:44 or their accents or put on any kind of
4:47 Errors because the students at this
4:49 school were selected based not on pedigree
4:50 pedigree
4:53 but on Merit and Merit alone
5:03 it is no accident that this institution
5:06 has produced 10 Nobel Prize winners along
5:08 along
5:11 along with countless captains of
5:14 industry cultural icons leaders at the
5:16 highest levels of government
5:19 because talent and effort
5:21 combined with our various backgrounds
5:24 and life experiences has always been the
5:27 lifeblood of our singular American genius
5:29 genius
5:30 just take the example of the Great
5:33 American Lyricist Ira Gershwin who
5:36 attended City College a century ago
5:38 the son of a Russian Jewish immigrant
5:42 his songs still light up Broadway today
5:45 or or consider the story of the former
5:54 and just think about the students in
5:57 this very graduating class
5:59 students like the economics and pre-law
6:01 major from Albania who also completed
6:04 the requirements for a philosophy a
6:07 philosophy major and dreams of being a
6:09 public intellectual the educational
6:11 theater student from right here in
6:13 Harlem who's already an award-winning
6:16 playwright and recently spoke at the
6:19 White House the biomedical science major
6:22 who was born in Afghanistan and plans to
6:25 be a doctor a policy maker and an educator
6:26 educator foreign
6:34 whose yemeni Roots inspired her to study
6:37 yemeni women's writing and to advocate
6:39 for girls in her community
6:42 urging them to find their own voices to
6:45 tell their own stories I could go on
6:49 these are just four of the nearly 4 000
6:52 unique and amazing stories in this
6:54 graduating class
6:57 stories that have converged here at city college
6:58 college
7:01 this Dynamic inclusive place
7:04 where you all have had the chance to
7:05 really get to know each other
7:09 to listen to each other's languages to
7:11 enjoy each other's food lasagna obviously
7:13 obviously
7:16 music and and holidays
7:19 debating each other's ideas pushing each
7:21 other to question old assumptions and
7:23 consider New Perspectives
7:26 and those interactions have been such a
7:29 critical part of your education at this
7:31 school those moments when your classmate
7:33 showed you that your stubborn opinion
7:41 or when they open your eyes to an
7:44 injustice you never knew existed
7:46 or when they help you with a question
7:48 that you couldn't have possibly answered
7:50 on your own
7:53 I think you're a valedictorian put it
7:55 best and this is a quote
7:57 said the sole Irreplaceable component of
8:00 my ccny experience came from learning
8:03 alongside people with life experiences
8:06 strikingly different from my own
8:09 he said I've learned that diversity in
8:11 Human Experience gives rise to diversity
8:12 and thought
8:16 which creates distinct ideas and methods
8:18 of problem solving
8:29 I couldn't have said it better myself
8:32 that is the power
8:35 of our differences to make us smarter
8:37 and more creative
8:40 and that is how all those infusions of
8:42 new cultures and ideas generation after
8:45 generation created the matchless Alchemy
8:47 of our Melting Pot and helped us build
8:50 the strongest most vibrant most
8:53 prosperous Nation on the planet
9:00 but unfortunately graduates despite the
9:02 lessons of our history and the truth of
9:05 your experience here at city colleges
9:07 some folks out there today seem to have
9:10 a very different perspective
9:13 they seem to view our diversity as a
9:16 threat to be contained rather than as a
9:18 resource to be tapped
9:21 they tell us to be afraid of those who
9:22 are different
9:25 to be suspicious of those with whom we disagree
9:26 disagree
9:29 but graduates I can tell you as first
9:31 lady I have had the privilege of
9:33 traveling around the world
9:35 and visiting dozens of different
9:38 countries and I have seen what happens
9:42 when ideas like these take hold
9:45 I have seen how leaders who rule by
9:48 intimidation leaders who demonize and
9:50 dehumanize entire groups of people often
9:53 do so because they have nothing else to offer
9:55 offer
9:57 and I've seen how
10:00 places that stifle the voices and
10:02 dismiss the potential of their citizens
10:04 are diminished
10:07 how they are less vital less hopeful
10:12 graduates
10:15 that is not Who We Are
10:18 that is not what this country stands for
10:22 no no here in America
10:25 we we don't let our differences tear us
10:28 apart not here because we know that our
10:30 greatness comes when we appreciate each
10:33 other's strengths when we learn from
10:34 each other when we lean on each other
10:38 because in this country it's never been
10:40 each person for themselves no we're all
10:43 in this together we always have been and
10:46 here in America we don't give in to our
10:49 fears we don't build up walls to keep
10:51 people out because we know that our greatness
10:52 greatness
10:55 has always depended on contributions
10:58 from people who were born elsewhere
11:02 but sought out this country and made it
11:04 their home
11:07 from Innovations like Google and eBay to
11:09 inventions like the artificial heart the
11:12 telephone even the blue jeans
11:15 to beloved patriotic songs like God
11:18 Bless America like national landmarks
11:20 like the Brooklyn Bridge and yes the
11:23 White House both of which were designed
11:32 finally graduates are our greatness has
11:34 never ever come from sitting back and
11:37 feeling entitled to what we have
11:40 it's never come from folks who climb the
11:42 ladder of success or who happen to be
11:44 born near the top and then pull the
11:47 ladder up after themselves no uh-uh our greatness
11:48 greatness
11:51 has always come from people who expect nothing
11:52 nothing
11:56 and take nothing for granted folks who
11:58 work hard for what they have then reach
12:00 back and help others after them
12:04 that is your story graduates and that is
12:16 and
12:18 it's the story of my family too
12:20 as many of you knew I grew up in a
12:23 working class family in Chicago
12:24 and while neither of my parents went
12:27 past High School let me tell you they
12:29 saved up every penny that my dad earned
12:32 at his City job because they were
12:35 determined to send me to college
12:37 and even after my father was diagnosed
12:40 with multiple sclerosis and he struggled
12:43 to walk relying on crutches just to get
12:46 himself out of bed each morning
12:48 my father hardly ever missed a day of work
12:50 work
12:53 see that blue collar job helped to pay
12:55 the small portion of my college tuition
12:57 that wasn't covered by loans or grants
13:00 or my work study or my summer jobs
13:03 and my dad was so proud to pay that
13:06 tuition bill on time each month
13:10 even taking out loans when he fell short
13:12 see he never wanted me to miss a
13:14 registration deadline because his check
13:16 was late
13:19 that's my story
13:21 and graduates
13:24 you all have faced challenges far
13:26 greater than anything I or my family
13:28 have ever experienced
13:30 challenges that most college students
13:33 could never even imagine
13:35 some of you have been homeless
13:38 some of you have risked the rejection of
13:41 your families to pursue your education
13:43 many of you have laying awake at night
13:45 wondering how on Earth you were going to
13:47 support your parents and your kids and
13:49 still pay tuition
13:52 and many of you know what it's like to
13:55 live not just month to month or day to
14:01 but graduates
14:04 let me tell you you you should never
14:07 ever be embarrassed by those struggles
14:10 you should never view your challenges as
14:12 a disadvantage
14:14 instead it's important for you to
14:16 understand that your experience facing
14:19 and overcoming adversity is actually one
14:21 of your biggest advantages
14:24 and I know that because I've seen it
14:27 myself not just as a student working my
14:29 way through school but years later when
14:31 I be after I came before I came to the
14:33 White House and I worked as a Dean at a college
14:34 college
14:36 in that role I encountered students who
14:38 had every advantage
14:39 their parents paid their full tuition
14:42 they lived in beautiful campus dorms
14:44 they had every material possession a
14:46 college kid could want cars computers
14:48 spending money
14:50 but when some of them got their first
14:52 bad grade
14:54 they just fell apart
14:56 they lost it
14:58 because they were ill-equipped to handle
15:00 their first encounter
15:02 with disappointment
15:08 but graduates as you all know life will
15:12 put many obstacles in your path that are
15:15 far worse than a bad grade
15:17 you'll you'll have unreasonable bosses
15:19 and difficult clients and patients
15:22 you'll experience illnesses and losses
15:24 crises and setbacks that will come out
15:27 of nowhere and knock you off your feet
15:29 but unlike so many other young people
15:31 you have already developed the
15:33 resilience and the maturity that you
15:36 need to pick yourself up and dust
15:39 yourself off and keep moving through the
15:46 you have developed that muscle
15:48 and with the education you've gotten at
15:50 this fine School
15:53 and the experiences you've had in your
15:56 lives let me tell you nothing and I mean
15:59 nothing is going to stop you from
16:01 fulfilling your dreams
16:04 and you deserve every last one of the
16:07 successes that I know you will have
16:10 but I also want to be very clear that
16:13 with those successes comes a set of obligations
16:15 obligations
16:18 to share the lessons you've learned here
16:20 at this school
16:22 the obligation to use the opportunities
16:25 you've had to help others
16:27 that means raising your hand when you
16:29 get a seat in that board meeting and
16:31 asking the question well whose voices
16:34 aren't being heard here what ideas are
16:38 we missing it means adding your voice to
16:40 our national conversation speaking out
16:44 for our most cherished values of Liberty
16:46 opportunity inclusion and respect the
16:49 values that you've been living here at
16:51 this school
16:54 it means reaching back
16:56 to help young people who've been left
16:59 out and left behind helping them prepare
17:02 for college helping them pay for college
17:04 making sure that great public
17:06 universities like this one have the
17:21 because we all know
17:23 that public universities have always
17:26 been one of the greatest drivers of our
17:29 prosperity lifting countless people into
17:32 the middle class creating jobs and
17:34 wealth all across this nation
17:37 public education is our greatest Pathway
17:39 to opportunity in America
17:42 so we need to invest in and strengthen
17:45 our public universities today and for
17:54 that is how
17:57 you will do your part to live up to the
17:59 oath that you all will take here today
18:01 the oath taken by generations of
18:04 graduates before you to make your city
18:07 and your world greater better and More Beautiful
18:08 Beautiful
18:11 more than anything else graduates
18:14 that is the American story
18:17 it's your story and the story of those
18:19 who came before you at the school it's
18:21 the story of the son of Polish
18:24 immigrants named Jonas Salk who toiled
18:26 for years in a lab until he discovered a
18:29 vaccine that saved countless lives it's
18:32 the story of the son of immigrant
18:34 Jamaican immigrants named Colin Powell
18:37 who became a four-star general secretary
18:39 of state and a role model for young
18:42 people across the country
18:44 and graduates
18:46 it's the story that I witness every
18:48 single day
18:51 when I wake up in a house that was built
18:54 by slaves and I watch my daughters
18:58 two beautiful black young women head off
19:00 to school
19:03 waving goodbye to their father the
19:11 the son of a man from Kenya
19:15 who came here to American to America for
19:17 the same reasons as many of you
19:19 to get an education and improve his
19:22 prospects in life
19:24 and don't let anybody tell you differently
19:25 differently
19:29 you are the living breathing proof that
19:32 the American dream endures in our time
19:33 it's you
19:36 so I want you all to go out there be
19:38 great build great lives for yourself
19:42 enjoy the Liberties that you have in
19:44 this great country pursue your own
19:47 version of happiness and please please
19:50 always always do your part
19:53 to help others do the same
19:56 I love you all
19:59 I am so proud of you
20:02 thank you for allowing me to share this
20:05 final commencement with you I have so
20:07 much faith in who you will be foreign
20:10 just keep working hard and keep the
20:12 faith I can't wait to see what you all
20:14 achieve in the years ahead thank you all
