Congratulations, Class of 2016
Over the last few weeks, thousands of students at U.S. colleges and universities became alumni.
Before turning their tassels, graduates received one final lesson from their commencement speakers.
Here are 10 memorable words of wisdom spoken at this summer’s ceremonies for schools among the top 20 Best National Universities, taken from published accounts of the speeches.
Princeton University
U.S. News rank: 1
“We need people who commit themselves to forging a public culture that enables shared, respectful, and engaged discourse through which we can negotiate differences and address the urgent issues confronting us. Taking up that project will call upon all the resources that your liberal arts education has provided you.”
–university President Christopher L. Eisgruber
Learn more about Princeton University.
Harvard University
U.S. News rank: 2
“Education is no equalizer —
Rather, it is the sleep that precedes the American Dream.
So wake up — wake up! Lift your voices
Until you’ve patched every hole in a child’s broken sky.
Wake up every child so they know of their celestial potential.”
–Donovan Livingston, 2016 Master of Education graduate of Harvard’s School of Education
Learn more about Harvard University.
Yale University
U.S. News rank: 3
“From the Facebook and Twitter feeds we monitor, to the algorithms that determine the results of our Web searches based on our previous browsing history and location, our major sources of information are increasingly engineered to reflect back to us the world as we already see it. They give us the comfort of our opinions without the discomfort of thought. So you have to find a way to break out of your echo chambers.”
–U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power at Yale’s Class Day
Learn more about Yale University.
Columbia University
U.S. News rank: 4 (tie)
“You cannot stand back and then be shocked at the consequences. You have to expect and prepare for exactly what’s happening now.”
–university President Lee Bollinger
Learn more about Columbia University.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
U.S. News rank: 7
“So either way, MIT, you’ve got to go out and do really interesting things. Important things. Inventive things. Because this world … real or imagined … this world has some problems we need you to drop everything and solve.”
–actor Matt Damon
Learn more about Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Duke University
U.S. News rank: 8
“It’s time for you to display your heart, to find teams, to go for it and to expect great things.”
—university men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski
Learn more about Duke University.
University of Pennsylvania
U.S. News rank: 9
“In a year when politicians traffic in anti-immigrant rhetoric, there is also a Broadway musical reminding us that a broke, orphan immigrant from the West Indies built our financial system. A story that reminds us that since the beginning of the great unfinished symphony that is our American experiment, time and time again, immigrants get the job done.”
—“Hamilton” writer Lin-Manuel Miranda
Learn more about the University of Pennsylvania.
Johns Hopkins University
U.S. News rank: 10 (tie)
“I wish you could be graduating into a world of peace, light, and love, but that’s not the case. After you leave here today, it’s going to be real life, and real life is no joke.”
–filmmaker Spike Lee
Learn more about Johns Hopkins University.
Cornell University
U.S. News rank: 15 (tie)
“I’ve found that this is the most important to me — be generous. You are the elite of a nation. You’re Ivy League, baby. You’ve obviously worked very hard toeven be admitted here. And now that you’ve gone through the gauntlet, you’re even smarter. So when you have the chance … take a little time to give back.”
Learn more about Cornell University.
University of Notre Dame
U.S. News rank: 18 (tie)
“We can’t possibly know what will come next for you. History will find some of you but not all of you. Because you can’t know which of you will make history, you must do your best to be ready.”
–Retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Learn more about the University of Notre Dame.
More About the Top Universities
Find out about other National Universities and get our complete rankings of the 2016 Best Colleges.
For more advice and information on how to select a college, connect with U.S. News Education on Twitter and Facebook.
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College Commencement Speakers Offer Advice to 2016 Graduates originally appeared on usnews.com
