Words of advice to recent college graduates
Commencement is a time for families and friends to gather and celebrate the accomplishments of their college graduates. But before students walk across that stage, they hear words of reflection and inspiration from their peers and college administrators, as well as advice on life after graduation. Some students hear speeches from notable public figures, although not all are universally well received by the campus community. Here are some excerpts from 2025 commencement speeches given by Hollywood stars and directors, athletes, politicians, scholars and activists — many of whom called attention to political and cultural challenges facing graduates.
Al Roker
Position: NBC “Today” cohost and weatherman
Spoke at: Siena College in New York
Advice to graduates: “We are in a moment when truth is under attack, when the loudest voice, too often, drowns out the most honest one, where misinformation spreads faster than facts, and that’s why your voices matter. Whether you’re going into journalism, business, science, art, education, public service, your responsibility is the same: To lead with integrity. To ground yourself and those around you in truth. To resist the temptation to chase viral over vital. And when you run into somebody — like I did early in my career in Cleveland — who tries to reduce you to a stereotype or just a number or throws ignorance in your face, you don’t let that define you. You define the moment.” — May 18, 2025
Angela Duckworth
Position: Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance”
Spoke at: Bates College in Maine
Advice to graduates: “I urge you to make a humble yet powerful vow. Commit to situation modification because this is what mindfulness looks like in the digital age. Not willpower, but the wisdom to shape the situations that shape you. One last thing — all of us have a fear of missing out. Surely, each of us missed at least one text message, notification or email during the 17 minutes our neighbor was holding our phone. As for everything in life, there are tradeoffs. When you make your choices, remember what the writer Annie Dillard said: ‘How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.'” — May 25, 2025
Colleen J. Shogan
Position: 11th U.S. Archivist
Spoke at: Warren Wilson College in North Carolina
Advice to graduates: “Resilience forces our hand to identify creative solutions and learn things about ourselves we would have never realized if we weren’t faced with adversity. On a personal level, the courage I was able to muster to face hostile congressional hearings, vicious trolls on social media and public criticism from both political parties didn’t manifest itself from the successes I had experienced in my career. Quite the opposite. The bravery that resides within us comes from facing our worst moments, the trials that test our souls. When we survive those episodes, we develop new skills, perspectives and strengths we wouldn’t have known about otherwise.” — May 10, 2025
Derek Jeter
Position: Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player
Spoke at: University of Michigan
Advice to graduates: “It is what you do when no one else is watching that really makes you stand out. No one has to know about your choices but you. Failure is essential. If I can promise you one thing for certain, you will fail. The bigger the dream, the bigger the risk. But what’s the price if you don’t take the risk, if you don’t commit to the dream? You might end up overmatched, but maybe you won’t. I failed publicly. I failed miserably. … My first season as a professional, I made 56 errors. But you, me, every one of us has to learn to deal with failure. I wouldn’t have had the success without the failures. It’s your job to make sure that a speed bump doesn’t become a roadblock.” — May 3, 2025
Donald Trump
Position: President of the United States
Spoke at: United States Military Academy at West Point in New York
Advice to graduates: “Instead of stock options … you chose honor and you chose sacrifice. Instead of business suits and dress shoes, you chose muddy boots and fatigues and keeping yourselves in shape — because West Point cadets don’t just have the brightest minds, you also have the bravest hearts and the noblest souls. … Hold on to your culture and your traditions because that’s what makes something really great — and that’s what’s made the Army great, the culture and the tradition. Whether we’re talking about a battalion, a business, a sports team or even a nation, history has shown that in many ways, culture is destiny — so do not let anyone destroy the culture of winning. You have to win.” — May 24, 2025
Emily Deschanel
Position: Actress known for her role in Fox crime series “Bones”
Spoke at: Boston University in Massachusetts
Advice to graduates: “Be gentle with yourself. Yes, you can challenge yourself, expect more from yourself. But why not also be kind? Empathy isn’t weakness. It’s not about letting people off the hook for their behavior or choices. It’s about understanding what led to those choices so you can decide how to respond from a place of authenticity. Empathy is what inspires action and leads to compassionate change in the world. … These days, empathy feels like it’s in short supply. The world doesn’t just need your skills. It needs your perspective, your patience, the courage to understand before judging. So bring empathy with you for everyone you will encounter, but also for yourself.” — May 18, 2025
Jon M. Chu
Position: Film director of “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Wicked” and “In the Heights”
Spoke at: University of Southern California
Advice to graduates: “I believe your generation faces a task more profound than perhaps any generation before. I know you feel it. And I want to acknowledge that this is not normal. It is not just you being paranoid, it’s true. You are being asked not just to navigate a changing world, but to fundamentally define who we will become in the face of unprecedented technological, cultural and political shifts. Your job is not simply to inherit a world, but to reimagine it and set the foundation for who we are moving forward. Because we are living in a moment when those old stories of who we are and what we stand for are breaking down.” — May 15, 2025
Kermit the Frog
Position: Muppet character
Spoke at: University of Maryland, College Park
Advice to graduates: “When I was just a little bit younger than all of you, I used to have fun in the swamp playing leapfrog. It was our favorite game — or kind of our only game — but we loved it, except for my cousin Albert. He never actually leapt. He just stepped on your back and used your head like a lily pad. Sure, he got ahead but it was only by stepping on you. We’ve been told that’s how you succeed and some choose to believe it. But I know they’re wrong. So as you prepare to take this big leap into real life, here’s a little advice if you’re willing to listen to a frog: Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side. Because life is better when we leap together.” — May 21, 2025
Kristi Noem
Position: Secretary of Homeland Security and former South Dakota governor
Spoke at: Dakota State University in South Dakota
Advice to graduates: “I don’t know how many of you have been out driving a vehicle before and you’ve wondered what’s wrong with it. It’s jerky, it doesn’t turn right, it’s going slow, it seems like something has broke and then you look down and you have your emergency brake on. Once you pull the emergency brake off, you’re amazed at how well your car drives. … I’m going to encourage you as you go out and tackle the next big thing in your life to take your emergency brakes off. There’s little things in our lives, little insecurities, little things that we are unsure of — maybe something that’s scary like moving across the country, taking a new position — that is your emergency brake that’s holding you back.” — May 10, 2025
LeVar Burton
Position: Actor, director and former host of the PBS show “Reading Rainbow”
Spoke at: Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Advice to graduates: “Even though the future may look uncertain, graduates, and even daunting, that day has arrived. This now moment is yours to shape. But remember always that you are not alone. There is strength in community and you will find sustenance and support in one another. Seek each other out. Remember that you are descended from some of the most resilient souls in the history of humanity. Trust yourselves. Know that your families and coaches and professors and mentors believe in you. I believe in you. And whatever you do, do not allow fear to paralyze you into nonaction.” — May 10, 2025
Luis A. Miranda Jr.
Position: Political strategist, philanthropist and author of “Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit That Is Transforming America”
Spoke at: University of Mount Saint Vincent in New York
Advice to graduates: “It is not a cliche to have a burning desire to help others as we help ourselves. You can do it in many ways … donate to a scholarship fund here at your alma mater; volunteer in your church or community group; vote for those who care about us; protest injustice; and be there for your friends, for your families, for your neighbors. When you go out there, do your best, because when you do your best you make us proud and you change society. … It is time to act. I’ll leave you with my son (Lin-Manuel Miranda)’s words in ‘Hamilton’ — ‘History has its eyes on you.'” — May 17, 2025
Mia Hamm
Position: National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, world champion and Olympic gold medalist
Spoke at: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Advice to graduates: “There’s a limit to how far a team can go if everyone is ultimately is out for themselves. And as is often the case, what is true for soccer is true for life. I urge you, as you move through the world, be someone who carries the water. Return the cart in the grocery store parking lot. Lend a hand when someone is lugging a stroller down the stairs. Pitch in, even if it’s not your job. And even when no one’s looking. This isn’t merely a tactic for winning championships, it’s a mindset and a moral choice. Be helpful, be all in. Carry the water. And finally, don’t miss out on the joy.” — May 10, 2025
Orlando Bloom
Position: Actor in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies
Spoke at: Soka University of America in California
Advice to graduates: “This is your lifetime and it’s yours alone to discover, to shape and to reveal all of which you are capable. At first, your vision might be modest. But as you grow, so too will your vision, until one day it forms a legacy. One that encompasses every area of your life, including your family, partners, your friendships and your career. Who’s to say? Maybe some of your path will include the paths of the arts, or you’ll build something entirely on your own. But life is certainly not a dress rehearsal and every moment matters. It’s in our most trying hours that we must dig deep and find gratitude, seeing each challenge as a lesson, as an opportunity to summon forth the best versions of ourselves.” — May 23, 2025
Simone Biles
Position: Olympic gymnast, 11-time medalist
Spoke at: Washington University in St. Louis in Missouri
Advice to graduates: “Graduates, you’ve already achieved so much, and it’s important to take time to appreciate what you’ve accomplished, to breathe it all in, to embrace that sense of success. In today’s dynamic world, things move quickly and there tends to be this urgency for what’s next rather than living in the moment. In the days and months ahead, you guys might feel like you’re floating around for a bit, without the demands of school to keep you grounded. And that’s OK. Let it be, and just take some time for you. Because, really, all you guys have to do is be you. … You just need to be the greatest you that you can be, the greatest you of all time.” — May 12, 2025
Wes Moore
Position: Governor of Maryland
Spoke at: University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Advice to graduates: “Class of 2025: Your lives will take many twists and turns. But things we plan to do often don’t last. It’s the things we do that matter. So when someone asks you: ‘What are you going to do with that degree?’ It’s OK if you don’t have a good response for them. Because when you look back many years from now, you aren’t going to say to yourself: ‘I wish I were more certain about what I wanted to do right out of school.’ You’re going to say: ‘I’m proud of what I accomplished.’ And you know who else will be proud? Each and every one of us.” — May 16, 2025
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Some college graduation speakers in 2025
— Al Roker
— Angela Duckworth
— Colleen J. Shogan
— Derek Jeter
— Donald Trump
— Emily Deschanel
— Jon M. Chu
— Kermit the Frog
— Kristi Noem
— LeVar Burton
— Luis A. Miranda Jr.
— Mia Hamm
— Orlando Bloom
— Simone Biles
— Wes Moore
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Advice From Famous Commencement Speakers originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 05/30/25: This slideshow was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
