What's Next
Parents, educators, distinguished guests. It is indeed an honor for me to address you today on such a significant occasion. Today culminates the long journey of this remarkable class of graduates– a journey that could not have been undertaken without the proper means of support.
If this group has climbed a mountain, you have been the rope. If they have sailed across a vast ocean, you have been the wind in their sails. If they have journeyed across the desert, you have been their camel. Well, maybe not their camel, but you get the idea. The point is that today is not just some mirage of a hallucination-induced oasis. It’s real. You all made it. And to you graduates; you couldn’t have done it without help. I want to take a moment to recognize those who have supported these graduates on their remarkable journey.
And now- SENIORS- the class of 2007, I want to address you for a while. After all, TODAY is about you- and all about what’s NEXT. But I’ve got news for you- yesterday was all about you too. And tomorrow… well, I’ll get to that in a minute.
It’s a lot to take in, with families in attendance, you’re sitting there with your friends, you’ve got after-parties to think about. I recognize the important role of the commencement speech- in that it will be forgotten as soon as I leave the stage. With apologies to Abraham Lincoln, who stated at Gettysburg: “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here.” Still, “it is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.”
Or perhaps it would be just as meaningful to quote another influential figure of modern history. As Ferris Bueller said, on the occasion of his momentous “Day Off”: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”
Members of the graduating class, I implore you- on this day- to stop, and look around. Life does move pretty fast. And you don’t want to miss what’s next.
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Your generation- like all generations that came before you- is unique. Looking back, you have seen a lot. You have experienced a lot. The Internet has always been a part of your life. Some of you have probably never seen a rotary dial phone- cell phones are the standard communications device, and I’ll bet many of you can text faster than you can type. I’ll admit that I learned to type on a typewriter, and I was in school when “web browsers” were introduced. But since then, we have grown up together.
You had just started school when the tragedy at Columbine occurred. You were witnesses to history on September 11, 2001, when- as school children- you watched terrorists attack the World Trade Center, and start a war. And this past spring, we grieved with the students at Virginia Tech, who went to class and met a massacre.
But you’ve witnessed some good things too. You’ve seen a man beat cancer and go on to win cycling’s toughest event- 7 times. You’ve seen hybrid cars start to replace SUV’s. Recycling has become more important to you. You get your news from 24-hour news channels, and from Comedy Central. And you associate U2 lead singer Bono with human rights activism as much as with his music. These experiences have shaped your generation. They have shaped you and the person you’ve become.
No doubt you’ve heard a lot about your generation. Much has been said and written about you. Sometimes called “Millennials”, or “Generation Next,” you could just as easily be called the iPod generation as far as I’m concerned. I’ll bet there are more than a few digital devices in the crowd today.
But your generation, as I said before, is unique in other ways. You’re more interested in “what’s next.” Your class has a propensity to be more activist than apathetic. You are closer to your parents than any generation before you. You’ve been described as more confident, self-assured, globally aware, team-oriented and racially diverse than any generation in history. Meanwhile, you are sheltered by sweeping national security measures. The most watched-over generation in history, and, perhaps as a result, the most stressed.
Many of you work. More of you volunteer. And you contribute 122 Billion in spending power to the national economy. Some people just woke up (did he say billion?). Yes, billion. And this final point I want to emphasize. Your generation achieves more than any in history. Said another way, the class of 2007 is capable of achieving more than any previous class of Ellinwood graduates.
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So, as my brief time in front of you today dwindles, and now that we have looked back, let me finish by giving you a glimpse of tomorrow, a glimpse of what’s next. Not tomorrow as in Monday morning. That’ll come soon enough. I’m talking about the world you are about to inherit, and the one you will eventually leave behind.
When the Daily Show’s John Stewart recently addressed a group of graduates, he began talking about the real world by confessing an ugly truth. He said, “About that real world…um, we broke it. Sorry about that.” I’m not sure I’d go that far. The real world is actually not broken. In fact, I think it’s in its 18th season on MTV, so it must be doing really well. Or maybe he meant the “real world,” the world out there.
Sure, there will be challenges. You are confident and self-assured. Sure, there are dangers. You are protected and prepared. Sure, there are problems to be solved. You will achieve.
Driving here from Lawrence, I couldn’t help but notice that gas prices are going up. Did you notice that? Maybe I’ll just hang out in Ellinwood and wait for gasoline prices to go down. Shouldn’t take long, right? Or instead, maybe one of you will identify, develop and commercialize alternative sources of fuel to relieve the energy crisis.
And while we’re at it, it seems that none of those Miss America contestants who said they wanted to cure cancer have been able to do it. Cancer is not glamorous. It’s ugly. The disease touches 3 out of every 4 families in America and killed close to 600,000 people last year. Even worse, about a third of them could have been saved- we have the means to save them now- but our system, the system you are about to take over, has let us down. We have only succeeded in prolonging life for those with cancer now, but we have not cured it. This is the world you are about to inherit. Tomorrow, things will change. Your generation will change the world.
As many of you head off to the “real world,” to go college and to begin your careers, you will live and work in a global economy. If you go to a place like KU, your friends are as likely to be from India or Italy as Sabetha or Garden City- as mine were. 25% of our students will gain international experience before they graduate through Study Abroad, and others will volunteer in the Peace Corps. This suggests that the barriers of international relations will be removed by your generation. Who knows what will come next, as many of you consider public service or even elective office. Will you speak a second language, or a third? Will you live abroad, or work for an international company? Will you break down barriers, and broker peace in the Middle East? What’s next is up to you.
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In closing, I’m reminded of Jed Bartlett, the fictional president on television’s awarding winning show “The West Wing,” who would attack the weighty issues of the day with compassion and decisiveness before letting his staff know he was ready to move on by exclaiming “what’s next.”
As you celebrate your amazing achievement today, which you so richly deserve to do, recognize the weighty issues of the day that lie ahead of you. What’s next for “Generation Next?” What impact will the Millennial Generation have on the new millennium? Will you take on the challenges of the world that have yet to be solved? Will you challenge yourself to not only improve the world around you, but to improve yourself? You have it within you. Your generation was born to change the world.
Graduates, you have accomplished a great deal, and there is much that you have left to accomplish. So let me leave you with some final advice. In fact, for the class of 2007, I would offer exactly 7 well-chosen bits of advice, and I’ll use short words so you can text these to your friends and hold yourselves accountable. Consider it a to-do list. In order, I would encourage you to do the following:
1. GO. Don’t wait for things to happen. Make them happen. Go out and do what no one else will do. Go on.
2. DARE. Dare to achieve, dare to be great. Challenge yourself.
3. FIND. Find the answer. Find the cure. The solutions to the world’s problems are out there. Find them.
4. CONNECT. Maintain your friendships, your connections with your teachers. Build a network of support that will lead to mutually beneficial collaborations, deeper connections and new contacts.
5. ACT. Or more specifically, be active. Take care of your planet, take care of your neighbors, but don’t forget to take care of yourself. Be mentally active. Be physically active.
6. GIVE. Give of your time, of your money- of yourself. Give something back. And finally…
7. STOP.
I said it before, and I’ll say it again- life moves pretty fast. Don’t forget to stop, look around and enjoy your world and the impact you and your generation are having on it.
Class of 2007, I’ve got good news for you. YOU are what’s next. Congratulations on your achievement. Now go out there and change the world.
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Given by David Johnston
May 20, 2007