Comments on: Advice for graduation speakers

By: Kris Amundson

Kris Amundson — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 17:38:34 +0000

Eric, that is truly a head-slapper. Sorry I missed it. And Bryan, how many versions of “Seasons of Love” HAVE you endured?

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:16:12 +0000

The most memorable-bad commencement speech I’ve ever attended was at the University of Richmond a few years ago. The speaker was an executive at Google who had majored in something decidedly un-technical and not at all business-oriented which I’m sure was NOT philosophy while she was an undergrad at UR. Her initial comments were actually pretty appropos for the audience, but the part that stuck with me came towards the end as she came to wax philosophic about how her unlikely career at Google had emotionally brought her full circle. “Because in the end, aren’t we all a little like Google?” she asked the graduates. “Aren’t we all here each of us, searching for something relentlessly until we finally find it–before we go off searching for something else?”

I know Governor Kaine may think these things aren’t memorable, but after throwing up in my mouth a little bit, I’m going to remember the question “Aren’t we all a little like Google?” for the rest of my life. :)

By: Bryan J. Scrafford

Bryan J. Scrafford — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 04:07:34 +0000

Perhaps the worst is when you are a musician. I’ve had to play at so many graduations (I’m a saxophonist) that I’ve essentially memorized any piece that might even be considered for performance at a ceremony. It gets to the point were you’ll often hear members of the band trying to work out some improve that fits into the music somehow.