Television journalist Meredith Vieira, then host of NBC's Today Show, returned to her alma mater Tufts University in 2008 to deliver the commencement address. She illustrated this lesson with a self-deprecating story from her first days as an intern at CBS Radio station WEEI in Boston. She was told she'd be 'ripping wires' — meaning tearing copy off the wire service machines (UPI, Reuters, AP). She assumed it meant literally ripping wires out of the walls, bought a new pair of overalls, and showed up at 4 a.m. ready for demolition work. The mortification of that moment taught her a lesson she never forgot: there is no question too basic to ask, and no level of achievement at which you can stop learning. As someone who had gone on to interview presidents and cover major world events, Vieira understood that the willingness to admit ignorance is not a weakness but the foundation of genuine knowledge and professional growth.