I was born in Iran. At the age of six, my family was forced to flee because of the Iranian Revolution. Today I stand in front of you giving the commencement speech at one of the top universities in America. I am the American dream.
speech graduation perseverance
Maz Jobrani
UC Berkeley Commencement 2017, 2017
Nobody knows what they're doing. Nobody does. Everyone's winging it out there. Some people are just better at pretending to be confident.
speech graduation humility
Kumail Nanjiani
Grinnell College Commencement 2017, 2017
Those who discovered and pioneered this land had to have rare qualities of courage and imagination, nor did these qualities stop there. Even the modern-day immigrants have been possessed of courage beyond that of their neighbors — the courage to tear up centuries-old roots and leave their homelands, to come to this land where even the language was strange.
speech graduation courage
Ronald Reagan
Eureka College Commencement 1957, 1957