Khakpour closed her speech by addressing the graduates not as children leaving school but as the best members of society — 'the smartest, most able.' Having spent seven years teaching college students, she had come to believe that 18-to-22-year-olds represented humanity at its peak potential. Her call to 'be different' was grounded in personal experience. She told the story of choosing to spend college spring break alone on a bus to Mississippi to research Faulkner for her honors thesis, while all her friends headed to Daytona Beach. She met Faulkner's nephew, saw secret Faulkner landmarks, and had 'one of the best times in my life.' Her friends were appalled: 'Homeworking for Spring Break?!' But she had learned by 22 that being different was 'something to run with.' The charge to 'be the future' was delivered without irony, which was itself a bold choice for a writer known for her sophistication. She trusted these graduates to handle the weight of genuine responsibility.