Speech

Just to be here, you guys sacrificed and left behind your family, your friends, and your social circles, and started over again from scratch. At your age, even the smallest ripple in a social circle can cause an emotional tidal wave.

You need to raise your expectations of yourself.

Don't build your life around the expectations of others.

You shouldn't let failure define you, but instead you should let failure refine you.

I am an infinite being with infinite possibilities.

Say Yes. Say Yes, And… and create your own destiny.

I didn't know who I was or what I was going to do with my life when I finished college. I wasn't any clearer about my direction than the day I graduated high school.

Hold on to your old friends. Kiss your Mama. Admit what your dreams are. Don't beat yourself up if you don't know what you're gonna do tomorrow. But work hard and don't be lazy.

Never let others define you. Define yourselves.

The stumbler doesn't build her life by being better than others, but by being better than she used to be.

The world is not a meritocracy, but merit still matters. The world isn't fair, but being fair still matters. The world is unkind, but being kind still matters, perhaps more than anything.

Every day, wake up and say to yourself, this little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine.