Gabrielle Giffords, then serving as a U.S. Congresswoman from Arizona, returned to her alma mater, Scripps College, to deliver the commencement address in May 2009 — less than two years before she would be shot in the head during a constituent meeting in Tucson. The speech she gave that day was vibrant, funny, and passionate, reflecting the energy of a woman who had gone from managing her family's tire business to representing Arizona's 8th Congressional District. This quote captured the central message of her address. Giffords told the graduates to ignore the voices telling them what they 'ought' to do with their careers and families. As women who had fought 'too hard and for too long against the narrowing confines of social expectation,' they had earned the right to follow their own hearts. The 'deal life offers us' was both a gift and a responsibility — no one else can live your life, which means no one else can be blamed for how you live it.