Message to the the Class of 2016

On Sunday we held our third ever Graduation ceremony; what follows are a few lines from my closing remarks to the class of 2016:

An Alum – class of 2014 – I spoke to in November, currently studying in LSE in London, has a dream to improve education in Pakistan.  He intends to do it via his own corporate success, influence and political career.  He’ll benefit; others will benefit; that’s a worthy dream to pursue; and a dream to be proud of; and to follow with steely determination.

Finding the right dream is a challenge; it means choosing an occupation and an organization that aligns with our priorities. Simply put, if our paths mean we cannot live our values, we need to find other paths. We are not victims and we are not without options. On the contrary; we have more opportunities and freedoms than almost anyone in human history, ever – so we need to chart our own courses.  Plato defined a slave as someone who executes the purposes of others.  Honestly, looking around the modern working world, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that there are a lot of slaves out there; many of whom seem to manage only by the hard take-offs and soft landings of caffeine, alcohol or other crutches.  Don’t be one of them. Find the right dream and follow it.

Of course, probably few of you have your dream yet.  Honestly, I found mine when much older than you are now, after dabbling in many things – some of which are probably best not repeated here.  So how to find your dream?  This leads me to the second piece of advice, which is this: surround yourself with the right people.  Surround yourself with the right people who’ll help you find the right dream; who’ll help you become the sort of person you want to be.

We are social animals; we behave socially.  Research tells us that over time, we tend to develop the same habits as the people around us.  This can mean everything from eating habits to career aspirations to moral stance in the world.  If you’re in a group of people who have high goals for themselves, who are determined to make a contribution, then you’ll take on that same sense of seriousness.  Conversely, if you’re in a group who are cynical and disengaged, with little interest in anything beyond immediate gratification, then you will not grow as you might, and the danger is that a dismal gap will open between the person you are, and the person you could be.

Growth takes time, and you cannot develop alone.  You have a solid foundation and you have a great starting group right here in this room, as well as alumni who are ahead of you and alumni who will follow.  Make the most of each other; spend time with the people whom you want to be like; and be the person they need you to be too.  In some senses we take the hard yards by ourselves – others can only do so much – but you will be the average of the five people you spend the most time with; so choose them carefully.

To close; it’s been said there are two things children should get from their parents; roots and wings. I like to think schools can play a role there too; and we are grateful to parents for allowing us to help with these roots, and with these wings; and so to make our contribution to the next generation.

And so, Graduates, while it’s been good to share a few thoughts with you, we cannot close with a simple single message. Why? Because you are our message, in all your diversity, complexity, occasional contradiction; you are what we proclaim to the world each year… see, look here, look what might be!   In you we have great hopes for the future.

Our UWCSEA goal is to educate individuals to embrace challenge and to take responsibility for shaping a better world. With graduates like you, after all we have seen you do and achieve, I know I speak for the entire College when I say it has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with you. As well as the great hopes we have for you, we have even greater trust in you.  Congratulations; good luck; stay in touch.