Your actions can have a global impact, act wisely
Most commencement addresses do not change the course of history. On a sunny afternoon in 1947, then-Secretary of State George C. Marshall gave one that did. Speaking at Harvard University, the former general reminded his audience that a few thousand miles away from where they gathered that day, the aftermath of World War II had plunged Europe into poverty, hunger and despair. The American people, he explained, had a responsibility to come to Europe’s aid despite being themselves so “distant from the troubled areas of the earth.” Even if you’ve never heard that speech, you are probably familiar with the policy agenda it proposed: the Marshall Plan, which helped speed Western Europe’s recovery and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity.
Today, as then, the world faces mass suffering and economic devastation. Again, nations will need to pull together to rebuild. But this time, you, the graduating class of 2020, don’t need a commencement speaker to paint a picture of the “troubled areas of the earth.” The Covid-19 crisis we confront today is not a localised experience but a truly global one.
As a member of our global community, your actions can have a global impact. Whatever your professional goals, wherever you live, whoever you are, there are ways, big and small, that you can participate in making the world better for everyone. If this crisis has inspired you to pursue a career in public service, that’s fantastic—but it’s not the only way to contribute. You can always use your voice and your vote to advance change. You can insist on policies that create a healthier, better future for everyone, everywhere.
It’s true that you are entering this new phase of your life at a daunting time. For many of you, the path you’d envisioned after graduation may suddenly be much steeper. But there is no question that you have a role to play, whether that’s now or in the future. You inherit a world that has already proven that progress is possible — a world that has rebuilt after war, vanquished smallpox, fed a growing population, and enabled more than a billion people to climb out of extreme poverty. That progress didn’t happen by accident or fate. It was the result of people just like you who made a commitment that whatever else they did with their lives and careers, they would contribute to this shared mission of propelling us all forward. Class of 2020, these are not easy times. But we will get through them. And with your leadership, the world will be stronger than before.