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Commencement
Here Are the Best Commencement Speeches of 2019
By Mahita Gajanan
'Be Your Own Cheerleader.' Mindy Kaling Gives Dartmouth Graduates Advice on Delusion, Dating and Success
By Katie Reilly
Here's Everything Jimmy Fallon Told Parkland Graduates
By Katie Reilly
A Valedictorian Was Barred From Delivering His High School Graduation Speech. He Spoke by Megaphone Instead
By Katie Reilly
More in
Commencement
Here Are 10 of the Best Pieces of Advice From 2018 Commencement Speakers
Speakers from Oprah Winfrey to Jeff Flake have offered wisdom to new graduates
By Katie Reilly
May 24, 2018
Read Jeff Flake's Commencement Speech on the Rule of Law and Trump: 'We May Have Hit Bottom'
"Our leadership is not good, but it probably can’t get much worse."
By Katie Reilly
May 23, 2018
Hillary Clinton Tells Students to Bridge the Political Divide With 'Radical Empathy' in Yale Class Day Speech
Clinton told students to fight for democracy
By Alix Langone
May 20, 2018
Ben Carson Tells Liberty University Graduates They Have 'Tremendous Spheres of Influence'
Donald Trump was a past commencement speaker
By Alix Langone
May 20, 2018
Jimmy Carter Pokes Fun at Trump During Liberty University Commencement
He also urged grads to live with love
By Katie Reilly and Jamie Ducharme
May 19, 2018
'Make Failure Your Fuel.' Read Soccer Star Abby Wambach's Barnard Commencement Address
"Barnard women, class of 2018, we are the wolves"
By Katie Reilly
May 17, 2018
'Fight Our Tribal Mindset.' Read Justin Trudeau's Commencement Address to NYU Graduates
"Do you want to win an argument or do you want to change the world?"
By Katie Reilly
May 16, 2018
Rex Tillerson Seemed to Be Taking a Swipe at President Trump in His Commencement Speech
"Look for employers who set high standards for personal conduct"
By Katie Reilly
May 16, 2018
'Be Fearless.' Read Apple CEO Tim Cook's Commencement Speech at Duke University
He addressed tech privacy issues and more
By Alix Langone
May 13, 2018
'This Is Your Time to Rise.' Oprah Tells Graduates to Fight for Truth and Hope in a World 'Off its Rocker'
"If they go low — thank you, Michelle Obama — we go to the polls"
By Katie Reilly
May 11, 2018
Rod Rosenstein Tells Law Graduates to Fall Back on ‘Your Own Moral Principles’ During Ethical Dilemmas
He advised law graduates to pursue truth in the face of controversy
By Katie Reilly
May 11, 2018
'Trust That Inner Voice.' Read Ronan Farrow's Emotional Commencement Speech at Loyola Marymount
At Loyola Marymount University
By Jamie Ducharme
May 5, 2018
Betsy DeVos Urges Ave Maria Grads to 'Embrace the Mess': Read the Full Text of Education Secretary's Commencement Speech
Her appearance sparked controversy at the school
By Jamie Ducharme
May 5, 2018
'I Wish You Bad Luck.' Read Supreme Court Justice John Roberts' Unconventional Speech to His Son's Graduating Class
"I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice"
By Katie Reilly
July 5, 2017
Why the Dalai Lama's University of California Commencement Address Is Controversial
"His presence will ruin our joy"
By Katie Reilly
June 16, 2017
Linda Sarsour Gives CUNY Commencement Speech: 'Commit to Never Being Bystanders'
"We will speak truth to power no matter the consequences"
By TIME Staff
June 2, 2017
Watch Live: Linda Sarsour Delivers CUNY Public Health Commencement Address
The speech has drawn right-wing criticism
By Katie Reilly
June 1, 2017
Linda Sarsour’s CUNY Commencement Address Has Become a Right-Wing Target
"They made it their mission to do everything they can to take my platform away"
By Katie Reilly
May 31, 2017
Watch Live: Mark Zuckerberg Returns to Harvard to Deliver Commencement Address
Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard to work on Facebook
By Lisa Marie Segarra
May 25, 2017
Trump Says 'No Politician in History' Treated as Unfairly
"You will find that things happen to you that you do not deserve"
By Katie Reilly
May 17, 2017
Elizabeth Warren to Graduates: Democracy Won't Work if Americans 'Ignore What's Going On'
The senator urged graduates to get involved in advocacy work
By Katie Reilly
May 12, 2017
Texas Southern University Cancels Commencement Address by GOP Senator Amid Backlash
John Cornyn was scheduled to speak at the historically black university
By Katie Reilly
May 12, 2017
DeVos Booed at Historically Black University
The university president intervened to warn students to stop
By Katie Reilly
May 10, 2017
Read Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz's Commencement Address at Arizona State University
"Summon your compassion, your curiosity, your empathy towards others"
By TIME Staff
May 10, 2017
Bernie Sanders Will Give the Commencement Speech at Brooklyn College
Sanders will return to his roots
By Abigail Abrams
February 2, 2017
How Obama Has Used Commencement Speeches Over the Years
Annual State of the Union addresses for the young
By Maya Rhodan
June 3, 2016
Elizabeth Warren to Grads: 'Fight for the Kind of World You Want to Live In'
Watch U.S. Senator and consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren's Suffolk University commencement speech
By Sen. Elizabeth Warren
May 23, 2016
David Gergen to Elon Grads: North Carolina Becoming 'The Poster Child of Backward-Looking Leadership'
'Now we are in the same headlines as Mississippi,' said the political commentator and former presidential advisor
By David Gergen
May 23, 2016
Bill Moyers to Grads: President Johnson Didn't Think We'd Have a Black President Yet
Watch American journalist and political commentator Bill Moyers speak at the Rutgers commencement ceremony
By Bill Moyers
May 23, 2016
Vivek Murthy to Grads: 'Live a Connected Life'
Watch U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's commencement speech at the University of Arizona
May 17, 2016
Russell Wilson to Grads: 'When Life Tells You No, Stay Ready'
Watch Russell Wilson's University of Wisconsin-Madison commencement speech
By Russell Wilson
May 16, 2016
What Sheryl Sandberg Learned From Her Husband's Death
She spoke to students about the importance of gratitude and resilience
By Charlotte Alter
May 14, 2016
The Long History Behind Your Favorite Celebrity Commencement Speech
In recent decades, academics have ceded some ground to celebrity speakers
By Merrill Fabry
May 13, 2016
Read President Obama's Commencement Address to Howard University
President Obama called on graduates of a historically black college in Washington, D.C., to pay it forward in a commencement address Saturday. Speaking at Howard University, Obama reflected on his status as the first African-American...
By Ryan Teague Beckwith
May 9, 2016
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to Grads: Make Feminism an Inclusive Party
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave this commencement speech at Wellesley College
By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
June 15, 2015
Mom Attends High School Graduation in Late Son's Place
A Chicago area woman sat among students at Thornton Fractional North High School's graduation in honor of her son who died in a car crash
By Maya Rhodan
May 21, 2015
See the Best Advice Given to 2015 Grads in Under 3 Minutes
From Michelle Obama, George W. Bush and more
By Turner Cowles and Maya Rhodan
May 21, 2015
The 6 Most Memorable Commencement Speeches From Business Titans
From Steve Jobs to Sheryl Sandberg
By Dan Kedmey
May 18, 2015
Let Motown Be Your Commencement Speaker
Forget all the controversies. Let Marvin Gaye and the other greats be your true guide to life with Kareem's commencement mix tape.
By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
May 20, 2014
Watch Sandra Bullock Urge High School Graduates Not to Pick Their Noses
The actress delivered a surprise commencement address at a New Orleans high school
By Samantha Grossman
May 20, 2014
Speaker: Social Media Empowered Misguided Protests
Following controversy over the school’s graduation speaker, former Princeton University President William Bowen says social media has unfairly amplified the voices of a few
By Josh Sanburn
May 19, 2014
Jill Abramson Speaks Out After Ouster
Jill Abramson, the New York
Times
editor told graduating students at North Carolina's Wake Forest University today that she's in 'the same boat as many of you' and admitted the firing 'hurt,' but added she wouldn't be changing her famous 'T' tattoo
By Charlotte Alter
May 19, 2014
This Is the Only Commencement Speech Anybody Needs to Hear Ever
There's been a lot of hoopla over commencement season this year. Protests have sent some would-be speakers packing in a huff. And, at the moment, many people (on the island of Manhattan anyway) are wondering...
By Matt Vella
May 19, 2014
Grad Speaker Calls Out Students for Protest
William Bowen, a former Princeton University president, criticized Haverford College students who rallied against a former University of California, Berkeley chancellor as their speaker because of his management of a 2011 protest that led to police force
By Nolan Feeney
May 18, 2014
12 Inspiring Graduation Speeches Given by Amazing Women
Inspirational moments from Sheryl Sandberg, J.K. Rowling, Oprah, Meryl Streep, Ellen DeGeneres and more.
By Kelly Conniff
May 18, 2014
Watch an Animated Version Of George Saunders' Amazing Commencement Speech
Just a reminder to be kind
By Melissa Locker
April 25, 2014
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