Last week, Elizabeth sent an email asking supporters like you to share advice for this year's graduating class. As she prepares to give a couple of commencement speeches this month, she reviewed your advice, and wanted to share a few submissions that stood out to her.
Please forward this email to a recent or soon-to-be graduate in your life — or take some of the advice with you into your day!
Keep reading and learning. Read everything you can get your hands on. Don't stop learning.
Help all to have food, security, opportunity, love, and respect — this includes you.
As an 8th grade teacher who has one of her favorite classes graduating this year, I would give this advice. Whatever particular plan you may have for your life, just remember that your country also needs you to step up and serve. Your curiosity, sense of fair play, and boundless talents are much needed by everyone around you. So whatever path you take, don't forget to lend a helping and healing hand wherever you go!
Start each day with the resolve to do the very best you can. Put aside yesterday's errors. Allow yourself a fresh start.
Although pursuing a career and discovering ways to enhance it and take forward strides is important, it's also important to live life. Much is learned from friend and family relationships. Juggling time can be tricky but rewarding as well. No one ever said there would be no frustration! Channeling energy in productive ways becomes a daily endeavor whether you are single or have 8 children! Take time to smell the roses and be thankful for the gifts.
Look for the joy in everything. This outlook will make a world of difference in the outcome of your life. Next, take care of yourself first, as it's like putting the oxygen mask on yourself first in the airplane. Lastly, be good to each other. It's the little things that soothe the soul. A smile, a wave, opening a door for another, letting someone in while in traffic, sing a happy song on your voicemail. It's the simple gestures that can change another's life for the better.
Congratulations. Please pay attention to who you are voting for in your local elections. Make sure they have your values on their agenda. Stay awake. Pay attention. Please vote.
Wear Sunscreen.
Do not be afraid to make mistakes because you will make them and you will recover from them. Forgive those who hurt you and forgive yourself. Do your best in everything that you do and do not be afraid to help others.
Never underestimate the power of the individual to make a difference. Remember that for evil to thrive it just takes a good person to do nothing. Get out there, make a difference and take action even if you're the only one — stand proud and stand tall.
Be involved with your town, city, state. Pay attention to what is going on in government. At your age, it may seem boring or unimportant, but it will affect you! Travel, see other cities and states, if you have the opportunity, go to other countries. Think outside the box and remember that perfection is highly overrated. Be yourself. Love yourself.
I am a sixty-nine-year-old graduate student who is looking forward to graduating this year with my Environmental Science degree. It took me a long time to be able to finish one of my lifelong goals. But I am proud to be at the finish line. My advice to anyone who wants to pursue their goals, GO for it. Never give up. I had wanted to be a marine biologist but life chose another path for me. So here I am forty years later with a new degree and a new beginning to a purposeful career. Thank you to all of my professors who helped me on my journey.
Remember to break down all your large complex and difficult problems into small tasks you can confidently handle and start doing them one at a time. All my best.
Connect locally. Form connections with people you can see. Talk to them, whether they are retail workers or good friends. Form groups that meet regularly. It will ground you and help you keep your faith in humanity.
It's okay to not know exactly what you want to do in your career. Some of you may have known since you were three years old exactly what you wanted to be when you grew up — and some of you may still be completely unsure of where to go next. Focus on your values and your interests, and start somewhere that aligns with that. It doesn't have to be perfect. Learn from that experience what you like and dislike in a career, then seek out the next opportunity that matches your interests a little bit more. Keep learning and growing, making changes. Maybe you stay in one field for five years and then completely change course. Maybe you find a new job every two years until you land in what feels like the right fit. That's normal and part of learning and growing as a person. There's no shame in figuring it out as you go — trust your instincts, remember that you deserve happiness and fulfillment, and keep moving forward.
Vote. Get involved with organizations and groups that support your views and encourage growth. Keep reading. Keep asking questions. Don't give up. You are the change we seek and our hope for a brighter, cleaner future.
We hope you enjoyed reading those kind and thoughtful submissions as much as we did, Faith. Thanks for being a part of this movement.
Team Warren
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