Some college graduates got treated to the cream of the crop of today’s politicians and leaders.
Here’s a taste of what the Obamas, Romney and Biden’s wife told the Class of 2012.
President Barack Obama at Barnard College
Obama spoke to graduates of the all-women’s college in New York on May 14.
Obama, a graduate of Columbia University, the parent university of Barnard, lauded the role of women in the country and in his own administration.
“As young women, you’re also going to grapple with some unique challenges,” Obama said, “like whether you’ll be able to earn equal pay for equal work; whether you’ll be able to balance the demands of your job and your family; whether you’ll be able to fully control decisions about your own health.”
Courtesy of The White House
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at Liberty University
The presidential candidate spoke at the largest, private, non-profit Christian colleges in the United States on May 12. Romney urged (with an occasional Southern twang?) graduates to live by their beliefs and have hope in a growing economy that “needs your talent and skills.”
Romney brought most of Williams Stadium to its feet when he said, “Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman,” only a few days after his opponent, President Obama, announced that he supported same-sex marriage.
“Lately I’ve found myself thinking about life in four-year stretches,” Romney told attendees. “And let’s just say that not everybody has acheived as much in these last four years as you have.”
Courtesy of Liberty University
First Lady Michelle Obama at Virginia Tech
First Lady Obama encouraged 2012 graduates of Virginia Tech to pursue service and civic engagement and take pride in their school, defining by more than its shooting tragedy in 2007.
“All of you have so much to teach all of us,” Obama said.
Courtesy of Virginia Tech
Michelle Obama also spoke at North Carolina A&T State University commencement, telling graduates “as graduates of this proud university, as young people like those who always stoked the fires of progress, our country is counting on all of you to step forward and help us with the work that remains. We need you.”
Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden
Biden spoke at Broward College’s commencement in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on May 4 and Southwestern Community College’s commencement in Creston, Iowa on May 11, where she spoke about her own experiences as a teacher and told attendees to “lift up others, Always go to your strength, and never stop learning.”
“What I’ve seen at every community college I have visited over the last four years is the story of hope,” Biden told graduates at Southwestern, according to her prepared remarks.
Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin at Syracuse University
Alright, so he’s no politician, but he created the hit television drama “The West Wing” and box office hit “Social Network” … so he’s kind of relevant to college students.
And, he had the best line of the season:
“You are dumb,” Sorkin said. “You are a group of incredibly well-educated dumb people.”
Courtesy of Syracuse University
What’s next? Vice President Joe Biden will speak at U.S. Military Academy at West Point commencement ceremonies on May 26, according to the Miami Herald.
