Some Words for The Class of '09

I generally thank finals for stealing me away from variationblogging. After polishing off my last final (not well, mind you) last week, I packed up my stuff and hauled everything over to Moorpark to kick the summer off. But not before going to Pomona's commencement on May 17. The ceremony was common graduation fare, minus the alma mater, of course, but I was taken by the eloquence of some of the guest speakers.

In Claremont to claim her honorary doctorate, Mary Schmich PO '75 read playfully through her spam-worthy Wear Sunscreen speech (the same one that was hijacked by Baz Luhrman and quickly became fodder for forward-happy employees the world over). Simple and elegant.

Also receiving an honorary degree, Chicano playwright Luis Valdez drew a standing ovation with his call for social activism over complaisance (and vocal support for workers' rights on campus).

THE commencement speaker was Bob Herbert, author and columnist for The New York Times. As can be expected from a newsman, Herbert's message was tempered and practical. It's a tough world the class of 2009 enters into, but it's not an impossible one. The America our generation inherits is bleaker than the those of Herbert's, but there's potential for rebirth.

Ever a sucker for graduation speeches, I took some time this week to take a survey of exercises from around the country. Here are the five I've been most impressed with:

1) Ellen Degeneres at Tulane University. How can you not like a speech that name-checks Lady Ga-Ga while advocating equal rights?

2) Michelle Obama at UC-Merced. Striking "the balance between politics and sanity," the First Lady calls on graduates to organize and give back.

3)Ben Bernanke at Boston College Law School. "Things have a way of working out," he says. I want to believe that.

4) Barack Obama at ASU. "There's always more to do. Always more to learn. And always more to achieve."

5) Eric Schmidt at UPenn. Google CEO on the newfangled world 2009 graduates inherit and what it all means.