Ah, it is just so wonderful to get open this show, this wonderful and happy occasion, and to greet all of you –
- Our esteemed faculty who did so much to create the liberal arts education at Fulbright – really an amazing and world class group, and I’m convinced these are the highest quality faculty in Vietnam, by the way, and wonderful human beings. (Faulty, please stand and be recognized)
- Our amazing, dedicated professional staff, who work tirelessly – usually out of public view and often underappreciated – to support everything that matters to students, from all the preparations for this beautiful event as one example, and so many more – (staff, please rise and be recognized – I appreciate you more than you know.)
- Fulbright’s strength is in our network – we are small in numbers but mighty in the support of our critical stakeholders, of which we have representatives from our government partners here today whom I would like to recognize —
- Associate Prof. Dr. Pham Quoc Khanh, Deputy Director General, Vietnam Education Quality Management Agency, Ministry of Education and Training.
- Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Thi, Head of the Board of Management, Saigon Hi-tech Park.
- Ms. Aler Grubbs, Country Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development.
Thank you for being here. And very honestly, these three just the beginning of our highly distinguished guest list, several of whom will be introduced by name at different points in today’s event, and many, many more who grace us with their presence. The support and good will of these trustees, partners and friends means so much to us and make wonderful things like internships and job offers materialize for our students. Please join me in thanking them all….
Now I’d like to turn to another incredibly important group of people to celebrate today. More important, really, than any. That is: our proud families, friends and loved ones of our graduating class. Where would we be without you? Your confidence in Fulbright is what has allowed us to plant the seed of our Tamarind tree in Vietnam, and nothing could be more precious or meaningful than your trust. Thay mặt trường Đại học Fulbright Việt Nam, tôi xin cảm ơn quý phụ huynh vì đã tin tưởng Fulbright.
Parents and family and loved ones of the class of 2024, please stand up and be recognized – this day is in every way a celebration of YOU and what your amazing graduates have accomplished.
Please stay standing – tiep tuc dung len, phu huynh…
And now, we will uphold a tradition of Fulbright – a ceremony where our students express their gratitude to their parents. I will lead this part in Vietnamese.
Các em sinh viên yêu quý, thầy mời tất cả các em đứng dậy.
Công cha như núi Thái Sơn
Nghĩa mẹ như nước trong nguồn chảy ra
Các em hãy cuối đầu cám ơn ba mẹ vì công ơn sinh thành và dạy dỗ để các em có được ngày hôm nay.
That’s a touching moment, isn’t it? I watched this last year on video stream from America, just days after being selected to be your next president, and it brought tears to my eyes.
And now — Class of 2024, let me turn to you. I and others have much to say about you today.
- The Fearless. Fear-less. The class of the fear-less.
- What does this word, fearless, mean to you?
I think there are many reasons this title is appropriate for you. Let me offer my take. It is this: Fearlessness is the spirit of the liberal arts education you have received. It embodies a profound tension between “fear” and “lessness”.
We live in an age of fear. Most of the time, it takes the form of a gnawing anxiety, a sense that the world is not right, that things might not be entirely safe, that changes coming may not be we can even envision, let alone take shelter from. Think of your own experience, at three levels:
- At the macro level, the world can be an anxiety-provoking place. During your years at Fulbright, you’ve witnessed wars, a global pandemic, the rapid rise of AI, and accelerating global warming, among many other global changes.
- At the immediate level of our university, you’ve been through a brave journey – policies and curricula constantly evolving, faculty and leadership changing, facilities still quite tight – all of which can trigger real pain points.
- And at the individual level, you have harbored doubts and insecurities. How do I know this, you might ask? Because I like you am a human being, and we all feel these things, especially during times of great growth, opportunity and stress – like my own first year as President here. Some of us try to hide it, more or less successfully, but as the band Styx sang, “Someday soon we’ll stop and ponder, what on earth is this spell we are under, we made the grade and still we wonder, who the hell we are”. (Classic rock from the 1980s is still the best – I’m telling you.)
The essence of a true liberal arts education is expanding our ability to respond wisely to fear. It means not letting fears crush our optimism or lead us to blame. As Alan Watts wrote in The Wisdom of Insecurity, “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. Another great thinker agreed, adding, “Being fearless isn’t being 100% not fearful. It’s being terrified but you jump anyway.” (That’s Taylor Swift, by the way.)
And “jumping anyway” is exactly what you have to celebrate:
So let me ask you:
- Class of the Fearless, when confronted by Covid, did you feel fear at times about what might come next?
Ok, so even as the world stood upside down just as you were beginning your university life, did you freak out, despair, drop out of school and cease to make friends and grow?
- Class of the Fearless, when confronted with an open-ended curriculum in the early years, in which you had to wait some time and explore options before committing to a major, even when you may have felt pressures from well-intentioned relatives to define your career path early on — did you feel some anxiety at times?
Well, did you freak out, stop experimenting, close off options and make a choice that didn’t feel right to you?| - Class of the Fearless, as you look into the future, do you believe everything looks really calm, settled, and perfect, and a continuous, uninterrupted series of triumphs awaits you?
Well, if not, are you ready to embrace the challenges with an open and optimistic heart and a flexible, creative mind, due in part to your growth and learning from your years at Fulbright?
(Hmmm, I thought you might answer that way!)
The point is this: true education – true liberal arts education – means celebrating the art of being human in all its complexity. Embracing the “wisdom of insecurity” puts us on the path to create meaning – for ourselves and our projects in society.
And we can define a fearless community too – it is one with a living commitment to each individual’s growth, each and every day.
Graduating class, you have left your mark on Fulbright, making fearl-essness as an integral value of the community we aspire to be – one that nurtures cohorts of the fearless for a future that we will shape and embrace with an optimistic heart.
Now, on this auspicious day, take a moment to turn to each other, to celebrate each other – literally – give your neighbors a hug. You have overcome challenges, experienced a difficult journey, and seen it through to a successful completion.
You are ready to embrace the future that stands before you.
We faculty and staff are truly proud of you and your growth over these years.
Stay connected to us. And we will watch and celebrate your fearless exploration of life’s sometimes cruel, often beautiful, and always wondrous terrain. It all lies ahead – and you are ready for it.
From the bottom of the heart of us faculty and professional staff at Fulbright, to all of you in the class of 2024: Congratulations, Fearless Friends!
