That means it’s time for people like me — who have been given the honor of delivering commencement speeches — to offer young people who are about to embark on their careers lots of unsolicited advice about how to live their lives.
That’s the tradition. When I graduated from high school, college, and medical school, I also heard from commencement day speakers who gave me and my classmates our serving of free advice.
I can’t claim that I remember everything that was said on those otherwise memorable days. Part of the reason may be the passage of time. Or it might be because I was exhausted from all the hard work I had poured into receiving those diplomas.
But I remember clearly how proud my parents were, and how I pleased I was that I could give them these special moments in appreciation of everything they gave me.
Now it’s your turn. What I most want to say to you at this moment is simple but also powerful: Don’t be afraid to dream. But when the time comes to make those dreams into reality, don’t forget to give back to the community that produced and sustained you for years. Enlist. Step forward. Spend at least part of your life and career not in pursuit of wealth or title or fame but in service to others. Use your college degree — or medical, or law, or engineering, or journalism degree — for the betterment of all mankind.
In the end, you’re likely to look back on that service as the most rewarding work you did in life. That’s the secret to a life well-lived. So, Class of 2025, congratulations on your achievement. We can’t wait to see what you do next — and to celebrate the good you do along the way.
Maximiliano Cuevas, MD is the CEO of Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas, a collective of non-profit community health care centers that serve patients in Monterey County.