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Advice from Graduation Speakers: Eat a Good Breakfast

FILE - Oprah Winfrey speaks to graduates at USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, May 11, 2018.
FILE - Oprah Winfrey speaks to graduates at USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, May 11, 2018.

This time of year, many college and university graduates sit patiently through long graduation ceremonies, fanning themselves in the heat and waiting for the main event: a movie star, celebrity, politician or world leader to deliver words of wisdom.

It's graduation season, meaning many colleges and universities feature speakers who are well-known or well-respected for their accomplishments. The speaker's role is to offer graduates advice about launching into the world.

This year's speeches have been delivered by people such as Chadwick Boseman of the Black Panther superhero movie, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine LaGarde, former U.S. Secretary of State and oil executive Rex Tillerson, and America's wealthiest African-American woman and celebrity, Oprah Winfrey.

"You need to know this: Your job is not always going to fulfill you," Winfrey said to graduates at the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism.

"There will be some days that you just might be bored. Other days you may not feel like going to work at all," she said. "Go anyway, and remember that your job is not who you are. It's just what you are doing on the way to who you will become. With every remedial chore, every boss who takes credit for your ideas — that is going to happen — look for the lessons, because the lessons are always there."

She also advised students to "eat a good breakfast."

FILE - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives at Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti, March 9, 2018.
FILE - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives at Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti, March 9, 2018.

Tillerson spoke to graduates at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, telling them to be grateful for the people who helped them succeed, such as parents and teachers.

He also talked about democracy, transparency and truth.

"It is only by a fierce defense of the truth and a common set of facts that we create the conditions for a democratic free society," Tillerson said. "If our leaders seek to conceal the truth or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom."

Boseman, star of the blockbuster 2018 Black Panther film, spoke at Howard University in Washington, D.C. — the school from which he graduated, known as a graduate's alma mater. (Former U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to Howard grads in 2016.)

Howard is a leader among historically black colleges and universities, or HBCU, in the U.S., but was recently involved in a corruption scandal involving student aid money. Boseman referred to the scandal and other problems facing students, especially African-Americans.

"Many of you will leave Howard and enter systems and institutions that have a history of discrimination and marginalization," he said.

FILE - Actor Chadwick Boseman addresses the 150th commencement ceremony at Howard University in Washington, May 12, 2018.
FILE - Actor Chadwick Boseman addresses the 150th commencement ceremony at Howard University in Washington, May 12, 2018.

But, Boseman suggested, those problems can make them better people.

"I don't know what your future is," he said. "But if you're willing to take the harder way … the one with more failures at first than successes . . . then you will not regret it. … Remember the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose."

Winfrey encouraged students to vote and take action.

"Pick a problem, any problem, and do something about it," she said. "Because to somebody who's hurting, something is everything."

IMF's Lagarde asked graduates at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, to look further into the future to consider what effect their next choices and actions will have.

She asked the graduates to think about how different the world is now compared to 10 years ago, and how different it may be in 10 years.

"What kind of country, what kind of world, will you help build?" she asked. "What values will you respect? What will drive your life and the lives of others? Ten years from now, when the class of 2028 stands here and prepares to graduate, what will you have done to help them?"

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‘Study away’ programs in the US can provide enrichment opportunities 

FILE - Students walk on the campus of Boston College, April 29, 2024, in Boston.
FILE - Students walk on the campus of Boston College, April 29, 2024, in Boston.

While studying abroad can expose students to new cultures and experiences, researchers are finding that domestic ‘study away’ programs can be helpful as well.

Some students, including those on an international visa, may not be able to study abroad, but they can travel to other locations in the U.S. for enrichment experiences, Ashley Mowreader writes in Inside Higher Ed. (October 2024)

Fewer students disclose race in applications to top colleges 

FILE - An unidentified person walks past Harvard yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 7, 2023
FILE - An unidentified person walks past Harvard yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 7, 2023

FAfter the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions last year, fewer students are disclosing their race or ethnicity in applications to top colleges.

Writing in USA Today, Zachary Schermele notes that the data is preliminary, but it could signal a change in the way students are approaching college applications. (October 2024)

Overall college enrollment is up, first-year enrollment down 

FILE - A student delivers packages to the dormitory at DePaul University in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.
FILE - A student delivers packages to the dormitory at DePaul University in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.

For the second year since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, college enrollment has climbed in the United States.

But the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center noticed a substantial drop in the number of freshmen, which could be troubling for future enrollment, according to a report in Forbes. (October 2024)

South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool

South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool
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The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT has sparked debate in higher education, raising questions about ethics and integrity in teaching, learning and knowledge creation. In South Africa, some academic institutions are taking a proactive approach, integrating AI into their curricula. Experts say this step is not only innovative but also helps level the playing field among students. Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg.

International students may be able to get jobs at school 

FILE - Northeastern University graduate student Shabbir Hussain, of Indore, India, left, views a computer screen at the entrance to the Snell Library on the Northeastern University campus in Boston on May 24, 2016.
FILE - Northeastern University graduate student Shabbir Hussain, of Indore, India, left, views a computer screen at the entrance to the Snell Library on the Northeastern University campus in Boston on May 24, 2016.

International students studying in the United States may be able to work on campus.

Jobs can include working in libraries, labs, food service and dormitories – but students will have to research the rules before applying for jobs, according to U.S. News & World Report. (September 2024)

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