Mike DeRario Commencement Speech


President Friedman, Trustees, Honored Guests, Officers of Administration, Faculty, Family and Friends, and the Class of 2009. Good morning and congratulations! 

Looking back on our undergraduate years let’s think of ALL that we have done and ALL that we have experienced. Take this time to gather ALL your memories. Reflect on ALL that you have learned. Take a moment to think back to the first time you stepped on campus..... Now look at where you are today. All these thoughts that have run through your minds make up your PACE experience. Some may recall the good times they had with friends, others may remember of a funny moment during a class. But we all are here today to share in what is to be the pinnacle of our Pace experience, our graduation. 
 
Over the years Pace has been consistent in what it offers to its students and the message it sends out. When we came into the university Pace drove home to us its motto of opportunitas, the idea that each student will receive the opportunities that will lead them to excellence. The opportunity for a student join a club, organization, fraternity, or sorority. The opportunity to study abroad and explore the world’s borders. The opportunity to receive an education that provides them with the confidence to start a career. These are all wonderful opportunities and there have been many more I am sure. Opportunities are great! But what do they lead to?
 
This reminds me of one of the first lessons I learned here at Pace. I look back on my first class and I remember the professor asking “What is the good?” Everyone looked at him like he was a little crazy, but we still attempted to answer this very profound question. And the professor ensured us that he was looking for an even more profound answer. So today I finally have an answer for that professor. The good is the feeling that we have today. It is knowing that the hard work we have put in over the past 4 years has paid off. It is knowing that if we set goals for ourselves that we can attain them.  It is knowing that you have achieved success. And it is knowing that I can finally come up with a profound answer to a profound question. “Life is good!”
 
Throughout the years I have spoken a lot about Pace and everything it gives to its students. And as I deliver this speech today, I reflect on what a professor once said to me. It was at an Open House event for prospective students when that professor turned to me and said “You know what Mike . . . You know why you like talking about Pace so much? It’s because you believe in it and what it can do.” So as I look out on everyone here today I am witnessing the many achievements that we have all accomplished, and am here to say I do believe in Pace and what it can do.
 
As we stand here today and think back on ALL the opportunities we have been given and all the experiences we have received, we can see how far we have come. We can recall all those that helped us get to where we are today including the wonderful faculty and staff and our amazing family and friends.   As we receive our diplomas today and enter into the next chapter of our lives let us realize that although our senior year and undergrad careers are coming to a close, our Pace experience does not end here. The lessons we have learned and the memories we have shared have added to who we are and will inspire and transform our futures. Pace has laid the foundation through the opportunities it has given us and now it is up to us to build our futures. The Pace experience will follow us through the rest of our lives and as we use our opportunities to work towards greatness.
 
Over the years I have compared Pace to many things. I have said Pace is like a construction company because it builds foundations for success. I have likened Pace to Legos because it provides us with the building blocks to our careers. But as I was driving here today, I realized something. Something a little different. Pace is like an iPod. You see an iPod holds songs. Songs that provide tempo and rhythm to our lives.   Songs that carry messages and lessons within each lyric. Songs that we can relate to and tie to our memories. Throughout our years here at Pace we have all collected the lessons that we have learned and all our memories. These are our songs. And we have created the ultimate Playlist. Now we can replay them for the rest of our lives.
 
Good luck to everyone and let me hear it from the Class of 2009 - Pace What?