That one time I was at a podium.

This year, San Diego State University released a study about our generation finding narcissism and entitlement to be two of the features that describe us best. People born after 1982 are said to be part of the most self-absorbed generation in recent history. I didn’t believe it at first, and you may not either. But I recently realized…it might not be all bad.

I first heard about this phenomenon straight from the mouths of my teachers. Hardly a semester went by in college where one of my professors didn’t express worry that our generation is turning out to be too self-involved, or how that is going to reflect on our country. They would say, “You kids are smart, but you know you’re smart. That’s the problem.” I didn’t really buy it.

But then…I took a look at my blog.

I started my blog in March of 2005. I named it “Astral Weeks” after a Van Morrison song I felt defined my existence. My first entry is 762 words of descriptive prose about what it feels like to return home after spring break. The next entry includes about 10 paragraphs on how devastatingly boring it is to do taxes. The entries go on, and on, and on about the minute details and intricate elements of anything in my life.

So, we’re a little self-involved? Maybe. Ok, probably. But that’s not all we are.

In four years at the University, I have seen examples that take the notion of our allegedly selfish generation and throw it out the window, every day. I had the privilege of seeing students in classes and at our student newspaper that blow my mind with their dedication and the quality of work they produce. The amount of activities and opportunities students at this school pack into their schedules oftentimes comes at the expense of their own sleep and health.

We’re hard on ourselves. And we want to do well. A lot of that stems from the positive encouragement we were given growing up. While we may be described as more self-involved than our parents were, there’s one thing that we can be sure of. - we can use this to our advantage, and especially to the advantage of the world around us. Someone recently reminded me “to those who much is given, much is expected.”

At this age, it sometimes feels like it’s difficult to create real, positive change because no matter how much we want to deny it, we are still so very naïve. No matter how much we’ve been taught, how much we’ve absorbed or how much we’ve experienced in our lives, we’ve still got so far to go. To be naïve is to be generally thought of as showing a lack of experience, wisdom or judgment. But instead of cowering behind that or hoping it goes away soon, I think we should celebrate it. Why? Because we can be hopeful. We can hope for anything we want. We can hope to be the green generation who cleans up the environmental mistakes of those that came before us. We can hope to solve issues of violence, poverty and injustice. We can hope to create, foster, promote, and live peace. We not only get to believe that our generation is going to fix the world, but we have to try, and if we’re lucky, we’ll never stop trying.

So be idealistic. Be hopeful. Continue to try new things and invent new solutions to the problems all around us. Continue to learn and crave more and more education, whatever form that comes in. Your mind is ready for more. Feed it.

And that’s the key word – more. Now is the time to go crazy – take chances. But I don’t mean crazy in the sense that we’ve probably experienced the word so far, specifically on Thursday nights. I’m talking about everything from moving to a big city and working your way up a national nonprofit to braving a small Minnesota suburb to work at a community newspaper. You know what taking a chance means for you, so do it. How are we going to know what’s right for us, what we’re supposed to be doing, and how we can contribute the most to the world around us, if we never take chances?

As CLA students, you should realize by now that we’re bred for just that – for change, and for taking chances. If I can say one thing that my classes have given to me, whether they were classes about journalism, math or Walt Disney, it’s the ability to be this: versatile. I currently live with three people that switched out of very particular majors in the Institute of Technology during college. Before the switch, they knew exactly what they were going to be – civil engineer, mechanical engineer, and physicist. Now, they could be anything: speech coach, environmental researcher, NBC executive, and they know that. Their futures could hold whatever they want.

So I guess what I’m wondering is, what are you feeling today? Are you scared? I am. I’m scared of stepping outside the University umbrella. I’m scared of what it’s going to be like to have a “real live job.” But we can’t stay in college forever. It’s too late to go back. We’re in the matching outfits. We’re brushing the tassels from our faces. And you know what? Somewhere, deep inside the folds of our gowns, we know we’re ready.

But we can’t forget, for one minute, that we are the privileged ones. We are college graduates. A majority of us grew up with parents that not only believed in us, but took pains to make sure we knew how special we are. For those of you that didn’t have parents like that, there was hopefully someone along the way who believed in you, whether that was a teacher, an older sibling, a neighbor, anyone. And while it’s easy to bask in the glory that is us right now, on this day …those are the people that we should really be thinking about. This isn’t just our graduation. This is a victory and a monumental event for anyone who has cared about us.

There are so many people around this world that would kill for the education that we’ve received. Remember this as you’re selling back your books, starting your first day at your new jobs, or reflecting on the end to your college career. Remember to be thankful for the protected environment that we live in, and the safe, successful semesters that we have been able to complete, unlike some of our peers around the country and around the world.

Parents, grandparents, siblings, professors, administrators and friends – thank you, to say the least. Thank you for believing in us. This is your day too.

If there is one resounding message I could leave with you today, it would be to not forget who helped you get where you are. A college education is the best present anyone could give to you, and the best present you could give to yourselves. Take the positive reinforcement you received, take the knowledge you’ve gained over the years, and take your college degree and use it to give back. Don’t ever forget the breaks you’ve been given and the heights you’ve achieved because of the understanding, supportive and inspiring people in your lives. And above all else, be that kind of a person to others.

People may say we’re narcissistic, and that might have been true in the past, but we don’t have to be that way now. Let’s continue to learn, continue to grow, and continue to let our purpose be helping those around us. We’ve been able to practice this in our college setting, but now our arena has expanded, and we are capable of real change and real good. Don’t ever forget that.

Congratulations parents, a job well done students, and good luck.

Thank you.