Thank you, Dean Treanor, for the invitation to speak here today. I am very sorry that circumstances prevent me from joining you in person.
I will begin by thanking the parents, spouses, partners, other family members and mentors who are here. Without your support, sacrifices and encouragement, we would not have so much to celebrate today.
And to the Class of 2024: congratulations on earning your law degree. You are the most selective graduating class in Georgetown history, chosen from 14,000 applicants, and also the most qualified. Among you are Fulbright Scholars, military veterans, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Teach for America alumni, student athletes, accomplished musicians, and even a physician. An impressive group. It is also the most diverse class in the school’s 154-year history.
I am especially proud today to say that there are many Georgetowns in my family tree. My father graduated from College in 1943 before serving in the United States Army during World War II. After the war, he received his law degree here and practiced law in Washington, DC. I am lucky to have two wonderful daughters; one graduated from the College in 2012; the other is a member of the Law Center’s Class of 2026.
It seems like yesterday I was in your shoes, receiving my diploma, looking to the future with optimism and enthusiasm and wondering what lies ahead.
I can’t help but think fondly of my time here. For many years, law school friends have gotten together every year for a weekend to refresh our bonds and laugh about times gone by. These gatherings are called “Big Chill,” a reference to a 1983 film that revolved around a reunion of college friends in their 40s. I made lasting friendships here that I still keep today, and I hope it will be the same for you.
Besides all the hard work, I also remember the fun. A favorite tradition was to attend the Saturday screenings at midnight The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Key Theater on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown.
Now, if you’ve led a culturally deprived life and are sadly unfamiliar with the film, it is a raucous musical comedy starring a young Tim Curry. Everyone in the theater was singing, shouting lines and throwing popcorn at the screen; many would dress like the characters. Now, I didn’t get dressed up – sorry to disappoint – but no party was complete until we all danced “The Time Warp” to the famous song from the movie.
It turns out that I still remember the steps and had planned to demonstrate the Time Warp to you, but that won’t be possible today.
Instead, I will offer you some thoughts that I might have found helpful to hear when I was sitting in your chairs just 45 years ago.
Accept change
The years since I graduated have brought waves of fundamental change to the workplace and society in general, much of it driven by technology. Imagine a world without the Internet, without email or text messages, without personal computers or cell phones, without social media. Some of you parents are probably thinking: I would be happy in this world!
The pace of change will likely continue to be very rapid. Pay attention to how your professional life may change. Think about how you can prepare for these changes and transform them to your benefit and that of the company. The practice of law has transformed over the years; If you choose the path of a practicing attorney, I would think about what practicing law might look like in 10 or 20 years.
In a world that will continue to evolve rapidly and in unexpected ways, you will need to be agile. Embracing change and taking risks can be an important part of your development as a professional and as a person. Your formal education may end today, but you are not done learning. Most of the important things you will need to know can only be learned through experience. And experience can be a difficult but irreplaceable teacher.
For example, towards the end of my second year here, it was time to select the next editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Law Journal. I thought there were many more qualified colleagues who just didn’t want the job. So, with much trepidation, I put my name down. I was secretly, but totally, terrified of being chosen. And surprisingly, I was. And now?
It turned out that, as I feared, I was not well prepared to take on this responsibility. I had to keep people interested and motivated enough to work on the Newspaper when many things were competing for their attention. I had to have a plan for the organization and not just for myself. I had to do it with a confidence I didn’t feel. My main memory of that time is thinking, “This is harder and much different than I expected!” »
What I know now is that almost no one is ready to take on their first leadership roles. When you take on a leadership role, it is very common to doubt yourself. If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be to believe in yourself and put yourself in situations where you will be seriously challenged to do new things. Assume you will make mistakes. Learn from these mistakes; don’t dwell on them too much with regret. You will fall. Get up. Repeat the cycle.
The more you do this, the more you will learn and the faster you will grow as a person and as a leader. Also know that, in my experience, there is no single model of a successful leader. Each of you has what it takes to lead successfully.
No single path
One of the benefits of your legal education is that it prepares you for success in a wide variety of potential paths. I gave up practicing law a few years after leaving that school. But my legal training has benefited me throughout my career. Studying law teaches you to think clearly, analyze deeply, and understand all sides of an argument. The possibilities available to you are extremely vast. You can work for just one law firm for your entire career. Or you can leave law fairly quickly, like I did, and never look back. You will always benefit from what you learned here.
The thing is, I keep a copy of the Federal Reserve Act that I refer to often.
Like many of you, I imagine, I knew I wanted to do public service. As I left law school, I remember thinking about people like George Shultz and Cyrus Vance, prominent figures of the day who had successful careers in the private sector and served periodically in government.
The investment banking executive in New York where I worked when I was young was Nicholas F. Brady, who had an extraordinary career in investment banking and also served as a U.S. senator from New Jersey. I was the youngest employee, but I wanted to introduce myself and tell him about my own aspirations. But approaching him was intimidating. Maybe he would refuse to meet me. Perhaps he would think I had no commitment to the firm if I told him I was interested in public service.
I finally found the courage to show up at his office. I told him that I had grown up in Washington, had been a federal lawyer and a member of Congress, and wanted to do some public service along the way. I said if you need someone to accompany you in whatever you do in Washington, I’m your guy. He said something like, “Great, thanks. » I then walked back down the stairs to an office broom closet, wondering if this was going to matter.
A few months later, I received a call from his secretary. I can still hear his deep voice. “Can you come see Mr. Brady?” When I got there, he said, “I need you to help me with this.” This thing was defending an oil company against a hostile takeover attempt by a colorful corporate raider of that era named T. Boone Pickens. I ended up spending months going back and forth from New York to Washington with Nick. A few years later, Nick Brady became Secretary of the Treasury. Nick asked me to join him at the Treasury, which opened the door to higher levels of the civil service. The fact is this: if I hadn’t forced myself to get up from my desk, walk up the stairs to the 15th floor, and show up at his office that day, the rest of my life would have been very different, and I would have I won’t be here today.
Gathering that little bit of initiative changed my life. A small initiative can make a big difference in anyone’s career.
Conclusion
I will end by encouraging you to think beyond yourself. Each of you has the ability to succeed in any field you choose; it’s important that you also think about how to give back and use your gifts to make a difference. Consider the motto of this school: “the law is only a means; justice is the end.” Many of you have worked in legal clinics where you advocated on behalf of underrepresented people and organizations. And many of you will play important roles in the military, nonprofit organizations, and governments around the world.
Each generation has a duty to bring us closer to the ideal, as embodied in the famous image of Lady Justice, blindfolded, holding the scales. You should count yourself among the luckiest in all of our society to have graduated from this institution, to have the support of your loved ones for three grueling years, and the health and good fortune not to trip up along the way. Many years ago, one of my predecessors, Ben Bernanke, said: “Those who are luckiest… also have the greatest responsibility to work hard, to help improve the world, and to share their good fortune.” with the others. » I can’t improve this.
Thank you for having me. Georgetown will always hold a special place in my heart. Thanks again to Dean Treanor and all the teachers, and congratulations to the Class of 2024.