More than 20,000 students at the University of Southern California graduated on Friday, May 12, as members of the class of 2023.
A good number may work or acceptance to a graduate program lined up. But for those whose future is uncertain, that's great, too.
" You've got time. You're on the right course. But remember: an excellent story always moves on. And that needs action," stated Marvel Studios president and Hollywood producer Kevin Feige, who delivered a start address jam-packed with referrals to superheroes.
Success comes with trying new things, taking risks and "leading with 'yes' instead of 'no'"-- characteristics that have come to define the characters in Marvel motion pictures, Feige stated.
But even superheroes fail at times, he then advised the audience.
They keep going," he stated, informing the audience he was declined from USC's film school 5 times prior to being accepted on his 6th attempt. Fast-forward a couple decades, and Feige's management and direction is credited for Marvel Cinematic Universe's increase to end up being the highest-grossing movie franchise.
" My want you, graduates, is that you get comfy with failure, with rejection," Feige said. "Accept that it's a possibility, however never ever let it define you. And never let it hold you back."
Feige, who graduated from USC in 1995, received an honorary degree from the university on Friday, along with Frances Arnold, winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in chemistry, and iconic labor leader Dolores Huerta. All 3 were on hand to assist celebrate the university's latest graduates.
This year, USC finished 20,636 students-- a record for the school. This included providing 5,760 undergraduate degrees and 14,876 graduate and professional degrees, according to the university.
Additionally, more than 4,800 of the graduates were first-generation college students and more than 6,200 were international students, according to university President Carol Folt, who called the class of 2023 one of the most diverse in USC's history.
While the overall state of mind during the commencement event was celebratory, speakers also utilized the occasion to take stock of much heavier moments students in the class of 2023 have endured in the previous 4 years-- a global pandemic, civil unrest across the country and the war in Ukraine, to name a few.
At the exact same time, Folt said, the last four years were marked with perseverance and innovation, from the development of COVID-19 vaccines in record time to emerging innovations such as artificial intelligence, and student-led efforts that focused on sustainability practices and prompted the university to divest from nonrenewable fuel source.
And in a nod to this spring's superbloom of wildflowers in California, Folt kept in mind that superblooms usually occur a years apart. It was just 4 years ago considering that the state's last superbloom phenomenon.
" That is a fantastic coincidence since the last 4 years have actually been anything however regular, and yet here you are. ... I see you as a spectacular superbloom. You matured in times both tough and sweet. And you're facing this day burnished with accomplishment and guarantee," Folt said.
Valedictorian Isha Sanghvi likewise touched on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic but encouraged her classmates to utilize the skills and lessons discovered to confront today's most significant obstacles.
" We are just the group of individuals to promote for modification and fight to see it through," Sanghvi said. "We learned how to adjust in the spring of 2020, and we haven't stopped using that skill since."
Friday's event marked the 140th start event for USC. The university approximated that about 70,000 visitors attended the ceremony, which occurred on school at Alumni Memorial Park.
It was a much larger gathering than in 2015's beginning ceremony, where 4,627 undergraduates and 7,989 graduate students participated in the occasion, which was gone to by about 6,000 family members and good friends.
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