Over the last two editions of the Chester County Press – including this edition - we have provided coverage of four high school commencement exercises and documented the graduation ceremonies of over 1,000 students, who arrive in tassels and gowns and depart with diplomas in hand and the wide-open future ahead of them.

In each event rests the juxtaposition that divides our turbulent world from the manifestation of newborn dreams, because against the backdrop of political division and the hateful ugliness of the rhetoric spewing from the mouths and pens of our leaders, every one of the graduates that we have seen walk down that aisle is the owner of a powerful dream, that is all theirs. 

Every year, the Chester County Press publishes some of the best commencement speeches of that year’s graduation season. Listed below, they are chosen on the basis of their wisdom, their inference and their positivity. We ask – and perhaps hope - that these expressions be the dominant tenor and content that runs alongside the future of these and millions of other graduates across the country and the world.

“What people saw in that video was this moment of alignment; they saw a past life or the universe or whatever you want to call it come along and hold my hand to the flame. But no one saw all the hard work or all the times I almost quit. They never heard the songs that didn’t work or the shows that were just bad … I don’t know any artist that hasn’t considered quitting. But you didn’t get here because you wanted to do something easy; you got here because you wanted to do something great.”

Singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers, speaking at New York University

“Don’t let anxiety or depression or hopelessness cause you to isolate. On the contrary, grow yourself a deep, solid community of people who share your values, have each other’s backs, check up on each other regularly, and be intentional about this. You know, in these uncertain times, we need to strengthen our ties to community, to our colleagues, our friends and family, because, more and more, we’re going to need this support for safety, for love, for help, for fun—let’s not forget fun—and for survival.”

—Jane Fonda, actress and activist, speaking at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

“A negative thought comes into your mind—you say out loud, you say out loud, ‘I am sorry, I have no time for you now.’ Yes, people will look at you very strangely, but it doesn’t matter, because it becomes your habit. A negative thought comes into your mind, you move it out, you move a positive in. For me, it is a Bundt cake with melty chocolate chips—no icing—and all of a sudden your shoulders fly back, your head flies up and you continue your dream.”

—Henry Winkler, actor, speaking at Georgetown University

“Never give up, even if you have to take a side job – never give up, never ever stop, because this is the one life you will know. This is the one life where you are actually human beings. When you come back, you can be anyone else other than you, so when you are here as this human being – this person in the 21st Century – live it, run it down, and remember, this life is not just for you. It’s for your community, it’s for your family and friends, it’s to make the future better for others.”

Dr. Joyce J. Scott, visual and performing artist, speaking at the University of Baltimore