USC Annenberg School of Communication Commencement Address by Maria Shriver

May 11, 2012: USC Annenberg School of Communication 2012 Commencement Address by Maria Shriver

The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism celebrates the achievements of the Class of 2012!

At the School of Communication satellite ceremony, USC Annenberg will be honoring candidates for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in communication, communication management, global communication and public diplomacy. The Communication ceremony speaker, Maria Shriver, is a mother of four, a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning journalist and producer, a six-time New York Times best-selling author, and an influential voice on the shifting roles, emerging power and evolving needs of women in modern life.

Shriver was California's trailblazing First Lady from 2003 to 2010. Her work is driven by her belief that all of us have the ability to be what she calls Architects of Change -- people who see a problem in their own life or the community around them, then step out of their comfort zone and do what it takes to create the solution. She herself is dedicated to creating empowering initiatives, transformative events, inspirational awards, and the groundbreaking series of Shriver Reports that chronicle and explore seismic shifts in the American culture and society today.

Excerpts from Shriver's commencement address:

"But today, I have one wish for you. Before you go out and press that fast forward button, I'm hoping - I'm praying - that you'll have the courage to first press the pause button."

"That's right: the pause button. I hope if you learn anything from me today, you learn and remember -- The Power of the Pause."

"Pausing allows you to take a beat -- to take a breath in your life. As everybody else is rushing around like a lunatic out there, I dare you to do the opposite."

"I'm asking you to do this, because I believe you have an important opportunity in front of you, graduates of the Annenberg School of Communication."

For more on Maria Shriver: http://www.mariashriver.com/

For more on The Power of the Pause: http://www.mariashriver.com/blog/2012...

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  Education

[crazygrl3h]

For all of those questioning, a communications degree is an advanced study of human interaction, motivations, leadership and theory. Communications is a social social science on the same playing field as psychology or anthropology. I have an M.A. in Communications and I can assure you that such a degree is far from a sign of failure. Apathy is the reason for our nation's failure. I pay my bills, I have an education and I work in an industry pertinent to my field of study. Congrats graduates!

[K Williams]

Brilliant

[dianepopowich]

Thank you Maria! Thank you for your leadership!!!!

[roxee57]

Great talk. Inspiring. On't agree with the Mother Teresa bit, she was dispicable.

[Mahvelous14]

Perhaps some commenting here might listen again to what Maria said about changing our communication from "criticism and fault-finding to understanding and compassion ..."

[Sharon Pilgrim]

Pause and pray, pause and pray.....

[Alexandre Carneiro]

Pause, make us realize our most inner feelings and search for the best ones.

[rosecur1]

She did a great job

[Lori Kramer-Feingold]

love her.....love pause <3

[sparms]

GREAT