 Hey everyone, this is crazy. I didn't realize the real perk of the medals that I get to stay under this tent. Sorry But okay So real quick before I start I just want to give a huge shout out to all the parents families and everyone who's out there for us today We wouldn't be here without you. So thank you. I guess Maybe I shouldn't clap in front of the mic. Sorry sound guys. Okay. Here we go My friends teammates classmates fellow graduates We made it Congratulations You all know it hasn't been easy In our time at Berkeley, we've pushed ourselves to the breaking point trying to measure up to these lofty expectations the academic world has of us and This need to be successful is kind of ingrained in Berkeley's culture. You know, we have all these myths and legends about it For the non-berkeley students everyone at Berkeley hears from day one about these cursed seals these University emblems that are around Memorial Glade and the legend goes you should never ever Step on those gold seals. Why because stepping on the seal means you get cursed with bad grades Stepping on the seal means you lower your GPA stepping on the seal means you give up on Berkeley's high academic standards So, you know Every day we see these groups of students walking up Memorial Glade and they all split to go around the seals This curse is that powerful So just the other day I was sitting there on the Glade Surrounded by the cursed Berkeley seals and I had a rare moment where I could stop and think So I'd like to take you there and out of the ring The Sun's beating down on Memorial Glade in the heart of campus which graduates you all know is a special kind of place Because at Berkeley they've taught us to do big things But as I sit there on the Glade, it's the little things that catch my attention. There's a guy using his laptop as a pillow There's a llama. I hear snippets of conversation something about memes and edgy teens. I Looked to my right. I look to my left and I see beside me some of the best friends. I have ever had Perhaps graduates if you look at who's sitting next to you right now, you can say the same thing As I sit there, I know I'm gonna miss this place But I pick up my bag and walk past Doe library up that asphalt path towards real life I'm sure you can picture it libraries on the right glades on the left and there's this big hill up ahead So I'm walking and I hear this noise in front of me and it gets louder and it gets louder And this is a true story I glance up and there's this huge dude on a tiny bike and he's barreling down the hill right at me First of all raise your hand if that was you Okay, anyway This guy's coming right at me and I he doesn't see me. I'm just terrified I'm just standing there and he's definitely gonna hit me so I know I have to dodge So I go to sidestep and I look down at where my foot's about to land and I see it It's the curse Berkeley seal And now I'm twice as scared because the only way to avoid getting hit is to get cursed And I definitely don't want to get hit. So I just dodge and just stand there on the seal And I can feel the curse hitting me But as the guy goes past me, I noticed this guy's actually singing Hey, what a wonderful kind of day What a wonderful kind of day And now I'm confused. I just almost got run over and then I got cursed this day is not wonderful But in that moment Listening to that huge dude sing. I thought to myself. Maybe this curse isn't so bad Maybe now's the time Maybe graduating from the academic ruler is the only way to find something that matters more and That's the true secret of the Berkeley curse Realizing that there comes a time when it's okay to step on the seal to graduate and move on to stop living our lives by other people's standards and Let go of the rulers others use to measure our worth Because only then can we choose to live by our own measure of success it's an exciting and Scary world out there and there are a lot of unsolved problems you well know at Berkeley They've taught us that the equations to solve climate change are not online that the solutions to inequality war and poverty Are not handed out in discussion section and most importantly We've learned that the answer is other people used to solve last year's problems may not be the right ones in today's world But that's okay because Berkeley also taught us that life will throw problems at us and One day after graduating we may wake up to find a huge dude on a tiny bike headed straight for us as The curse-bearing graduates of this fine university. We'll know what to do We'll step on the seal We'll chart our own path and we'll lend an ear To listen carefully for what the guy on the bike is singing quietly to himself Hey What a wonderful kind of day Having spent the past few years with you all I know our future will be just that Wonderful. Thank you and congratulations