2015 University of Minnesota Student Commencement Addresses by Burnett Leadership Program Participants
Address by Nate Shrader
In 2011, we began a mission. An important assignment with an honorable purpose: educating ourselves, growing up, and preparing ourselves for success.
I want to say, “Mission Complete”, but we haven’t earned it, just yet.
Many of you are sitting here now reflecting on these four years and dreaming about the success that lies ahead.
When thinking about what to say today, the word “success” is exactly what came to the forefront of my mind. I asked myself “What does success look like?”
A prestigious job? A cool car? A big salary?
What better opportunity exists to analyze the meaning of success than to look at those we truly respect and admire, who sat where we sit at the age of 22.
A man who I recently have come to know like a close friend, immediately struck my mind. Bright, driven, and competitive.
He is the most important alumni from our institution.
It wasn’t long ago that he was a student here at the Carlson School, sitting in your seat, eager to receive his finance degree.
He graduated with flying colors, was the President of Alpha Kappa Psi, a football star, exceptional student, and even declined an offer at the US Air force Academy.
At our age, no problem stood in his way.
“He lightened any situation with his humor. He had high ideals and principles, and expected a great deal of himself, and others. He had a strong sense of right and wrong, and was securely rooted in the strength of his convictions.”
“His career progressed quickly with skills and maturity that far exceeded his age, becoming the Chief Operating Officer at a medical device company.” If there was something he wanted to accomplish, he would say “I’m going to do something”.
On September 11th Tom Burnett Jr. became the first undrafted citizen soldier of flight United 93 in the war against terrorism. His final words to his wife on the phone were essentially this: “I’m going to do something”, He then stood out of his seat, formed a plan with his fellow passengers, and led the charge….
Mission, Complete.
It was the bravery of those on that plane like Tom that saved countless innocent lives on the ground.
“They say those aboard United 93 were ordinary people. Tom, was not ordinary.” His story taught me more about success than any career guide ever could. I had the privilege of participating in a program named in his honor and was fortunate enough to meet his family, learning more of Tom’s willingness to serve others as a leader in business.
At that moment I realized my definition of success was completely wrong. True success is not your net worth, a cool house, or car.
Tom knew the right thing to do can be the hardest thing, even if it is the most challenging thing. To lean into discomfort, to sacrifice, and to serve others. That is success.
This winter I had the opportunity to travel to remote india while working for MyRain, an alumni’s company with the purpose of helping subsistence farmers. At the company I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people. Many had no running water, electricity, or beds to sleep in.
My time in India made me realize the extent of our privilege. When speaking with a coworker in India, he said his ultimate goal is to “One day study business in America, or give his children the opportunity to do so”.
I saw more problems in India than I had ever imagined, ranging from disease, hunger, and lack of access to safe water. These are problems we can solve.
Tom Burnett’s story provides us the perfect example of what real success is, and not just because of his heroism on flight united 93. That moment did not define him. The way he lived did. By serving others through business and through his personal endeavors.
Success is measured by the problems we solve, and the people we help.
Today we join the ranks of only 8% of the world with a college degree. We have a network, a degree, and a background we can leverage to improve the world.
To serve and to solve is our calling in business. I challenge us all to think critically about this and to live it out after we cross this stage and the applause is gone.
So when I ask myself, what is success?
The answer is simple: To help others, solve big problems, and confront challenges by saying “I’m going to do something”.
Congratulations, class of 2015… Mission complete.
I want to say, “Mission Complete”, but we haven’t earned it, just yet.
Many of you are sitting here now reflecting on these four years and dreaming about the success that lies ahead.
When thinking about what to say today, the word “success” is exactly what came to the forefront of my mind. I asked myself “What does success look like?”
A prestigious job? A cool car? A big salary?
What better opportunity exists to analyze the meaning of success than to look at those we truly respect and admire, who sat where we sit at the age of 22.
A man who I recently have come to know like a close friend, immediately struck my mind. Bright, driven, and competitive.
He is the most important alumni from our institution.
It wasn’t long ago that he was a student here at the Carlson School, sitting in your seat, eager to receive his finance degree.
He graduated with flying colors, was the President of Alpha Kappa Psi, a football star, exceptional student, and even declined an offer at the US Air force Academy.
At our age, no problem stood in his way.
“He lightened any situation with his humor. He had high ideals and principles, and expected a great deal of himself, and others. He had a strong sense of right and wrong, and was securely rooted in the strength of his convictions.”
“His career progressed quickly with skills and maturity that far exceeded his age, becoming the Chief Operating Officer at a medical device company.” If there was something he wanted to accomplish, he would say “I’m going to do something”.
On September 11th Tom Burnett Jr. became the first undrafted citizen soldier of flight United 93 in the war against terrorism. His final words to his wife on the phone were essentially this: “I’m going to do something”, He then stood out of his seat, formed a plan with his fellow passengers, and led the charge….
Mission, Complete.
It was the bravery of those on that plane like Tom that saved countless innocent lives on the ground.
“They say those aboard United 93 were ordinary people. Tom, was not ordinary.” His story taught me more about success than any career guide ever could. I had the privilege of participating in a program named in his honor and was fortunate enough to meet his family, learning more of Tom’s willingness to serve others as a leader in business.
At that moment I realized my definition of success was completely wrong. True success is not your net worth, a cool house, or car.
Tom knew the right thing to do can be the hardest thing, even if it is the most challenging thing. To lean into discomfort, to sacrifice, and to serve others. That is success.
This winter I had the opportunity to travel to remote india while working for MyRain, an alumni’s company with the purpose of helping subsistence farmers. At the company I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people. Many had no running water, electricity, or beds to sleep in.
My time in India made me realize the extent of our privilege. When speaking with a coworker in India, he said his ultimate goal is to “One day study business in America, or give his children the opportunity to do so”.
I saw more problems in India than I had ever imagined, ranging from disease, hunger, and lack of access to safe water. These are problems we can solve.
Tom Burnett’s story provides us the perfect example of what real success is, and not just because of his heroism on flight united 93. That moment did not define him. The way he lived did. By serving others through business and through his personal endeavors.
Success is measured by the problems we solve, and the people we help.
Today we join the ranks of only 8% of the world with a college degree. We have a network, a degree, and a background we can leverage to improve the world.
To serve and to solve is our calling in business. I challenge us all to think critically about this and to live it out after we cross this stage and the applause is gone.
So when I ask myself, what is success?
The answer is simple: To help others, solve big problems, and confront challenges by saying “I’m going to do something”.
Congratulations, class of 2015… Mission complete.
Address by Katie Heinemann - College of Science and Engineering
The uncharted benefits of failure and flexibility; seize your story
First off, I want to say thank you. Parents, graduates, members of the faculty, and the CSE Student Commencement Speaker Committee, thank you for not only putting up with me these past five years, but allowing me this honor of speaking to you today. Both me and my resume thank you for this amazing opportunity.
But that's actually what I wanted to talk about. Over these past three to seven years we've all done big things for our resumes. I'm sure that as graduating scientists and engineers, we are feeling a bit caught up with and defined by what is on that limiting piece of paper.
I never thought the University of Minnesota would be on my resume. For me, becoming a Gopher was more of a lucky accident than a planned life experience. When I applied, I don't even think I put my full legal name on the application. Literally could have not been a sketchier applicant. So, in addition, I would like to thank the office of admissions for seeing my potential and letting me in.
No, in high school when I was applying to college, what I really wanted was to become an Air Force Falcon at the United States Air Force Academy. For most of my senior year I spent my evenings and weekends hitting the weight room getting ready for my fitness test, studied extra hard for my classes, and spent my weekends interviewing with my state senators to secure the nomination. After months of hard work, my acceptance packet arrived. The folder felt thick and heavy in my hands and never have I felt such a strong feeling of accomplishment in my life. I ripped it open and immediately sent in my paperwork to attend the pre-commitment orientation. During this long weekend in April, I shadowed a current cadet who showed me around campus and gave me a taste of what Academy life was like. I watched distinguished graduates speak about their experiences and met some of my future classmates. When the weekend ended, I knew the Academy was not the place for me and felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and failure.
I realized that what I wanted out of my college experience was the chance to grow and develop into the person I wanted to be. I wanted to choose my major and how to spend my summers. I wanted to have the opportunity to make dumb mistakes, be a little rebellious, and maybe even find some love.
So you can imagine that after realizing that this goal I worked so hard for was not what I wanted, I came home demoralized. Twenty years earlier, my father had been rejected from the Academy and I wanted to prove the Heinemann family was worthy of acceptance. I was supposed to want to become a Falcon and make my parents and my community proud. Just before the May 1st deadline of solidifying my college choice, I remember sitting at my kitchen table tom between the decision I was about to make. The two acceptance packets, one from the Academy and other from the University of Minnesota sat in front of me and I cried. I cried because I knew what choice society expected me to make and what choice I wanted to make. That day I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. I chose the place that was right for me. I chose the University of Minnesota.
From that experience I realized that sometimes making the right choice for me is not always easy. If I was to follow through with what I thought I was supposed to do instead of following my gut, I would be graduating as a shy Air Force Falcon who I'm sure would not have had the confidence to address this large a group of people. Hi mom (laughter).
But really, I am glad I became a Gopher.
As a Gopher I learned the value of vulnerability and growth mindset. I had the summers off of school so that I could work as a research assistant at NASA and as a backcountry EMT in the mountains of New Mexico. I traveled to Israel and Jordan with professor Marshak (and for those of you who know Marshak, that was one heck of a good time), and most importantly, I was able to work with some of the best first year students a person could ask for as a Community Advisor in the residence halls.
It definitely wasn't the Air Force resume I planned for. But it is one that was the right choice for me and has allowed me to grow and develop into the person I wanted to become.
I made the difficult decision to become a Gopher and you all have done the same. You consciously made the choice to overcome whatever obstacles threatened to keep you home. You found a way to find time to study and pay for college while being involved in extracurricular activities. You survived physics 1301 and 1302. Clearly you have the capacity to make difficult choices and to follow through on the commitments you make in order to become the person you want to become.
Some of the best advice I've ever gotten was from a mentor I had while working at NASA Glenn who said, "never be afraid to say yes because you never know where it may lead." I have found this advice to be worth applying. In February 1 was invited to attend a conference called Creating Change, the national conference on LGBT equality. On a whim, I said yes and accepted the invitation three days before it began. I drained my bank account, but in doing so, I had an amazing opportunity to learn more about disparities between those who are privileged and marginalized in our society. As educated people, we hold a lot of privilege and it is our job to bridge that gap and work towards a world where everyone has the opportunity to live the authentic life they want to lead without fear of rejection or violence.
But sometimes I hold myself back from saying yes to opportunities by making excuses. "I don't have enough time to help with this project, women aren't as smart in this discipline, my GPA isn't high enough to apply to professional school."
I myself failed materials science the first time through.
But I came back.
I came back knowing that I could fail again. I did it even though I lacked confidence. I did it even though I was uncertain. All of our classes—our labs, our lectures, or discussions—have taught us to figure out the unknowns. That's why we exist as scientists and engineers. But failure has taught me there will always be unknowns. And so it's okay to not know what is coming next year or next month or next week. It's okay to try something new, something you may not be good at on your first attempt. It's okay to look beyond traditional paths and use our science and engineering experience in a field that does not regularly have these types of graduates. I myself want to use my engineering skills to eventually pursue a career as a physician.
As JK Rowling said it best "life is difficult, complicated, and beyond your control, there is no way your resume can truly capture the depth of the person you have become."
And I want to tell you all the same thing I need to remind myself: we are enough. We are more than enough to be the people we want to be and we alone have the power to write the story we want to write. What we perceive to be failure, can actually lead to the resilience for which we as CSE students are known. And so, it's okay to make difficult choices, to fail, to live unconventionally, and to make your story more than your resume. In life, people will stand in your way but remember that people are intrinsically good and generally want to leave a positive impact in the world. Sometimes they just need someone who is willing to listen and seek to understand a little something about their story. Don't worry so much about the specific path to your success. I decided to become a Gopher. And in doing so, I learned that statement could not be more true. As my good friend Emma Contreras put it "I was not put on this Earth to eat, sleep, buy crap for myself and die." And graduates, I am positive that neither were you. You were put here to do so much more. So go forth, model resilience, make difficult choices, and write yourself a life narrative that is so much more meaningful than those limited words on your resume. Congratulations Class of 2015, we made it.
First off, I want to say thank you. Parents, graduates, members of the faculty, and the CSE Student Commencement Speaker Committee, thank you for not only putting up with me these past five years, but allowing me this honor of speaking to you today. Both me and my resume thank you for this amazing opportunity.
But that's actually what I wanted to talk about. Over these past three to seven years we've all done big things for our resumes. I'm sure that as graduating scientists and engineers, we are feeling a bit caught up with and defined by what is on that limiting piece of paper.
I never thought the University of Minnesota would be on my resume. For me, becoming a Gopher was more of a lucky accident than a planned life experience. When I applied, I don't even think I put my full legal name on the application. Literally could have not been a sketchier applicant. So, in addition, I would like to thank the office of admissions for seeing my potential and letting me in.
No, in high school when I was applying to college, what I really wanted was to become an Air Force Falcon at the United States Air Force Academy. For most of my senior year I spent my evenings and weekends hitting the weight room getting ready for my fitness test, studied extra hard for my classes, and spent my weekends interviewing with my state senators to secure the nomination. After months of hard work, my acceptance packet arrived. The folder felt thick and heavy in my hands and never have I felt such a strong feeling of accomplishment in my life. I ripped it open and immediately sent in my paperwork to attend the pre-commitment orientation. During this long weekend in April, I shadowed a current cadet who showed me around campus and gave me a taste of what Academy life was like. I watched distinguished graduates speak about their experiences and met some of my future classmates. When the weekend ended, I knew the Academy was not the place for me and felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and failure.
I realized that what I wanted out of my college experience was the chance to grow and develop into the person I wanted to be. I wanted to choose my major and how to spend my summers. I wanted to have the opportunity to make dumb mistakes, be a little rebellious, and maybe even find some love.
So you can imagine that after realizing that this goal I worked so hard for was not what I wanted, I came home demoralized. Twenty years earlier, my father had been rejected from the Academy and I wanted to prove the Heinemann family was worthy of acceptance. I was supposed to want to become a Falcon and make my parents and my community proud. Just before the May 1st deadline of solidifying my college choice, I remember sitting at my kitchen table tom between the decision I was about to make. The two acceptance packets, one from the Academy and other from the University of Minnesota sat in front of me and I cried. I cried because I knew what choice society expected me to make and what choice I wanted to make. That day I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. I chose the place that was right for me. I chose the University of Minnesota.
From that experience I realized that sometimes making the right choice for me is not always easy. If I was to follow through with what I thought I was supposed to do instead of following my gut, I would be graduating as a shy Air Force Falcon who I'm sure would not have had the confidence to address this large a group of people. Hi mom (laughter).
But really, I am glad I became a Gopher.
As a Gopher I learned the value of vulnerability and growth mindset. I had the summers off of school so that I could work as a research assistant at NASA and as a backcountry EMT in the mountains of New Mexico. I traveled to Israel and Jordan with professor Marshak (and for those of you who know Marshak, that was one heck of a good time), and most importantly, I was able to work with some of the best first year students a person could ask for as a Community Advisor in the residence halls.
It definitely wasn't the Air Force resume I planned for. But it is one that was the right choice for me and has allowed me to grow and develop into the person I wanted to become.
I made the difficult decision to become a Gopher and you all have done the same. You consciously made the choice to overcome whatever obstacles threatened to keep you home. You found a way to find time to study and pay for college while being involved in extracurricular activities. You survived physics 1301 and 1302. Clearly you have the capacity to make difficult choices and to follow through on the commitments you make in order to become the person you want to become.
Some of the best advice I've ever gotten was from a mentor I had while working at NASA Glenn who said, "never be afraid to say yes because you never know where it may lead." I have found this advice to be worth applying. In February 1 was invited to attend a conference called Creating Change, the national conference on LGBT equality. On a whim, I said yes and accepted the invitation three days before it began. I drained my bank account, but in doing so, I had an amazing opportunity to learn more about disparities between those who are privileged and marginalized in our society. As educated people, we hold a lot of privilege and it is our job to bridge that gap and work towards a world where everyone has the opportunity to live the authentic life they want to lead without fear of rejection or violence.
But sometimes I hold myself back from saying yes to opportunities by making excuses. "I don't have enough time to help with this project, women aren't as smart in this discipline, my GPA isn't high enough to apply to professional school."
I myself failed materials science the first time through.
But I came back.
I came back knowing that I could fail again. I did it even though I lacked confidence. I did it even though I was uncertain. All of our classes—our labs, our lectures, or discussions—have taught us to figure out the unknowns. That's why we exist as scientists and engineers. But failure has taught me there will always be unknowns. And so it's okay to not know what is coming next year or next month or next week. It's okay to try something new, something you may not be good at on your first attempt. It's okay to look beyond traditional paths and use our science and engineering experience in a field that does not regularly have these types of graduates. I myself want to use my engineering skills to eventually pursue a career as a physician.
As JK Rowling said it best "life is difficult, complicated, and beyond your control, there is no way your resume can truly capture the depth of the person you have become."
And I want to tell you all the same thing I need to remind myself: we are enough. We are more than enough to be the people we want to be and we alone have the power to write the story we want to write. What we perceive to be failure, can actually lead to the resilience for which we as CSE students are known. And so, it's okay to make difficult choices, to fail, to live unconventionally, and to make your story more than your resume. In life, people will stand in your way but remember that people are intrinsically good and generally want to leave a positive impact in the world. Sometimes they just need someone who is willing to listen and seek to understand a little something about their story. Don't worry so much about the specific path to your success. I decided to become a Gopher. And in doing so, I learned that statement could not be more true. As my good friend Emma Contreras put it "I was not put on this Earth to eat, sleep, buy crap for myself and die." And graduates, I am positive that neither were you. You were put here to do so much more. So go forth, model resilience, make difficult choices, and write yourself a life narrative that is so much more meaningful than those limited words on your resume. Congratulations Class of 2015, we made it.
