The Class of 2012 was presented with sentiments of peace, optimism and reflection.
Commencement speaker Fareed Zakaria, a noted author, journalist and host of CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” encouraged the graduates to seize the varied opportunities provided by an increasingly global and profoundly peaceful world climate. In his remarks, Zakaria, who also received an honorary degree, contextualized the current world state with historical and contemporary references.
“We are living in an astonishingly peaceful time, and this peace has allowed for the formation of a single global economy,” he said. “You are living in a world where people have the opportunity to make something of themselves.”
Although violence seems constant across media and popular culture, Zakaria highlighted the current state of global peace. Noting the lack of military competition among major world powers, Zakaria juxtaposed today’s broad political stability with World War II and the decades of nuclear threats during the Cold War to emphasize the opportunity peace presents.
In a period of such immense and rapid progress, Zakaria implored graduates to forge solutions to real global challenges. Advancements in medicine and technology, such as the advancement of cell phones in the last 10 years, are proof of the real opportunity for innovation.
“You may be thinking: ‘Will I have the opportunity to make an impact?’” he said in his remarks. “I would say to you, yes.”
Zakaria said he chose to highlight peace in his commencement address because of its role in creating the global economy, facilitating trade, opening communication and as a result, opportunity.
“Peace is like oxygen,” Zakaria wrote in an email Wednesday. “When you have it, you take it for granted. But when you don’t have it, nothing else is possible.”
Student commencement speaker Roshan Sadanani, Pratt ’12, preceded Zakaria in the commencement ceremony. Sadanani’s remarks focused on the significance of each graduate’s unique Duke experience, and called on the audience members to reflect on how they forged their own paths at Duke.
“We may not all have done the same things or had the same experiences, but I’d be willing to bet that for each and every one of you graduating today, Duke became just a bit smaller as you met new people and did new things,” he said, noting that the Duke experience is what roots all of his fellow graduates within the world.
Sadanani, a biomedical engineering major and president of Duke Debate, said in an interview following the ceremony that he aimed for his address to provoke introspection.
“It felt great,” he said. “I was nervous, but, once I got up there, I realized everyone in front of me was a classmate, so it was easy to connect.”
Lena Bullock, Trinity ’12, was one of the students able to connect with Sadanani’s remarks.
“It was really all about focusing on your Duke experience, which hit home for me,” Bullock said. “It was very heartfelt.”
Sadanani, who is a fan of Zakaria and had a chance to meet with him, said the journalist’s remarks were extremely relevant and noted that the leading analogy of peace helped put the world climate into a better context for the graduates.
Zakaria, who spoke on campus in November 2009 to deliver the Ambassador S. Davis Phillips Lecture, said he was delighted to return to Duke.
“It’s a fascinating place,” he said. “The faculty is world-class, the students are just so bright and energetic, and everyone has a sunny disposition. It must be the weather.”
His remarks were received well by many members of the Class of 2012. Lauren Moxley, Trinity ’12, said the address had the right balance of optimism and realism.
“I really liked how emotional he was and also how he connected the values of family with graduating, which is really important because without our family, we wouldn’t be here graduating today,” added Emmanouil Vasdekis, Pratt ’12. “I’ve never heard of him before, but I liked him a lot.”
The University awarded 4,900 degrees to undergraduate, graduate and professional students during the ceremony. In addition to Zakaria, honorary degrees were presented to James Barksdale, a business and philanthropic leader; Ambassador Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; musician Emmylou Harris; Darryl Hunt, a spokesperson for wrongful convictions; and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Robert Richardson.
To conclude the ceremony, President Richard Brodhead congratulated the graduates and noted that the University has equipped the Class of 2012 for challenges ahead.
“I hope Duke has given you a glimpse of the person who you want to be,” he said.
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