Congratulations to my former students — and to all the students — who just graduated from Armstrong Atlantic State University. I’ve been teaching part-time or full-time at Armstrong since 2000.
I just came from the ceremony in the arena — a predictably upbeat and even joyous occasion despite the gray Savannah morning.
Henry “Hank” Huckaby, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, gave the Commencement Address. A low-key speaker, Huckaby gave one of the more realistic graduation talks that I’ve heard.
“It is the business of the future to be uncertain,” Huckaby said during the speech, which also included quotes from Condoleeza Rice and Lily Tomlin, and a paraphrase of Dr. Seuss. “The path to your dream job is unlikely to be straight and smooth.” He noted that the average college graduate of today is predicted to change careers 4 times in their lives — and obviously to change jobs many more times than that.
A couple of his key bits of advice were for students to have courage and to embrace the detours that life offers.