“SHOW UP, TAKE ACTION, CREATE RIPPLES OF HOPE”AMBASSADOR TIMOTHY ROEMER

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESSJUNE 15, 2014

Amb.  Roemer  commencement  address,  June  15,  2014    

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“Show  up,  Take  Action,  Create  Ripples  of  Hope”  

Chancellor  Khosla,  Dean  Cowhey,  distinguished  faculty  and  staff  from  the  University  of  California  San  Diego’s  prestigious  School  of  International  Relations  and  Pacific  Studies,  respected  colleges  and  programs,  friends  of  UCSD,  and  classmates  from  the  Class  of  1979:  

I  have  for  the  moment  reserved  two  very  important  groups  from  this  traditional  and  honorable  series  of  recognized  guests.  Every  single  graduation  speech  I  have  ever  attended,  watched  on  YouTube,  or  read  in  the  periodicals,  begins  by  stringing  all  these  names  together  in  a  rapid  and  almost  robotic  fashion.  Not  today.  

Family  members  of  the  graduates,  you  deserve  special  recognition.  You  not  only  have  “deep  pockets”  to  help  pay  for  this  day  and  this  degree,  you  have  made  years  of  sacrifices  and  investments  to  help  accomplish  this  superb  success.  My  father,  who  recently  passed,  taught  my  family  the  importance  of  “showing  up”  for  these  special  occasions.  Whether  it  was  a  middle  school  graduation  ceremony,  a  high  school  diploma  or  a  law  degree  earned  by  a  family  member,  you  flew  across  time  zones,  suffered  through  jet  lag,  and  were  even  subjected  to  torture  by  monotonous  and  boring  graduation  speakers,  in  order  to  celebrate  the  accomplishment  of  scholarship  and  advancement  of  hard  work.  On  Fathers’  Day  weekend,  as  we  recognize  Dads  (and  Mothers’  Day  last  month)  let’s  give  a  thunderous  and  enthusiastic  round  of  applause  for  those  family  and  friends  who  have  inspired,  guided  and  assisted  the  Class  of  2014.  

Remember,  showing  up  for  friends  and  family,  whether  it’s  a  graduation,  a  celebration,  or  a  funeral,  is  a  great  lesson  in  life.  

I  don’t  remember  who  my  college  graduation  speaker  was  in  1979,  but  I  vividly  recall  my  parents,  family  and  friends  who  showed  up  to  support  me  in  La  Jolla.  Let  me  underscore  this  –  texting,  Facebook  Messenger  or  Snapchat  cannot  replace  physically  showing  up  for  the  people  you  love.  

And  now,  I  want  to  recognize  the  multi-­‐skilled,  highly  talented,  and  very  successful  graduates  of  the  School  of  international  Relations  and  Pacific  Studies  at  the  University  of  California,  San  Diego,  class  of  2014!  

This  is  your  day  to  shine.  

Despite  having  student  loans  to  pay  back,  a  headache  from  last  night,  planning  job  interviews  for  next  week,  you  especially  deserve  heartfelt  congratulations.  

You  have  something  Steve  Jobs  never  attained  -­‐  a  college  degree  from  a  prestigious  world-­‐class  university!  And  don’t  forget  what  Stephen  Colbert  said  in  a  graduation  speech  in  2006:  

Amb.  Roemer  commencement  address,  June  15,  2014    

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“The  best  advice  I  can  give  you  is  to  get  your  own  TV  show.  It  pays  well,  the  hours  are  good,  and  you  are  famous.  And  eventually,  some  very  nice  people  will  give  you  a  doctorate  in  fine  arts  for  doing  jack  squat.”  

This  reminds  me  of  a  funny  experience  I  had  with  my  younger  daughter,  Grace,  who  was  seven  years  old  at  the  time.  She  is  the  youngest  of  four  and  shared  a  bedroom  with  her  older  sister,  Sarah.  I  went  to  say  goodnight  to  Sarah  first  and  told  her  I  loved  her  very  much  and  said  a  prayer  with  her.  Walking  over  to  Grace’s  bed,  I  repeated  verbatim  what  I  had  said  merely  seconds  before  to  her  sister  about  how  much  I  loved  her  and  repeated  the  same  prayer.  Grace  sized  me  up  with  focused,  big  hazel  eyes  and  a  confident  voice,  boldly  asked:  “So,  Dad.  Who  do  you  love  more,  Sarah  or  me?”  I  mistakenly  believed  this  was  a  parental  teaching  moment.  I  quickly  replied:  “We  don’t  ask  questions  like  that,  Grace.  That  would  be  like  me  asking  you  –  Whom  do  you  love  more,  Mommy  or  Daddy?  Without  hesitation  and  slightly  smirking,  she  stated:  “That’s  easy  –  I  love  Mommy  a  lot  more  than  you!”  

My  experience  at  the  University  of  California  at  San  Diego,  even  more  specifically  at  John  Muir  College  and  majoring  in  Political  Science,  was  extraordinary.  I  am  not  sure  whom  or  what  I  loved  more  –  the  rigorous  and  stimulating  classes  of  Professors  Susan  Shirk,  Gary  Jacobson  or  Sam  Kernell,  the  internship  in  Muir  College  Provost  John  Stewart’s  office,  grilling  hamburgers  and  making  sandwiches  at  a  campus  eatery,  or  helping  referee  at  school  intra-­‐mural  activities  under  the  supervision  of  Director  Mike  Hipp:  each  job  helped  me  pay  for  school,  but  more  importantly,  it  was  an  “opportunity”  to  learn  essential  values  of  character,  team  work,  collaboration  and  managing  time.  I  was  contributing  to  my  college  education  costs,  and  learning  skills  that  would  help  me  in  future  jobs  in  my  career.  

And  of  particular  importance,  I  made  lifelong  and  loyal  friends  at  school.  We  still  “show  up”  for  each  other,  and  ten  of  us  joined  together  for  dinner  last  year.  While  my  GPA  might  have  been  a  lot  higher,  my  ability  to  construct  meaning,  happiness  and  purpose  from  UCSD  is  a  solid  4.0!  Our  college  institutions  are  sometimes  referred  to  as  ‘cathedrals  of  higher  learning”  and  I  was  truly  fortunate  that  UC  San  Diego  motivated  me  to  reach  for  the  heights  of  my  analytical  abilities,  my  sense  of  community,  and  my  desire  to  work  in  an  honorable  profession  –  public  policy.  

There  is  a  great  deal  of  scholarship,  research,  and  media  attention  these  days  dedicated  to  understanding  two  new  trends  in  higher  education.  The  first  one:  precisely  how  many  times  will  millennials  change  jobs  in  their  careers  –  will  it  be  15,  20,  25?  Therefore,  what  meaningful  skills  will  colleges  provide  in  their  curriculum,  internships,  and  majors  to  prepare  them  for  these  multiple  professional  transitions?  And  the  second  trend,  surveys  are  trying  to  identify  what  exactly  are  the  so-­‐called  “best  jobs”  for  immediate  and  secure  employment  today?  All  of  the  studies  are  confirming  that  the  ideal  jobs  are  in  computer  software,  electrical  engineering,  

Amb.  Roemer  commencement  address,  June  15,  2014    

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financial  accounting,  and  cybersecurity.  Are  you  starting  to  get  nervous?  Anyone  want  to  change  majors  now?  

Today,  speaking  in  front  of  scores  of  anxious  parents  and  the  excited  graduates  of  the  International  Relations  and  Pacific  Studies  program,  I  would  state  that  you  are  in  the  perfect  major  at  the  precise  time  in  history  with  the  requisite  skills  from  a  prestigious  university  to  be  professionally  challenged,  extremely  happy  and  fulfilled  by  purpose  in  your  career.  You  will  find  great  jobs.  You  can  be  a  part  of  making  history.  You  can  help  directly  impact  people’s  lives.  And  you  can  positively  change  the  world.  

According  to  McKinsey  and  the  United  Nations  Development  Goals  Report  2011,  India’s  poverty  rate  will  fall  from  51  percent  in  1990  to  about  22  percent  in  2015.  Subsequently,  India’s  middle  class  will  potentially  increase  from  250  million  people  to  600  million  by  2030.  Let  me  repeat  this  –  600  million  people  in  the  middle  class  –  twice  the  size  of  the  entire  U.S.  population.  China,  starting  under  Deng  Xiaoping’s  economic  expansion  and  reform  elevated  hundreds  of  millions  of  people  out  of  poverty.  ASEAN  countries  like  Vietnam,  Indonesia,  and  Malaysia  will  see  similar  trends  of  millions  of  people  migrating  from  misery  to  middle  class  status  and  opportunity.  Logically,  several  questions  follow  from  this  trajectory  in  social  mobility.  Who  will  assist  these  people  in  their  journey  of  migration?  What  will  these  people  think  about  America?  What  religion  will  they  practice?  What  products  will  they  purchase?  What  types  of  government  will  they  support?  What  government  will  they  seek  to  change?  Will  they  have  access  to  clean  water?  The  answers  to  all  these  questions  and  the  subsequent  patterns  will  change  the  world.  You  are  squarely  in  the  middle  of  it  all.  

Having  lived  in  Asia  from  2009  through  2011,  I  have  directly  experienced  people  who  are  making  courageous  choices,  executing  tough  decisions,  using  their  smart  power  to  impact  their  communities  and  directly  help  their  neighbors.  Let  me  give  you  a  few  inspiring  examples:  

We  visited  Irfan  Alam,  a  young  Indian  Muslim  who  lives  in  the  city  of  Patna,  in  the  state  of  Bihar.  He  is  a  champion  of  social  change,  not  because  he  holds  a  Harvard  degree,  but  because  he  is  a  social  entrepreneur.  Maybe  describing  him  as  a  serial  entrepreneur  is  more  precise.  He  helps  rickshaw  drivers  of  whom  there  are  approximately  10  million  in  India.  He  is  not  afraid  to  fail.  He  manufactures  rickshaws  made  of  fiberglass,  not  steel  frames,  that  are  significantly  lighter  in  weight  and  therefore  much  easier  to  manipulate  and  drive.  He  also  assists  the  drivers  with  the  purchase  and  affordability  of  the  rickshaw  by  providing  attractive  financing  with  low  rates  for  ownership.  

His  organization,  the  SammaaN  Foundation,  provides  education  and  training  for  rickshaw  drivers  and  is  a  leading  primary  and  emergency  healthcare  provider.  Irfan  was  invited  by  President  Obama  to  attend  the  White  House  Entrepreneurship  Summit.  Irfan  has  said:  “If  we  

Amb.  Roemer  commencement  address,  June  15,  2014    

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aspire  to  live  in  a  happier  world,  we  must  empower  those  living  on  the  margins  of  society.”  He  is  sending  ripples  of  hope  and  opportunity  into  his  community  and  around  the  world.  

We  witnessed  from  a  country  across  the  border,  the  astounding  bravery  of  Malala  Yousafzai,  the  young  Pakistani  schoolgirl  who  became  an  activist  for  human  rights  for  women.  Back  in  2009,  when  she  was  not  yet  12,  she  boldly  asserted  her  views  on  education  for  girls,  even  as  the  Taliban  tried  to  control  the  Swat  Valley  where  she  lived.  On  the  afternoon  of  October  9,  2012,  while  riding  her  school  bus,  a  gunman  boarded  and  asked  for  her  by  name.  “Who  is  Malala?”  he  screamed.  He  pointed  a  gun  at  her  head  and  fired  three  times.  One  bullet  entered  her  forehead,  traveled  down  her  face  and  penetrated  her  shoulder.  She  was  unconscious  and  in  critical  condition.  

The  assassination  attempt  sparked  an  outpouring  of  support  and  assistance  for  Malala.  Today,  Malala  is  17,  recognized  worldwide  for  her  fortitude  and  her  views  on  women’s  rights  and  education  for  girls.  She  was  recently  invited  to  address  the  United  Nations.  She  has  stated:  “Let  us  remember:  One  book,  one  pen,  one  child,  and  one  teacher  can  change  the  world.”  Malala  dared  the  Taliban  to  deny  her  an  education,  fearlessly  defied  death,  and  is  sending  ripples  of  hope  and  opportunity  into  her  community  and  around  the  world.  

We  recently  had  dinner  with  my  friend  Muhammad  Yunus,  who  was  educated  at  Vanderbilt  University  in  the  United  States  and  returned  to  Bangladesh  in  1975  to  start  a  bank,  but  not  just  any  ordinary  bank.  Its  mission  is  to  lend  to  people  too  poor  to  qualify  for  traditional  bank  loans.  No  one  believed  he  would  succeed  with  this  microloan  bank.  Loans  to  poor  people  without  any  financial  security  had  appeared  to  be  an  impossible  idea.  But  by  2007,  through  his  Grameen  Bank  (or  Village  Bank)  he  had  loaned  $6.38  billion  to  7.4  million  borrowers.  In  2006,  he  received  the  Nobel  Peace  Prize  for  his  ground-­‐breaking  work  and  the  Norwegian  Nobel  Committee  said:  “Lasting  peace  cannot  be  achieved  unless  large  population  groups  find  ways  to  break  out  of  poverty.”  Muhammad  is  sending  ripples  of  hope  and  opportunity  into  his  community  and  around  the  world.  

People  in  India,  Pakistan,  Bangladesh,  China,  America  and  all  over  the  world  are  boldly  stepping  forward  and  redesigning  rickshaws,  advocating  for  women’s  education,  expanding  access  to  loans  for  the  poor  and  countless  other  issues.  As  the  Obama  Administration  executes  on  their  legacy  foreign  policy  issue  of  rebalancing  to  Asia,  this  focus  will  only  increase  in  the  decades  to  come.  Yes,  there  will  be  jobs  in  electrical  engineering,  accounting  and  cybersecurity.  However,  jobs  in  the  Pacific,  international  affairs,  and  foreign  policy  will  be  plentiful.  You  can  even  invent  your  next  job,  just  as  Malala,  Muhammad  and  Irfan  have  done.  

We  have  talked  about  Asia.  America  will  also  need  many  skilled  private  and  public  sector  entrepreneurs  helping  the  United  States  with  its  renaissance,  passing  immigration  reform,  

Amb.  Roemer  commencement  address,  June  15,  2014    

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creating  education  reform,  making  colleges  more  affordable,  sharing  technology  to  help  preserve  precious  water  resources.  There  are  numerous  opportunities  here  at  home.  If  politicians  cannot  or  will  not  lead  change  and  reform,  you  must.  This  is  an  area  of  enormous  growth,  whether  you  are  marketing  business  goods  in  Asia,  working  as  a  social  entrepreneur,  or  serving  as  a  policy  advisor  in  Washington  DC,  South  Bend,  or  Sacramento  –  there  will  be  open  doors  and  open  minds.  

There  are  reasons  why  people  succeed  in  life.  Moreover,  there  are  specific  common  threads  of  character,  tenacity,  and  values  in  the  personal  success  stories  of  Irfan,  Malala,  and  Muhammad.  First,  as  my  Dad  taught  us  so  well,  especially  by  his  actions,  we  must  live  with  a  purpose  and  meaning  in  life.  Maybe  Bhutan  located  to  the  north  of  India  has  it  right  –  they  have  developed  a  Gross  National  Happiness  index/GNH.  My  Dad  stressed  that  we  should  not  be  striving  for  material  success  but  building  a  life  of  values,  for  those  surely  will  endure  throughout  time.  Build  your  professional  career  on  core  values  and  economic  results  will  certainly  follow.  

Second,  we  are  all  people  of  hopes  and  dreams  for  our  children.  I  see  that  unique  spark  in  a  parent’s  eye  when  they  see  their  children  do  something  successfully.  Look  into  your  parents’  expressions  when  you  receive  your  degree  today.  The  poet  Emily  Dickinson  wrote:  “Hope  is  the  thing  with  feathers  that  perches  in  the  soul.”  Nurture  it.  Grow  strong  wings.  Build  it.  Give  hope  the  strength  to  fly  off  that  perch.  

And  third,  even  if  you  have  the  values,  education  and  hopes,  you  must  have  the  aspiration.  You  must  have  the  hunger.  Inspiration  without  energy  often  fails.  You  need  to  fuel  this  with  a  risk-­‐embracing  spirit.  Every  big  decision  Sally  and  I  have  made  in  our  lives  –  getting  married,  running  for  Congress,  having  four  children,  and  moving  to  India  to  represent  the  United  States  –  has  involved  great  risk,  potential  failure,  and  undefined  obstacles.  Still,  each  one  of  those  decisions  was  the  right  one  that  resulted  in  enormous  personal  growth,  bringing  our  family  closer  together,  and  teaching  us  wonderful  lessons  about  the  world…  and  maybe  even  creating  small  ripples  of  hope  and  opportunity  for  others.  

Change  demands  direction,  risk,  and  courage.  I  know  your  parents  constantly  admonished  you  while  you  were  growing  up  with  sayings  like:  “Look  before  you  leap.”  But  they  had  it  backwards.  W.H.  Auden  wrote  in  this  insightful  poem,  “Leap  Before  You  Look”:  

“A  solitude  ten  thousand  fathoms  deep  Sustains  the  bed  on  which  we  lie,  my  dear:  Although  I  love  you,  you  will  have  to  leap;  Our  dream  of  safety  has  to  disappear”.  

You  will  “have  to  leap,”  you  will  be  required  to  lead  and  be  leaders  so  “dreams  of  safety”  will  disappear.  Leave  these  “safe  dreams”  for  the  electrical  engineers,  the  accountants,  the  finance  

Amb.  Roemer  commencement  address,  June  15,  2014    

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experts.  Your  dreams  entail  new  thoughts,  new  journeys,  and  new  adventures.  After  all,  America  is  founded  on  this  unique  principle…  “anything  is  possible.”  

You  need  to  show  up  –  leap  –  take  action  –  and  create  these  ripples  of  hope  and  opportunity  in  your  community.  

Now  you  are  all  anxious  to  take  some  action  and  leap  across  this  stage  to  receive  your  hard-­‐earned  and,  might  I  say,  extremely  employable  degrees.  

Let  me  conclude  with  this  simple  parable.  A  man  was  walking  on  a  white  beach  the  morning  after  a  turbulent  storm  stirred  up  the  ocean.  He  encountered  thousands  and  thousands  of  starfish  washed  up  and  stranded  on  the  sand  and  immediately  began  to  pick  them  up  one  by  one  and  throw  them  back  into  the  water.  A  young  girl,  watching  this  arduous  process  curiously  for  several  minutes,  finally  blurted  out:  “How  can  your  efforts  make  any  difference?”  The  man  raised  his  head,  gave  her  a  friendly  and  generous  glance  and  pitched  another  starfish  over  the  waves  back  into  the  ocean.  “It  makes  a  big  difference  to  that  starfish,”  he  said.  

Show  up  in  life,  leap  before  you  look,  take  action  –  and  start  small  –  one  starfish  at  a  time.  I  am  confident  the  IR/PS  Class  of  2014  will  create  ripples  of  hope  and  change  the  world.  

I  wish  you  luck.  You  will  be  great  ambassadors  for  the  University  of  California,  San  Diego.  

Thank  you.