Franklin & Marshall College

CNN Anchor

Franklin and Marshall Commencement Address
Saturday, May 12, 2007

To the Class of 2007 – Congratulations. This is truly an exciting milestone in your lives and the lives of your families and friends. All of you have worked very hard to get here – and you certainly deserve a little time to bask in the glory. Key words: a little time. Go ahead and enjoy this moment but recognize that this is not going to last very long. I hate to break it to you but the next challenges are not very far away.

If you’re feeling a bit apprehensive right now -- wondering what happens next -- don’t worry. You are in good company. Whether you are off to graduate school or the job market, you are probably a bit nervous. That is normal. I remember when I was in your shoes, I really didn’t have a clue about what awaited me. I worried about getting a job and I worried about holding a job if I got one. But things eventually began to fall into place – as they will for you, too.

When I received my BA, by the way, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to do next. I knew I was heading off to graduate school to study international relations, but what did that really mean? What would I do after I got an MA? I remember my mom and dad saying – “International Relations – what do you do with that?” They could understand law school or medical school or becoming an accountant – all very practical. But international relations?

Still, they supported and encouraged me to find my own path and fortunately for me, things eventually began to fall into place and I settled in a career that I love. I fell into journalism. There was an opportunity for me to become a foreign correspondent, and I grabbed it – not understanding what that really meant. I had never studied journalism in college or grad school. I had never worked for the school newspaper or radio station. But I suspected it could be a fascinating career – and I suspected correctly. I was at the right place, at the right time, and I took advantage of that. More on that later.

I can only hope all of you will enjoy that kind of a blessing – having a job that you love, feeling passionate about it, and looking forward to pursuing it every single day.

We don’t have a lot of time today – but here are a few rules that have guided me along the way – rules that I will pass along to you. For me, they have been simple. They even sound trite. But they have been powerful for me. They have shaped my personal and career choices.

TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME – Remember, you are in a marathon not a sprint. Pace yourself for the long haul. Don’t burn yourself out. Over the years, I have seen way too many friends and colleagues push themselves too hard and eventually crash or simply collapse. Keep yourself focused on the big picture by doing your job as well as you possibly can every single day. Don’t worry about everyone else and what they are doing. You’ll do well by worrying about yourself and getting the job done.

DON’T CRY OVER SPILLED MILK – We all make mistakes because we are all humans. When those mistakes happen, we have to learn from them and try to make sure we don’t repeat them. When the mistake is a major mistake, spend some quality time assessing why and how you made that mistake. You may want to discuss the process with some friends – people you trust. What you shouldn’t do, however, is overly dwell on that mistake and let it dominate your thinking and your life. You don’t want to compound it. You have to move on – and get over it.

YOU CAN HELP YOURSELF BECOME LUCKY – My father taught me at an early age that luck is the combination of being at the right place, at the right time, and, most importantly, doing something about it. In other words, take advantage of the moment. I’ll give you an example: During the first Gulf War back in 1991, I was CNN’s Pentagon Correspondent. There were many other military correspondents from major news organizations working that story at that time. I made a name for myself during that war by being: a) being at the right place; b) at the right time; but also c) working as hard as I possibly could to do a good job for CNN. By exploiting that opportunity with very hard work, I helped create my luck. Yes, I suppose I was lucky when that story emerged, but I believe I helped myself become really lucky by doing the right thing. By the way, as you get going in your careers, you will certainly spot those moments of real opportunity to move ahead. Take advantage of them.

IF YOU LOVE WHAT YOU ARE DOING, YOU WILL DO IT BETTER – I have been blessed with a profession that I truly love. I get up every morning and look forward to going to work. That is a true blessing. I get paid by CNN to have a life-long education – every single day I learn. Indeed, I know that I will be smarter when I go to sleep at night because of what I have learned during the course of the day. And because I love what I am doing, I will do it better. People who dread their jobs won’t do them well. They will get through the day but that’s about it. Right now, you have the luxury of pursuing careers that you are passionate about. It is way too early for you to settle. Since I was a little boy growing up in Buffalo, New York, I was always interested in history and current events. I guess you could have called me a “news junkie” even then. In other words, I would have been interested in the news even if I had become a doctor or a lawyer or a hedge fund guy. Imagine how thrilled I am that I can afford to make a living doing something I truly love.

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE – My dad also told me early on that while I might be a smart guy, there are other people who are even smarter. Listen to them and heed their advice. They may have the life and professional experiences that you don’t have. Don’t be stubborn. There are good people out there who want to help you. Let them. When I first became a journalist back in the 1970s, I worked for the Reuters News Agency, a British news organization. I was the low person in the bureau, and I knew it. The older, more seasoned journalists let me know it as well. But even while they made fun of me and teased me, they also were willing to teach me journalism. They were among the best professional mentors I ever had – and I will be grateful to them forever.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS – You will soon discover the pressures of professional life. Your bosses will make extraordinary demands. You will feel the stress every day. But what will help you is to try to find a decent balance in your life – one that certainly allows you to do your job, but also lets you cherish your family and friends. By having a life – as we say – you will discover that your career will benefit as well.

This last point was underscored to me recently when I went to Virginia Tech to cover the brutal massacre of students and faculty by a mentally-ill student. I have covered way too many senseless killings over the years, including several wars, many terrorist attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing, and 9-11. All those horrible stories come with the job requirement. They underline how fleeting life can be and how a split second can change everything. In covering those stories, I also have seen the goodness of  people – how they react to tragedy and senseless death.

The Virginia Tech shootings also underscored once again for me how people grieve in different ways. I interviewed parents of slain students within a day or two of the shootings. I couldn’t understand how these parents could possibly talk to a reporter during such a horrible moment. But they wanted to share some thoughts about their son or daughter and let the world know how terrific their kids were. My heart went out to them and everyone else who suffered so needlessly and brutally by these killings.

The world today remains a very dangerous place. It wasn’t that long ago when many of us were much more optimistic. I was in Moscow – at the Kremlin – when the red flag went down in December 1991, ending more than seven decades of communist rule in Russia. The Soviet Union had collapsed; the Cold War had ended.

With the United States becoming the world’s sole superpower, we thought there would be an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity. But that optimism did not last very long.

The challenges and dangers we face today are real. They require a new generation of smart and passionate Americans. You are that generation. I look at you and your fellow graduates around the country and smile because I know you will do the right thing and make your lives and all of lives so much better. Congratulations again and good luck.