Graduation 2024: Keynote Remarks and Celebrations from UMB

This graduation wrap-up special edition of "The UMB Pulse Podcast" features inspiring commencement speeches from the University of Maryland, Baltimore's recent graduation ceremonies. Notable speakers include U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson, JD '05 (4:03), United Therapeutics CEO Martine Rothblatt, PhD, JD, MBA (22:12), and U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, JD '67  (37:25). The speeches touch on their personal journeys, professional experiences, and important lessons learned, with themes of resilience, community support, and public service.

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Transcript

Dana Rampolla: 0:00

Okay. Charles, before we get started, I'm noticing that you have a really nice outfit on today and our YouTube watchers will be able to see congratulations to you. You just graduated. I'm so happy for you.

Charles Schelle: 0:14

Thank you. Thank you. I, uh, just earned my master's in strategic communications and I figure, you know what, let's dress the part. I still have the cap and gown. Might as well put it to good use.

Dana Rampolla: 0:26

That's awesome. Well, I'm going to join you. I didn't just graduate, but there's my cap. You know, we got a lot of computer. Technology nowadays, but congratulations. I know you've been balancing so much and juggling so much. You do a great job here at UMB with lots of work on your plate. I don't know how in the world you squeezed in time to get a master's degree on top of it, but.

Charles Schelle: 0:47

I don't know either, but,

Dana Rampolla: 0:49

but it's done well. If anybody else wants to be put in a good mood and feel inspired, this is a podcast podcast for you. It's our graduation wrap up special edition of the UMB pulse.

Charles Schelle: 1:00

Yeah, for this edition, we are replaying three inspiring speeches from this year's graduation ceremonies here at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. We did this last year, and it was popular, so we thought, let's bring it back, give you something for that long summer road trip you're taking.

Dana Rampolla: 1:16

Sounds fun. The first person we're going to hear from is Judge Brendan Hurson. He is a 2005 Maryland Cary Law alum, and he is a newly appointed U. S. District Court judge for the District of Maryland. His journey from a dedicated student to a federal judge is very inspiring, and he was a former student of the school's dean, Renee Hutchins McDonald, which is also very cool. I'm I'm going to say Charles, I personally really enjoyed his, his graduation speech. Sometimes speeches can be a little, I'll say a little boring, a little dry, but he just brings some levity to it. So I think our listeners will enjoy. Yeah. Checking his speech out.

Charles Schelle: 1:57

Definitely. That's a good one to start things off. Plenty of laughs for sure. After Judge Hurston, we'll feature Dr. Martine Rothblatt. She's a trailblazing entrepreneur and bioethicist she spoke at the University of Maryland School of Medicine ceremony. Her work in satellite technology, electric aviation, and biotech showcases the power of innovation,, and dedication. She is the chairperson and CEO of United Therapeutics, and is also the inventor of SiriusXM Satellite Radio, which is Insane. Like, I listen to that all the time. She tells graduates that they'll find the toolkits to transform human health with their medical degree. She also talks about her journey as a trans woman, healthcare CEO, and she shared her perspective with the School of Medicine's Class of 2024, which as she noted, at least one in five identify as LGBTQ.

Dana Rampolla: 2:52

Very interesting. And then lastly, we'll listen to Senator Ben Cardin at the University of Maryland School of Social Work graduation. He is not only a national leader in healthcare and social justice, but probably everyone listening realizes he is a Marylander and he is a 1967 Maryland Carey Law alum. His commitment to public service and policy reform is a powerful reminder of the impact that one person can have on society, and in case you don't know, he's retiring from the Senate following this session.

Charles Schelle: 3:23

Yeah, best of luck to Senator Cardin and for the Senator's speech, you will notice that the audio isn't the best for the first half of his speech. The live stream signal dropped during the School of Social Work's, ceremony and it re established a connection on the back half of his speech. Live events, things happen, right? But, um, shout out to Brittany Brookins from UMB's Media Relations team for recording the speech on her iPhone.

Dana Rampolla: 3:49

Oh my gosh, she's awesome.

Charles Schelle: 3:51

Yeah, without it, we wouldn't be able to share the senator's words.

Dana Rampolla: 3:55

All right, well, let's get ready to turn those tassels and dive into graduation season. I think I'm going to take off my virtual cap now. Um, and let's just kick it off with Judge Brendan Hurson.

Brendan Hurson: 4:09

Couple preliminary things, I lost that clinic case.

4:15

Second, I drove by last night, and I saw the same marquee you did. It said, Welcome, Law and Dentistry. So I rewrote my speech, and Are there any dentists here? Cause Most of these remarks are for them. Lastly, I see some babies and stuff out there. If your baby starts crying, that's completely fine with me. Don't, don't shush him or anything like that. Anyway, I'm kidding, this speech is not about dentistry, it's about law. And this institution has been graduating lawyers for 200 years. 200 years. Now this speech is going to be like 15 minutes, but if you keep clapping, you're going to drag it out. That's okay! I just want you to know. You did this to yourself. Um, anyway, think of how long. That line of graduates would be if they were all still with us today. And in a few moments, you are going to get to join the tail end of that line. And I, for one, am very, very honored to be here to see it. To Dean Hutchins, to all the faculty of this fine institution, I thank you very much for inviting me here today. And to the graduates, and to their families, Congratulations to you. This is a tremendous day for you. You can clap, I didn't mean to shut off the clapping, I mean like, it's okay. Especially, you can't see, there's like people way in the back up there. Anyway, I see you up there, I do. Yes, okay. Today is truly a special day. I mean for some of you it's particularly special because you were the first in your family to go to college. And by extension, you're the first to go to law school. Some of you, some of you, some of you took on substantial debt to be here. You bet on yourself to succeed. Some of you are, as the saying goes, your ancestors wildest dream. And others of you, maybe you knew you'd be here all along. Maybe you have lawyers in the family. Maybe you always knew this was where you would end up. But whatever path you took to get here today, doesn't matter. You did it. You made it. You earned this degree. And you deserve every ounce of all of the praise that's going to be heaped on you today. And what a place to get praise heaped on you. I mean, this stage, In this gorgeous temple to entertainment, apparently named after a large mammal. It has seen so many famous names. There's a bug here too, by the way. If you see me do this, you might not see it. But anyway, so many famous names have crossed this stage. The Wiz, Reboot, was just on this stage. Patti LaBelle has been on this stage. Bob Dylan has been on this stage. Neil Young has been on this stage. Idina Menzel has been on this stage. Even bigger stars have been on this stage. Stars like Don Gifford. That's a professor for the folks. But I want to start by addressing a topic that may be a little bit awkward, maybe a little difficult to talk about. And that is the way that you felt when you learned that some judge you had never heard of was going to be your hooding ceremony speaker. Look, it's okay. I am sure you felt a slight tinge of disappointment. To be honest, I was disappointed when I heard who your speaker was going to be. You were probably holding out for someone cooler. Maybe someone like Lamar Jackson. Maybe Taylor Swift. Maybe some sort of panel discussion between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Something, something exciting. I get it. And while I can't regale you with stories of fighting for an AFC championship, and I can't give you any insight into what Miss Swift may have meant when she wrote, My friends all smell like weed or little babies. Which actually is a lot deeper than I think we're giving it credit for. Here's what I can offer you. The insight of someone who sat in the exact seats where you sit today. That is right, I too am in that long line of graduates. In fact, I was taught by many of the same people you were. You already heard that I was in Dean Hutchins first clinic. I still owe Doug Colbert an assignment. I think we all still owe Doug Colbert an assignment. And that goes for the parents as well. For reference, when I took contracts, Professor Van Alstine was rocking a smoking mustache, which you may have seen. You may see in the pictures if you go down that hallway. And like you, I wrestled with that difficult decision of where I should even attend law school. In those days, we got brochures and websites you could look at too. And they showed these glowing green campuses with beautiful trees. And I, like you, decided that a traditional campus just wasn't for me. I, too, wanted all of my lunch options to be in a hospital food court. And I, like you, decided that a campus with trees and grass, that just wasn't my bag. I, like you, decided that the perfect campus would have a graveyard in the middle of it. Like you, like you when I struggled. When I struggled with concepts like adverse possession or malice aforethought, it gave me some comfort to know that less than 75 feet away there were subterranean skeletons. So unlike other speakers, I'm just like you. I even went to school in the same building you did. I was in the first day class to make it through all three years here. And the building is pretty much the same now as it was then. We even had those telephone booths on the first and second floor. Now, in my day, those booths did not have phones in them. They were strictly for crying. Just crying. And, in fact, for nostalgia's sake, I went over there this morning. You may have seen me crying as I prepared to give this speech. I, too, had class in that big room on the first floor when you come in and take a left. And I, too. Listen to some gunner in the front row wax on about the nuances of international shoe. Nuances that I had of course missed, but so had everybody else who'd ever looked at the case. My version of treating myself, maybe it's like yours, and that was to park in the Grand Garage before 4 o'clock. I knew it was, I knew it was going to be a 20 hit, but gosh it was worth it. And like you. I joined that long line of graduates, and I marched straight into a world that was, to be mild, a bit of a mess. But I'm not going to stand here today and act like the world that I walked into is the same one that you're marching into today. It feels very different today. You march into a world where so many people seem completely detached from our system of government. Many Americans are hopeless. They're lost. Many feel that our institutions, all of our institutions, our courts included, are completely partisan and dysfunctional. Many feel like our democracy doesn't work. If people vote at all, some feel like their vote doesn't matter, and some even feel like their vote isn't even counted. Even worse, so many in our country feel alone. Unheard, and I'm often reminded of Dr. King's words that a riot is the language of the unheard. So perhaps it is no surprise that extreme anger and even violence seem to be inevitable outcomes of virtually any disagreement. Some even feel like our democracy is dying. Maybe we should put one of those cry booths right up here with these uplifting words, but don't despair. Don't be discouraged. There is so much to be hopeful about. If you close your eyes, you can even feel the hope in this room. I can see it as I look at each and every one of you. I see a group of people who still believe in the law as a force for good. And I don't mean to discount the anger and the sadness that you may feel. Quite the opposite. You should feel it. I'd almost be disappointed if you didn't have some unease with the way that the world is today. But something inside of you made you seek a law degree. Something called you to law school. Something led you to firmly believe that you can make a difference in the world as a lawyer. And whether you know it or not, as long as you still hold that belief in your heart, Our democracy can never die. Before you leave here today, maybe when you wait to walk across the stage, maybe you look up to see if grandma found her seat, close your eyes, take a deep breath and try to remember what it was or who it was that got you here in the first place. What was it? that led you to believe that the law was the field where you can make a difference. Hold that memory tight, because right there, in that feeling, our democracy survives. Now some of you, some of you are probably thinking, this is pretty cheesy, saying to yourself, Judge! Crap, I forgot his name. I'm just trying to get out of here. Whatever motivated me to get here, it's been squished out of me by contracts, by admin law, by petitioning, by moot court, by the closing of the Panera, by job interviews, by this speech. I'm just trying to get my degree and move on. Well, to you, I would say, first, of course this is cheesy. It is a commencement speech. What did you expect? Second, though, I would say, if you've forgotten what drove you to be here in the first place, or just can't find it to believe in our democracy, I'd encourage you to come down to the federal courthouse and watch a naturalization ceremony where our newest citizens are minted. It is one of the absolute best parts of my job. Many of these new citizens fled from famine, from poverty, from war. They've been through years of struggle. Many have even had to leave family members far behind. And yet they are so proud to finally be called Americans, despite everything they have been through. They still believe in our country and its institutions. They believe in our democracy. And if you have a chance to witness this firsthand, it's, it's enough, I promise, to jog that distant memory of whatever brought you to the law in the first place. Or maybe think about those late nights you spent and early mornings, digging into your books, drafting your outlines, or in my case, copying someone else's. Sorry. Um, anyway. Learning the law, you know? Learning how to cite, learning how to write, learning how to think like a lawyer. Yes, you were preparing for your exams, you were preparing for today, for sure. But you were also taking and working, taking steps, finishing tasks, that ensured that our democracy endures. Because you were making certain that when you marched across this stage and into the world, You were going to do it with the skills you needed to effectively navigate our system. I'd also remind you that you aren't the first ones to march out those doors into a difficult and challenging world. As you prepare to join that long line of Maryland graduates, know that many of them, like you, have marched straight out those doors into chaos. They marched into wars, segregation, immigration, internment. lynchings and more unspeakable horrors. And I'm not going to sit here and pretend that that line of graduates was always on, as they say, the right side of history, because Lord knows many were not. But I take inspiration from those graduates who came before us and marched into whatever crazy world they lived in at the time, believing in the promise of America and ready to wield their law degree like a sword against suffering and injustice. It is their example, their memory, that helps me to maintain my belief that our democracy is worth defending. And maybe you're asking, I'm with you, Judge, but how do I defend democracy? I get it for folks going into public interest law, but I don't even have a job. Well, first, I would say, I don't have a job yet. Okay, so phrase it that way. Second, you're going to be fine. And third, these speeches are not supposed to provide any practical advice. I watched a bunch of them. I'm supposed to get up here, say something funny, inspire, and then leave, but I will try. Let me tell you how to start defending our democracy. It's going to start very soon. In that inevitable moment when someone you've known for years, or maybe someone you just met at a bar, calls you aside and quietly says, Hey, uh, you're a lawyer, right? Alright, now first off, when you hear that, buckle up. Alright, because what is coming is a question about an area of the law that you know absolutely nothing about. And you know what isn't on its way when someone asks a question like that? Any financial compensation for your answer. You got that, Uncle Billy, wherever you are? But buried inside every ask like that is a hope that the system works. A hope that with a little bit of knowledge, fairness and justice can prevail. And in the small act of taking time to listen, providing a little help as best you can, you can reaffirm that our systems aren't as broken as people think they are. You work to restore faith. in our democracy, to restore faith in America. And there are other small acts you can do too. You can volunteer in an expungement clinic. You can answer the court's call to represent a pro se plaintiff. You can come back to your alma mater to provide mentoring or coaching or give a speech. I think, I think this counts, I don't know, but. And in sharing that little bit of yourself, you're going to be restoring faith. So as you join this long line of proud graduates, hold your head up high, march forward, march all over the world, but most important, just keep marching. Keep believing in yourself. Keep believing in America. Keep defending this democracy. Because deep down, it's really why you became a lawyer in the first place. Thank you very much.

Speaker: 22:06

Well, now that you've earned that law degree, thanks to Judge Hurson, it's time to head over to the School of Medicine. So here is Martine Rothblatt giving her remarks to the School of Medicine's Class of 2024.

Martine Rothblatt: 22:20

Thank you, Dean Gladwin. Thank you, University of Maryland. Congratulations to all of the graduating class. Congratulations to all of the family members because I know all of you were absolutely essential to the graduates reaching this huge milestone and great sense of accomplishment. Um, it takes, it takes everybody we know to help us accomplish what we do. Dean Gladwin was so kind in reciting many parts of my background, but, um, while he recites it as if it's me, it's actually always teams. First of all, there is my teammates soulmate for over 42 years, my partner, Bina Aspen, who's here in the front row. And then beyond that, there are teams of literally hundreds of people behind each and every one of the accomplishments. Dean Gladwin referred to. There were probably a few reasons why I was invited to be your commencement speaker. First, I'm the CEO of the largest biotech and biopharma company in our great state of Maryland. So let's talk about the company for a moment. I co founded United Therapeutics with my financial co founder. Our long term CFO, Fred Hadid. The success of our company is a testament to what happens when a Palestinian American, such as Mr. Hadid and a Jewish American, such as myself, embrace each other as brothers and sisters. After retiring from our company, Mr. Hadid became treasurer of the United Palestinian Appeal. which he is today, and I encourage you to make a charitable contribution to it. Our company has four medicines approved for pulmonary hypertension, one for interstitial lung disease, and one for neuroblastoma. About half the children who are given our neuroblastoma drug, called Unitoxin, are completely cured of their cancer. There is no recurrence after even five years. This is something for Maryland to be truly proud of. Now the story of United Therapeutics is especially unique because it shows what miracles can happen when doctors, such as the graduating class of today, encourage patients, in this case, our daughter and our family. In our case, the patient was our youngest daughter. Genesis Rothblatt, with a J, who was diagnosed with fatal pulmonary hypertension at age 8. Pulmonary hypertension is a disease that shuts down the artery between the heart and the lungs. This leaves the patient breathless. In our daughter's case, her lips turned blue. When she was diagnosed There were only 2, 000 patients in the United States with this condition because everyone who developed it died within five years. There were no approved medicines at all. Genesis pleaded with me to save her life. I approached dozens of medical doctors for help, but only one, Dr. Robin Barst of Columbia Presbyterian, encouraged us. She urged me to take the bull by the horns. She urged me to develop a promising molecule stored in a freezer at the big pharma company GlaxoWelcome and to develop it into a medical treatment for pulmonary hypertension. That company wouldn't develop it because they did not believe it would work. They also thought a small 2000 patient population was not worth the risk and the effort. But with funding that Fred Hadid helped me to raise, we successfully built a biotech company that turned that forgotten frozen molecule into a new medicine approved by the FDA. Now, 20 years later, Instead of there being 2, 000 patients dying of pulmonary hypertension, there are 50, 000 people living with pulmonary hypertension. The new medicines enable decades of life, thus growing the constant small incidents into a large prevalence. And one of those 50, 000 patients is our young daughter, Genesis Rothblatt. She was the young patient whose quest for the impossible was supported by her medical doctor, just like I'm sure the graduating class of today will do for patients in your future lives. You guys are powerful, really beyond belief. I mean, to think that Dr. Barst, her words of encouragement to me, could result in growing 2, 000 patients dying to 50, 000 patients living. But that didn't just come from me or from Genesis, it came from the encouragement of her doctors. You are powerful beyond your beliefs. I think a second reason I may have been invited is that I was able to turn my Ph. D. in medical ethics into a historic, life saving set of Xeno heart transplants right here at the University of Maryland Baltimore Hospital for together with Dr. Bart Griffith and dozens of highly trained specialists right at this amazing place. Today each of you will receive a similar degree. What will you turn that degree into in the next 10 or 20 years? I implore you to turn it into saving lives. Far, far too many people will People lose their lives to mankind's only natural enemy, disease. Over a quarter of a million people die needlessly every couple of days. Each of these deaths is a tragedy for the person, for they lose access to this extraordinary wonder that we are able to experience on this beautiful planet. Each of these deaths is also a tragedy to their friends and family. For our loved ones live inside us, and we live inside them. And hence, when they die, a part of us dies as well. But I believe that each of these deaths is also a tragedy for humanity. As the African proverb says, When a life is lost You have an unlimited life saving toolkit with the medical degree that you have earned today. You can save lives with your hands by touching patients, as Dean Gladwin so beautifully described. You can save lives with your legs by going where others don't go and treating patients that others ignore. You can save lives with your eyes by seeing. You can save lives with your ears by listening to the patients. You can save lives with your mouths by organizing, advising, and advocating for better health care. You can save lives with better use of existing medicines by engaging with pharmacogenomics Telemedicine and integrative medicine. You can save lives by turning your advanced knowledge of physiology and bioinformatics into new and better medicines by engaging with in silico biochemistry, virtual clinical trials, and AI powered biomedical research at United Therapeutics here in Silver Springs. We have a computational laboratory for in silico molecular biology. The first letters of each of those words spell CLIMB, because it's allowing us to climb to a higher level of biomedical research. Within our CLIMB lab, we have created a virtual lung, including a digital simulacra of cellularized vessels and airways. Within this cyber model, We test promising new drugs against a variety of genetic polymorphisms induced disease states. This is a part of our AI future. Your patients analyze DNA in the cloud, considered in light of their diagnostic markers and self reported health, available for genetic correlation with the differential safety and efficacy profiles of dozens of different drugs. You're brand new, literally infinite toolkit to save lives and reduce anguish is truly a gift from the heavens. Yes, all of you worked very, very hard to get this. But even the fact that you were able to work very, very hard to get it is another gift from the heavens. Be grateful. Be humble. Be useful. From my graduate degree in medical ethics, I found the toolkit to help safely modify pig DNA, thus avoiding both zoonoses and acute organ rejection, while validating the promise of an unlimited supply of transplantable hearts and kidneys. From your graduate degrees in medicine, You will find the toolkits to transform human health from one on one patient care visits to unfairly neglected communities to our ongoing battle against literally thousands of diseases, most of which with no cures. You have 360 degrees of application. for your medical degrees that you're getting today. You have dozens of dimensions in which to deploy from biology to sociology and from patient care to population research. The power of the toolkit you receive today is without limit. It is a superpower for your heart, for your mind, and for your souls. I think a third reason that I received this prestigious invite is because the University of Maryland Medical School class is a proudly diverse class with at least one in five identifying as LGBTQ. Now I'm one of the few openly transgendered leaders in a healthcare organization. The healthcare system is often harsh. to those outside of a majority power demographic. Women, black and brown people, immigrants, diverse ethnicities, lesbians, gays, and queer people, all of us have faced systemic healthcare prejudice. If the worst treatment didn't kill us, then the justifiable reluctance to even enter the healthcare system could. Read just one story of that in my friend, Leslie Feinberg's book, Stone Butch Blues. Yet here we are, as one of the most diverse graduating medical school classes ever. This makes me so proud of the University of Maryland, and so proud of each and every one of you, for all of the countless personal battles you had to fight, and much harder than others, to get to where you are today. I hope that you can see in my example that it is possible to reach the peaks of the healthcare sector in all of our joyful diversity. I want to call out the many, many amazing role models we have to look up to. Such as Dr. Ted Love, the Black Physician CEO who developed the first FDA approved treatment for sickle cell disease. Or Dr. Alfred Quiones, the undocumented Mexican immigrant who became head and is now head of Mayo's Neurosurgery Department. We are not as prevalent as we should be, but we are changing that with each and every diverse graduating medical school class like the one I see right in front of me. In summary, I stand for Maryland Health. I stand for seeing an infinite toolkit to save lives in the graduate degrees that we have received today. And I stand for ensuring that those who have long been disrespected by the health care system, being brought inside it and becoming leaders of it. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you today, and please accept my hearty congratulations on your magnificent accomplishment Being recognized today.

Dana Rampolla: 37:25

And wrapping up here is Senator Ben Cardin speaking to the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Ben Cardin: 37:34

Thank you so much for that very kind introduction. Let me also give my thanks and congratulations to your esteemed faculty. Thank the proud families and graduates of the class of 2024. I am deeply honored to address you on this momentous occasion. It's made even more special as a fellow graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a graduate of the School of Law. President Jarrell, we're proud of you. I want to congratulate you for your leadership. This is his fourth convocation today. This is the fourth graduating speech he's going to have to listen to. This is quite a guy. very much. To the graduates, my sincere congratulations. As President George---W. Bush said, to those of you who are graduating with honors, I say well done. Well done. As I'd like to tell C students, you too can be president. This graduation is not just a celebration of academic achievement, but also a recognition of your unwavering commitment to serving others. With your newly achieved degree, you are also agents of transformation. Your time at the University of Maryland, coupled with your training outside the classroom, is Has equipped you with the tools and knowledge to address some of the most pressing issues facing our communities, and you'll be changing lives at a very personal, individual level. My faith teaches me to love your neighbor as yourself. Deeds of loving kindness are equal to all the commandments. These words have always guided me in my career, in public service where I've sought to end community and justice. the lives of our most vulnerable citizens. When I first ran for office, I was a law student at University of Maryland. Guided by my faith in my upbringing, I ran for the Maryland House of Delegates because I wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Now, after 57 years of public service, I can tell you that not only is public service deeply rewarding personally. It's also an act worn out of love for one's community. I believe we all have an obligation, as Marion White Edelman said, service is the rent you pay for living. As social workers, you have chosen a career to help others. Individuals struggling with mental health and substance abuse. Communities challenged by poverty and homelessness. Thank you. Neighborhoods that have been overlooked, they need your advocacy. Individuals who need you to help organize to improve social policies and programs. In one word, you have chosen a career to be change makers. You are embarking on a career of public service. Who knows, you may even follow a fellow social worker, Senator Bart Murkowski, and become a U. S. Senator. As a social worker, you have the skills to help others, but you also understand the need for community support. No one can do it alone. It takes a village. Each of us has been supported by family, friends, classmates, and soldiers. Your skills taught here at the University of Maryland to help you organize communities to action. I saw the need firsthand in March. At four a. m. on March 26, I was awakened by a call on board the catastrophic collision by the dolly into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing its immediate collapse. Lives were lost. The shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore, the third busiest in our nation, was blocked by thousands of tons of steel and concrete. And a major East Coast traffic artery was severed. I saw first hand the importance of individual leadership. But it was the community engagement that provided the effective response. Although it was a state bridge, the federal government was there with their expertise and resources that were beyond the state's capacity. Private citizens, non profits and businesses from the community We're there for the victims of the tragedy and their families. First responders were fed by local restaurants and closed their businesses to the public to support the rescue, recovery, and debris removal. It took a community. The six victims were immigrants doing dangerous work to keep our highways safe. Work that most of us would not do. Neighbors joined together in a candlelight vigil for the victims. Their families are being cared for by the community. The Small Business Administration set up local centers to help small businesses that depended on the operation of the Port of Baltimore. The channel is now substantially open, months earlier than thought possible, bringing thousands of workers back to work, thanks to the community. And the Francis Scott Key Bridge will be rebuilt thanks to the community. Governments, non profits, businesses, and engaged private citizens working together our community. With this community support, you are ready to meet society's challenges. You made it through a global pandemic and the economic fallout that ensued. You overcame challenges of virtual learning that upended the traditional in person college experience. For each of you, your college journey has been shaped by unconventional and unprecedented experiences. But despite these challenges, you made it here today, and you should be very proud of yourself. You understood what Lily Tomlin meant when she said, The road to success is always under construction. Thanks to the University of Maryland, you have been learning firsthand that public service is less about what you lose and more about what you give to gain. What you gain and what others gain because of your public service may be relatively small, or it may become very profound. Winston Churchill summarized it best by saying, we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. So, social work takes dedication and grit, which is how I know that all of you are fortunate to have found your passion to help others. It can be a mysterious force, a determined voice deep inside of you compelling you to do something for the greater good. Sometimes it quietly guides you down a path, and sometimes it screams in your ear. Either way, the lives you change in your future careers will be thankful you listened to that voice. As social workers, you are taught to envision the whole person, not just parts. You are all human and not superheroes. Something to remember during the tough times. But thanks to your training here at the University of Maryland, you do have the power to change people's lives for the better. Maybe it's a struggling single mom trying to make ends meet. Maybe it's a mental health or substance abuse patient trying to get back on track. Maybe it's a returning citizen looking for that second chance. The possibilities are endless, but the outcomes will be better because of you and your training here at the University of Maryland. As President Theodore Roosevelt said, this country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in. Our nation's history has been a journey towards a more perfect union so that all Americans can achieve the American Dream, whatever their version of that dream may be. We ended slavery and healed from the Civil War. Women won the right to vote. We eliminated separate but equal doctrine. We advanced civil rights in education, housing, and employment. But we are still on that journey towards real equality. Women are not receiving equal pay for equal work. The ERA is still not part of our Constitution. Minorities still do not have equal opportunities in the workplace, healthcare, or housing. Government has a duty to address these challenges. And to improve the lives of all Americans with this degree, you have also taken on that duty with me. Never underestimate the power of community and collaboration. Real change rarely happens in isolation. It requires the collective effort of dedicated individuals working together towards a common goal. So reach out to your classmates. Make connections with the community. and form partnerships and organizations, and together, people to people connections help shape a more just and compassionate world for all. Please don't ever give up hope. Don't become resigned or indifferent. It's easy to be discouraged, but standing here today gives me hope. You made it through COVID. Many of you juggling a full time job while attending classes. Some of you balanced family commitments with school. But you made it to graduation. You are change makers. Your training and skills gives us all hope. In 1915, the cleric and theologian John Wesley gave advice that is so relevant for this moment. He said, do all the good you can by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can. To all the people you can, as long as ever you can. As you leave here today, remember that you make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give. Use the skills you have learned here to be the change makers you can be. Never forget your values, passions, and determination. This is how you will make a difference in the lives of others. Congratulations again to the class of 2024. You deserve this moment. Embrace it.

Speaker 2: 49:18

The UMB Pulse with Charles Schelle and Dana Rampolla is a UMB Office of Communications and Public Affairs production, edited by Charles Schelle marketing by Dana Rampolla.