VOA教育报道2023--Message to 2023 Graduates: ‘Want Things to Change? Take Over’

Message to 2023 Graduates: ‘Want Things to Change? Take Over’

Musicians, actors, politicians, business leaders, writers, and Nobel Prize winners were among the commencement speakers in 2023.

At Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduates heard from U.S. President Joe Biden. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin spoke¹ at New York University. And the actor, Tom Hanks, visited Harvard University to offer his words. Other speakers included Nobel Peace Prize-winner Maria Ressa, who spoke at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee; the jazz musician Wynton Marsalis at the University of Michigan; and Nobel Prize-winning chemist Carolyn Bertozzi, who spoke with medical students at Stanford University in California.

In most cases, students cheered advice and encouragement from the speaker. But in at least one case, they called out in protest.

That happened on May 21 at Boston University to David Zaslav, the head of the media company Warner Brothers Discovery. As Zaslav talked, the students called out, "Pay your writers!" so often he had to stop speaking. The students were supporting striking² film and television writers.

Not all the events at Boston University caused disagreement.

Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black female member of the U.S. Supreme³ Court, spoke to law school graduates. Brown Jackson discussed her legal career and her love for musical theater. She mentioned the famous show Hamilton and said students should work to "find something you care about, and get yourself into the room where it happens." The Room Where It Happens is a song from the show.

"Meet the moment"

At New York University, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told graduates that it is not enough to want change. "To change things, you have to take over," she said.

Marin told the students they must not wait for others to solve the world's problems. She talked about the war in Ukraine and climate change. She expressed her concerns about artificial intelligence. And she told the graduates to take charge and make changes if they are concerned.

"These are challenges that need to be solved," she said. "And there is no one else to do that, other than you."

Sabrina Vazquez was one of the graduates who gathered to listen to Marin on May 17. She agreed with the message and told VOA:

"Through our ... education and our experiences, we were like given the tools to be able to enact⁴ change, maybe not immediate⁵ because change never happens overnight, but it's something that if we work towards consistently⁶ and it's always a goal that we are trying to reach, we can enact change."

Just days earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with students at Howard University, an HBCU, or Historically Black College or University.

Jheannelle Johnson is the first person in her family to graduate from college. She said she was honored that the president wanted to speak to her and fellow graduates.

Johnson told VOA that Biden's message was similar to what he might have used in the campaign. But he also told the 2023 graduates that they have a chance to "change the trajectory⁷ of the country."

The president then added, "... and I know you will meet the moment."

"This is something that I want to take with me, that the President could come here to my university, and say that we have the power to change things in a climate where it feels like sometimes change isn't moving as fast as we want it to. It's knowing that the future is still bright."

Both Johnson and Vazquez agreed that they, and fellow graduates, have a chance to change people's lives, even if it is just in a small way.

"It's an important message for us to understand we can be change-makers, even right now," Johnson said.

Commencement is an English word that means "the beginning." So while both Vazquez and Johnson celebrated⁸ the end of something, they also know the next part of their lives is coming fast.

"It's important to know that my work shouldn't stop here," Johnson said.

Words in This Story

commencement –n. a ceremony during which degrees or diplomas are given to students who have graduated from a school or college

graduate –n. a person who has completed the requirements of a school program

encouragement –n. something that makes someone more determined⁹, hopeful, or confident

challenge –n. a difficult task or problem to solve

enact –v. to put something into action, to make something real

consistently – adj. something done on a regular basis

trajectory –n. the direction something is moving, the small steps that make up something's larger path

meet the moment –(expression) to stand firm in the face of something difficult, to live up to expectations

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 striking   

adj.显著的，惹人注目的，容貌出众的

参考例句：

• There is a striking difference between Jane and Mary.简和玛丽之间有显著的差异。
• What is immediately striking is how resourceful the children are.最令人注目的是孩子们的机智聪明。

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 consistently   

ad.一贯地，一直

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。
• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law. 部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。

7 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

8 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。