Graduating from college is a bittersweet occasion. You're happy to say goodbye to lectures, research papers and final exams but sad to bid adieu to some of your friends, frat parties on the weekend and basically your childhood.
However, all in all, graduating from college is pretty sweet. You get to put that degree that you worked so hard to receive for four years to good use and go on the adventure that is being an adult. You get all sorts of graduation gifts, i.e. money, and may even have a party thrown in your honor.
But one of the best parts of graduating from college has to be watching an extraordinary, famous individual deliver an amazing commencement speech.
During this time of year, celebrity commencement speeches always grab headlines. First Lady Michelle Obama's remarks about race in her commencement speech at Tuskegee University recently grabbed headlines. Kanye West just spoke at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and said that his new honorary degree will make our lives easier.
As you can see, everyone from politicians to pop stars speak at commencement ceremonies, offering a wide range of advice. This is probably the closest any of us will ever come to having a life coach as famous as these speakers.
But if you missed out on having a legendary commencement speaker, don't fret. Many famous commencement speeches live on online. Here are nine of the very best of all time.
1. John F. Kennedy - American University (1963)
In the midst of the Cold War and not long before conflict escalated in Vietnam, President John F. Kennedy used his commencement speech at American University to talk about how to achieve peace in the face of war. Much of it sounds like a lecture in your international relations class, but the above excerpt from the speech about focusing on how much we have in common with the rest of the world rather than our differences is still a powerful message today.
2. Nora Ephron - Wellesley College (1996)
Nora Ephron urged the graduates of this all-female college to remember how far women have come since she graduated from the school in 1962 — and also how far they still had to go. But if they "choose not to be a lady" and "make a little trouble out there," things might just change.
3. David Foster Wallace - Kenyon College (2005)
You might recognize David Foster Wallace's commencement speech at Kenyon College. It was later adapted into a book called This is Water after the author's death. Foster Wallace's rare musings on life and how to be compassionate are always worth another listen.
4. Steve Jobs - Stanford University (2005)
Steve Jobs never graduated from college, but he sure knew how to deliver an incredible commencement speech full of nuggets that anyone can benefit from, such as never settling and to live life to the fullest. After watching this commencement speech, you won't be able to get the mantra "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish" out of our head.
5. Carl Icahn - Drexel University (2008)
Carl Icahn spoke to Drexel University's class of 2008 right at the height of the financial crisis, a terrible time to be heading out into the workforce. These young graduates needed some uplifting motivation like it was nobody's business, and Icahn had it for them. Icahn told the graduates that if they wanted to make it in today's economic climate, they needed to go against the trend.
6. J.K. Rowling - Harvard University (2008)
The Harry Potter author emphasized the importance of imagination to the graduates of the Harvard University class of 2008. Is there anyone on the planet more qualified to teach that lesson?
7. Oprah Winfrey - Stanford University (2008)
Just because you're graduating from college doesn't mean that learning ends. In her 2008 commencement speech at Stanford University, Oprah Winfrey described how you should never stop learning and always listen to the little lessons that happen every day.
8. Conan O'Brien - Dartmouth College (2011)
Commencement speeches aren't just inspirational; they can be hilarious too. Conan O'Brien's 2011 commencement speech at Dartmouth College definitely falls in that latter category. In addition to poking fun at Dartmouth's history and teaching us that you can't iron a shirt while wearing it, there is some actually useful advice in here as well.
9. Robert Krulwich - University of California, Berkeley (2011)
It was hard out there for journalists in 2011, even more so today of course, and veteran science correspondent Robert Krulwich made no bones about that when he spoke to Berkeley's journalism school. However, Krulwich detailed how the graduates not only can get through this rough patch but also thrive in it.
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