-: It really means a lot to me, and it's a place that...
I grew up in Minnesota.
Coming to southern California and being exposed
to folks with really different backgrounds,
really different professional and educational ambitions,
was incredibly powerful for me and, I think,
helps me really appreciate just how many different
versions of success exist in the world
and have a much better appreciation for that.
And, as I think back, so I'm here for my 10th reunion,
on the 10 years since I graduated,
it's really unbelievable what my friends and peers
are doing in the world, and in totally different directions.
One friend is a cardiologist, one is a lawyer,
a few academics, just kind of all over the map,
and it's really special to come back to a place
that fosters that excellence
in so many different career paths.
And, as I'm sure
in some of these conversations you've experienced,
folks who have really zigged and zagged
to get where they are today.
And I think that that's one of the best parts
of a formal education, that it gives you the skill set
that if you pick something out of college
that is just not the right fit,
that you have the tools and connections
and the thoughtfulness to be able to want to have
that self-awareness so that you don't just stay on a path
that you picked because it's the one that you picked,
but then also to be able to pivot and to find success
because of those critical thinking skills,
of those kind of higher order thoughtfulness
that's really different from just like
the block-and-attack line of the job.