Category: Events

By Claire Klieger

Instead of writing a series of platitudes about how you are the future of the world and you will do great things (though we certainly believe you will), in honor of today’s festivities today’s post is on graduation ceremonies and in particular, graduation speakers. Some folks will tell you that graduation speeches are notoriously unmemorable. While I personally believe you will likely forget the more inspiring and heart-felt pieces of advice given at Commencement, if you are lucky enough to have a humorous speaker, you will remember the totally pointless stuff that makes you feel great to be at Penn and great to be graduating. Those are the anecdotes that you will look back at with fond memories.

Going into my graduation ceremony at UVA in 2001 I recall expecting the speech to be pretty dry—after all, it was being given by Francis S. Collins, Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. How exciting could that possibly be? You know what they say about assumptions, though. While I don’t remember a single detail of the substantive portion of his speech, I will always remember how it ended, with him busting out his acoustic guitar and poking fun at the university experience in his own version of “My Way.”

In honor of Commencement, I offer these amusing highlights from previous Penn graduation speeches . Here’s hoping Huntsman can also tap into his less serious side today (who knows, perhaps even in song or an Eminem rap in Jodie Foster style) and congrats again, graduates!

Jodie Foster – Commencement Speaker 2006: “There are sayings like ‘the intellectual elite’ or ‘the hope for this country’s future’ or ‘the responsibility that comes with the privilege of education.’ And if you’re anything like I was at my Yale graduation in 1984, you’ll think, what a load of elitist crap.”

James Baker – Commencement Speaker 2007: “Of course, I am not talking about one of Franklin’s quotes that I, (and perhaps some of you), may have followed too closely at times: ‘Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.’”

Michael Bloomberg – Commencement Speaker 2008: “Tomorrow, with your newfound independence with honesty and accountability, and the spirit of innovation you’ll help build a better world. But today, you’ve earned the right to one last brew at Smokes.”

Bono – Commencement Speaker 2004: “Four years in these historic halls thinking great thoughts and now you’re sitting in a stadium better suited for football listening to an Irish rock star give a speech that is so far mostly about himself. What are you doing here?”

Jodie Foster – Commencement Speaker 2006: “Your Penn education has given you a two-by-four. You may build a building or hit someone over the head. The choice is yours.”

By Barbara Hewitt

I have many conversations each week with students about how they plan to apply the business knowledge they have acquired at Penn to the working world. As you might imagine, industries like investment banking, consulting, and consumer products are frequent topics of these conversations. This is not surprising, as recruiters from these industries abound on campus and the majority of the Wharton undergraduates ultimately end up working in them.

Most business students are unaware, however, of how valuable their skills are to the federal government (the largest, and perhaps most often overlooked, employer in the United States).  Almost any job available in the private sector can also be found in the public sector. In fact, there are almost 200,000 business related jobs in the federal government. (You can find information on some of the most common ones here: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/makeanimpact/business.pdf.) These are challenging positions where you can really affect the lives of everyday Americans. Want to help support US trade and American businesses abroad? Become a Foreign Service Economic Officer with the US Department of State. Want to help ensure that the banking system in the United States is stable? Apply for a Financial Institution Specialist position with the FDIC. Want to make sure the government gets the best deal it can on purchases? Become a Procurement Analyst. From ensuring the safety of our food, to responding to crises abroad, to administering the social security system…as a federal worker you can make a huge impact through your work.

You won’t be receiving an enormous bonus as a federal worker and the application process is likely to take longer than it would for many private sector employers. However, there are lots of benefits that come with federal employment including the opportunity for rapid advancement and promotion, the ability to move laterally between agencies, excellent benefits, challenging assignments, student loan repayment (in some cases), and knowing that you are making a contribution to our country.

Interested in finding out more? Check out Career Services’ “Make a Difference: Discover Careers in the Federal Government” page.

In addition, learn more from federal employees by attending our Business Careers in the Federal Government Panel. It will be held on Friday, February 26th, 1:30 – 2:30 pm in Ben Franklin Room, Houston Hall. This is a great opportunity to hear from individuals who are making a real difference by applying their business skills in federal roles.

Panelists include:
• Nicole Faison: Director of the Office of Public Housing Programs and Acting Director of the Financial Management Center, Dept of Housing and Urban Development (and a 2007 Call to Service Medal Recipient)
• Michael Shiely: (WUG ’08): Auditor with the United States Treasury Department, Office of Inspector General
• Representative (to be determined) from the Internal Revenue Service

We hope to see you there!