Jill Biden on Saturday told Arizona community college graduates to tune out the people who like to tell them what they can’t do. The first lady shared with graduates of Mesa Community College how her high school guidance counselor told her she wasn’t college material and shouldn’t waste her time going. She didn’t listen and got her college degree.
Quick Read
- First Lady Jill Biden spoke to graduates at Mesa Community College in Arizona, encouraging them to ignore those who doubt their abilities.
- Sharing personal experiences, she recounted how a high school guidance counselor once told her she wasn’t college material—an assessment she proved wrong by earning multiple degrees, including a doctorate.
- Jill Biden, who has been teaching for over 30 years, stressed the importance of overcoming the word “can’t” and embracing life’s adventures with courage and resilience.
- Her speech was filled with motivational advice, urging graduates to take risks, pursue joy, and always believe in their strength and potential.
- She cleverly tied in the college’s slogan, “Feel the thunder,” to emphasize her message of empowerment, leaving the graduates with the rallying cry, “Watch me,” in response to doubters.
The Associated Press has the story:
Jill Biden tells Arizona college graduates to tune out people who tell them what they ‘can’t’ do
Newslooks- (AP)
Jill Biden on Saturday told Arizona community college graduates to tune out the people who like to tell them what they can’t do. The first lady shared with graduates of Mesa Community College how her high school guidance counselor told her she wasn’t college material and shouldn’t waste her time going. She didn’t listen and got her college degree.
Then she got three more, including two master’s degrees and, at age 55, a doctorate in educational leadership. She went to school at night while raising three children and working full-time.
The first lady has been a teacher for more than 30 years, and since 2009 has taught English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College.
She encouraged the graduates to “drown out” the voices that say “can’t” and to remember the challenges they overcame to get to wear a cap and gown on Saturday.
“You’ve met life’s challenges before. And you know that on the other side of ‘can’t’ lies the beauty and joy and surprise of life, the adventure that changes us for the better,” she said, according to excerpts of her prepared remarks shared with The Associated Press. “And you are ready for it.”
Biden said the graduates should remember that they are strong and resilient, and shouldn’t be afraid to face the unknown.
“Expect anything and everything. Take the risks that scare you. Don’t hesitate when you see the chance for joy. Share your stories, too. Be kinder. Love harder. Dream bigger. Find your adventure and keep your courage to say ‘yes.,'” she said.
To the Class of 2024, she said, “Let the world feel your thunder!” The college mascot is the thunderbird and ”feel the thunder” is the school slogan.
“And the next time that someone tells you that you ‘can’t,’ you’re going to say, ‘Oh yeah?...Watch me,’” Biden said.
