I remember the day when I was working at cedar point in october at 18 years old with no clue how I was going to afford to go to college, and I searched on alta vista, it was a search engine we used before google, for the “best college in ohio” and Miami university popped up. I remember the day I was told I couldn’t be an intelligence officer in the Army because I’m colorblind. I wanted nothing more than to be in military intelligence. I fell in love with technology and computers and the internet and this idea that you could build something that others could use. Decades are where the real magic happens. I still think I may get a letter one day from Miami that starts with “oops we made a mistake”. I still think it’s a miracle I graduated at all. Two decades ago, if you asked the new miami grad, newly minted second lieutenant in the US Airforce version of Sean Lane if he thought he’d be standing on this stage - he’d say there is absolutely no chance. On this day that I will remember and a day you will remember, exactly two decades from when I sat where you are sitting. The next thing you will remember are decades. The days you do remember will be better, bigger, and more meaningful if you spend your day in the present.
But mastering the ability to be present in the day you are in will pay dividends in your life. Thinking about days in the future or days in the past. Your mind always wants to be somewhere else. Slowing down to enjoy the moments of life can be extremely hard. Living in the present is something I admittedly have not always done well. But the days you remember are created by all the days you don’t. You’ll remember the day your child was born or the day you lost someone you loved. The day you launched your first app, your first product, your first CAR-T therapy discovery. You’ll remember the day you started your first job. They are the two things that deserve the most of your focus and your dreams. They are the two things you are likely to remember the most. While the concept of days may seem so different from the concept of decades. Today I’d like to share some perspectives on the impact of both days and decades in your life. To the graduates, your family, and your friends…it’s an honor to be here with you today to commemorate such an important milestone in your lives. Sukumaran, for inviting me to share some remarks today.
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