Michelle Obama’s 3 life lessons for students graduating right now

“A lot of us are reckoning with the most basic essence of who we are. Over these past couple of months, our foundation has been shaken.”

More so than most graduating classes, the 2020 cohort are stepping out into an uncertain world. Against the backdrop of the pandemic and ongoing unrest following the death of George Floyd, Michelle Obama’s commencement address to an online audience acknowledged how scared, confused, angry or “just plain overwhelmed” many students may be feeling right now.

Here are the life lessons the lawyer, author and former First Lady shared with graduates.

1. Life will always be uncertain

There will be times when it feels like everything has been turned upside down and you will wish things could go back to the way they were – and this is one of them, Obama says. She urges graduates to use the situation as an opportunity to consider not just the career they might want to build, but also the person they want to be.

“You have the opportunity to learn these valuable lessons faster than the generations before you,” she says. “You can learn them together as a cohort of young people ready to take on the world, no matter how tumultuous it may be.”

2. Treat people right

Honesty, integrity, empathy and compassion are time-tested attributes that take on even more value in uncertain times.

“Treating people right will never fail you,” Obama says. That is not to say that people don’t find success in less honourable ways, but that is a heavy way to live. People who sell falsehoods, blame others and shun those with less privilege and advantage will find they rob themselves of the things that matter most.

Instead, people must take the decision to use their privilege and voice for the things that really matter, and leave the world a little better than they found it.

3. Share your voice

Even if people feel invisible and overlooked right now, they should continue to share their voice with the rest of the world. Nothing will change unless people make their stories, ideas and experiences heard.

“It’s up to you to speak out against cruelty, dishonesty, bigotry, all of it,” Obama says. “It’s up to you to march hand in hand with your allies to stand peacefully with dignity and purpose on the front lines, in the fight for justice.”

Protests need to be backed up with plans and policies, channelling anger to change history. And that change should start within everyone’s own homes and social circles.

“This is how you can finish the work that the generations before you have started, by staying open and hopeful, even in the tough times.”