Stanford Stories XXXII - Commencement Weekend

The culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and personal growth, a commencement ceremony marks a significant milestone in the lives of graduates. Stanford University’s commencement ceremony - held annually in Stanford’ football stadium - is renowned for its grandeur, inspiring speeches, and the sense of pride and accomplishment that fills the air.

In the realm of academia, certain traditions have stood the test of time, adding a sense of distinction and significance to commencement ceremonies. Among these enduring customs is the American academic dress, which most of you will have seen and and associate with the American student life. Originating in Britain, the dress consists of a gown (a loose outer garment worn by men and women) and the square-shaped mortarboard cap including a tassel. Til now the thought of putting on such a dress had always repelled me - I might even have called it “silly”. However, after seeing this very dignified and tasteful ceremony, I realized that it is a nice symbol that represents the act of graduation.

After the usual speeches by the president and different deans, the highlight of this years commencement ceremony was a keynote speech by the esteemed tennis legend John McEnroe. During his keynote address, McEnroe, who studied a year at Stanford in 1978, emphasized the importance of embracing challenges and learning from failures. Drawing from his own experiences, he shared anecdotes of his early setbacks and how they fueled his drive for success. McEnroe, in contrast to all other speakers, also made the entire stadium laugh heartily several times. E.g. by telling that Stanford asked him to give the keynote speech already in March just after his daughter told him that the Stanford law school had rejected her application and that apparently his recommendation letter was not very helpful. My personal highlight of the ceremony were, however, a bunch of students who honored McEnroe’s presence by dressing up as Swedish long-haired tennis legend Bjorn Borg - McEnroes arch rival for many years.