Lesson #009: Your Commencement will (arguably) be the best in the world.

GW students? This is Brian Williams (@BWilliams). This is your life.

Lesson #009: Your Commencement will (arguably) be the best in the world.

One week ago, there were hundreds of Commencement ceremonies nationwide. All of them honored graduates who had worked enough to deserve the recognition. Some of them featured iconic speakers. Only one took place in the United States capital on the National Mall, framed by the picturesque Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian Museums.

View of tons of GW families, friends, and tourists looking on as Brian Williams spoke.

I am, of course, referring to GW’s Commencement, an annual occasion set on the National Mall year after year. GW is the only school with a setting like that when wishing its graduates the best in their future endeavors.

Instagram shot of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences ceremony, the day prior to Commencement on the National Mall. The Smith Center was packed to the brim with graduates as well as family and friends.

The vast scope of our Commencement leaves me in awe whenever I hear about it: 25,000+ attendees, 5,000+ graduates, along with staff tents, chairs, and a massive stage crammed into 7 city blocks on DC’s most scenic and well-recognized green space. No college campus could match the grand scope and breadth of the occasion, at least not in the way the GW does. 

I was able to witness commencement first-hand for the very first time as a student staff member, working from 5 am (sidebar: I know what you are thinking; there IS a "5:00 AM" on the clock! Crazy, right?) until around 2 pm to coordinate tens of thousands of people in place for GW’s cornerstone event. It all sounds unbelievable and is never truly tangible until you get to attend one. Sunday was my first GW Commencement and certainly not my last.

Student staff hard at work in executing a successful Commencement 2012.

Graduating senior Noreen Kassam, roommate of one of my favorite seniors, Laurie Ohlstein, was the student speaker at the event. She preceded the most anticipated speaker at the event, none other than Brian Williams.



NBC Nightly News anchor (and former GW student) Brian Williams delivered a hilarious yet insightful address to the Class of 2012. In recent history, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and First Lady Michelle Obama have graced the stage. I can only hope to have someone as phenomenal as any of those speakers. The best thing is that the possibilities are obviously endless (within reason). Will President Barack Obama grace the stage? Will an entertainment juggernaut like writer and comedian Tina Fey or Kim Kardashian (yes, that was rumored this past year) grace the stage?

Whoever it is, I think I will be far from disappointed when I do take it all in. Hopefully, if you come to GW, this fall or in years to come, you have the same exact chance. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Stay spirited,

Matt

mtscott@gwmail.gwu.edu