Pharrell Williams to the Class of 2019: ‘You Guys Are Going to Change the World’
The University of Virginia graduation weekend kicked off with serious star power on 17 May, as entrepreneur and musician Pharrell Williams delivered the valedictory address to a packed crowd in John Paul Jones Arena.
Williams, a Virginia native, touched on a variety of issues, from the plight of oppressed people to the importance of helping others get ahead.
Williams asked members of the audience to raise their hands if they had ever been made to feel they were less than equal. He then raised his hand, and hundreds of others went up and stayed up as he continued.
“Keep your hands up,” he said. “Look at these graduates with their hands up. They’ve accomplished what others told them they never would. Despite some strong, strong forces conspiring to hold them back, here they are. You win. Look at you. You win.”
In a skin-tingling moment, Williams asked the crowd, “Do you guys feel that power of Virginia in this room? Enjoy that feeling. That’s empathy!
“WELCOME TO VIRGINIA.
“THIS IS VIRGINIA,” he intoned.
Watch Williams’ full address and read a full account on UVA Today.
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 18,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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