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# University of Connecticut Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2021

# University of Connecticut Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2021

May 8, 2021

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -        
Thank you, Dr. Katsouleas (PRONOUNCED:  KAT-sue-lay-us), for that very kind introduction – and for all you do for  this amazing institution. Both here and throughout your remarkable career,  you’ve brought a visionary approach to an ever-changing educational  landscape. I’ve gotten a chance to get to know you these past few years  and appreciate all you do and who you are! As we reimagine the  possibilities beyond the pandemic, we need student centered and innovative  leaders like you.  It’s a real honor to be with you and everyone  assembled virtually today as we celebrate  this important occasion.  I am especially honored to have a  small part of your special day graduates of the University of Connecticut  Class of 2021. Congratulations to all of you!

I have nothing but fond memories  from my time here at UConn. I was fortunate to get four different  credentials and degrees here.  UCONN gave me the skills I needed  to take on new challenges, but equally as important, the confidence to  follow through.  I met some of the best and most influential people  in my life here, some of whom I continue to consult with today in my  current role as the nation’s head of education policy. Just last night, I  met with two people I met at UCONN to discuss the distribution of the $170  Billion education portion of the American Rescue Plan.  If  it weren’t for UConn, I can say for certain I wouldn’t be Secretary of  Education. So, thank you Husky Nation -- I couldn’t have done it  without you.

Of course, like you, my *best *memories at  UCONN are more personal in nature. I remember when I received my  doctorate. It was a huge milestone for my family and me. And by  family, I mean those who came before me and sacrificed much more than I did so  that I could cross that stage. So picture this, in 2012, my  uncle drove school buses.  So I gathered about 20-30 family members, and I  was driven to my Doctoral graduation in a yellow school bus full of Puerto  Ricans celebrating and singing... We had a loud speaker in it and it became  a party bus. To this day, colleagues I graduated with still  say, “dude, you brought a school bus to graduation at UConn!” Instead  of the Partridge Family playing folk music, it was the Cardona  Family playing Salsa.  But I wouldn’t have had it any other  way, and I couldn’t be more proud. My family means everything to  me. As you all know, walking the stage is a family  accomplishment. We didn’t do it alone- especially this past year.  Special shout out to the family members in attendance and those who could not  be in attendance but supported you along the way.  Today would not be  possible without you!  

There might have been a time in  my life where I would not have ridden to my graduation in a school bus  full of my family because it was “not the norm”. I may have been a little  scared to express myself the way I would want to because it’s not  conventional. What I want to say to the graduates, especially now after  what we have gone through as a country, is, embrace your uniqueness  and consider it your superpower. For me, embracing what sets me apart  allowed me to find my purpose. Whether I am a classroom teacher,  or the secretary of education, I am just living out my life’s purpose  to serve children.

 your  uniqueness will be viewed as a deficit. Some will try to make you  believe that what sets you apart, sets you back. I am here to  remind you that your so called “deficits” are in fact your  superpowers. For me, being born in a housing project, moving 7 times  before the age of 13, living simply without a lot of financial resources,  learning Spanish before English, and having strong connections to my Boricua  roots, have served me well and allowed me to be prepared for this role. If  I did not have that experience, I may not have the level of urgency or experience  to ensure the successful distribution of $170 Billion in the American  Rescue Plan, which is aimed at unapologetically addressing the opportunity  gaps that exist in this country. 

What some viewed as a deficit, I  call my superpower. 

Whether you have ADHD, are  differently abled, moved to this country later in life, speak with an  accent, grew up in poverty, or are LGBTQ, embrace your  uniqueness and use it to find your purpose.   

When you find your purpose, make  the pursuit of your purpose greater than the pursuit of your  position.   

Make the pursuit of your purpose  greater than the pursuit of your position.

During, your time here, you’ve balanced academic  rigor, work, internships, volunteering, cultural activities, and more. But  in the spring of 2020, everything changed. Everything we took  for granted suddenly became difficult or impossible: visiting family and  friends; sitting down to a meal at a restaurant; meeting someone for the first  time and shaking their hand, or having a cold drink at Huskies or Ted’s-  soda that is

And here at UConn, that meant  labs went dark. Dining halls were silent. Classrooms were empty.  Athletics seasons were canceled. I know some of you even arrived  at an internship or job to find signs taped to doors  saying: “Closed until further notice.” That’s not to diminish the  incredibly hard work university staff were putting in behind the  scenes to meet the ever-evolving needs of the student  body. It’s just the suddenness of it all was  so shocking and scary. 

But setbacks are just preparation for Set-ups. Of  course, setbacks won’t always take the form of a global  pandemic, but they do await each and all of us. So how did you  respond in the spring of 2020? What did those challenges teach you about  who you are, and what you can accomplish?  You improvised. You adapted. You rolled with the punches.  Your classes moved online, and you moved with them. All of that’s impressive,  but that was only the beginning.

You stepped up to help Connecticut fight the pandemic and  its effects on our society:
- Students from the School of Pharmacy became contract  tracers and learned to administer vaccines.
- UConn students joined a state program to make regular  contact with patients who had survived severe cases of COVID-19, to  monitor their recovery.
- Students in the UConn Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition  Education Program distributed thousands of gallons of milk and dairy  products to food pantries around the state, from Connecticut  farmers, who had lost one of their most important markets when schools  closed.
- Two Engineering students and a recent graduate joined  together to form the Ventilator Project, to design emergency ventilators that  could be rapidly brought to market.
- Kelly Ha, who is receiving her Master’s degree in Social  Work this week, became the campaign manager for the #IAmNotAVirus campaign,  bringing needed national attention to the blight of anti-Asian hatred that  sprang up in the wake of the pandemic.
- Thank you Kelly!

Every single part of the university was affected, from  Stamford to Waterbury to Avery Point to Hartford. But no group was  more affected than UConn Health, which was on the front line of Connecticut’s  response to the pandemic. The medical and dental students who are receiving their  degrees this week were a crucial part of that response, and this experience  will go on to shape their careers and lives as  healers. This experience, that binds us together, will no doubt  impact our purpose and passion for the rest of our years. As I have  said when visiting schools across the country these last two  months: “For educators, the pandemic will serve to sharpen our swords for  the real fight ahead. The fight to address inequities in education is the  real fight.” The inequities that were made worse during  these last 12 months. Leading through the pandemic, this  setback, was the set up for a reimagined education system built on  equity and access. I am optimistic that our best days are ahead of  us. 

If you look carefully, you might already notice  signs of recovery.

Yes, flowers are blooming, people are reconnecting  with their loved ones after months of  separation, students are back on campus,  labs are operating, our amazing Husky Athletic  programs are playing again, and probably best sign of recovery  possible- the Dairy Bar is open – and there’s no better way to  measure UConn’s mood than whether you can go pick up a scoop or two, or three,  of Husky Tracks.   The end is in sight. Let me rephrase  that... The beginning is in sight.  

This is the beginning of a new day for education,  one where we value social emotional well being of students as  much as academic aptitude, where we unapologetically challenge what  Dr. Noguera called the Normalization of failure. 

This is the beginning of a new era of unity in  this nation, with us gaining value, not enemies by engaging with diverse  perspectives. Where we recognize that our uniqueness is our superpower. 

This is the beginning of your journey to find or  refine your purpose. Whether you choose to be in the  arts, in education like my Godson Hector Cardona III, or as  we call him Tre, who is graduating  from the NEAG school of education this  week, or engineering, medicine, law, or even epidemiology, know  that you are stronger because of your experience at UConn.

Go out and serve, make the world better. Make sure  that in your pursuit for purpose, you help others. Always remember,  it is better to be known for testimonies about  you than for any titles before or after your  name.

The top song on the Billboard Music charts today  is, Save Your Tears, by The Weekend and Ariana Grande. In  it, they tell the person to save their tears for another  day. After this past year, we struggled together, we cried together, and  we experienced loss together.  But graduates, today is a new day.  Save your sad tears for another  day. Today is a special day   Today, let your tears mark the joy you feel, the sense of  accomplishment, the end of one journey and the beginning of  another.   Save your tears to express the passion you  have for your purpose in life.     And like I have so many times in my lifetime,  save your tears to mark the pride you feel in knowing that  today, you will be a graduate of the University of  Connecticut. 

Congratulations again to UCONN’s Class  of 2021.
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