Our tech-savvy, online generation googles, facebooks, myspaces, and tweets like professionals. We download, upgrade, burn, rip, and post better and faster than our parents and teachers. With all the double-clicking and right-clicking, in what way does this digital know-how translate into something meaningful for us as college graduates?

We grasp, white-knuckled to the idealism that so epitomizes our age group and we sit with furrowed-brow at our computer monitors. We have become the internet generation, yes, but really we have become flexible and dynamic verbs; compelled to act because we want to be a part of something substantial for ourselves and for those around us. This era of novel verbiage and tech phrases signifies this action. We are curious about what is around the corner, interested in localities beyond our own, and yes, we inquire into the lives of others.  The world is not static. And neither are we.

Think about this. Christmas this past year, my younger brother, my mother, and I were at home in northern Virginia. My older brother and his fiancé live in Houston, where he is a petroleum engineer.  On this particular Christmas he was on a rig somewhere in the gulf. So there are three of us in Virginia. My older brother was on a rig and his fiancé and her mother were in Houston.

On Christmas morning from northern Virginia, we video-chatted my future sister-in law and her mother on my mom’s computer. Simultaneously we video chatted my older brother on my computer.  At the same time, my older brother and his fiancé were on their cell phones. We did this so we could celebrate Christmas together, of course. While my younger brother opened his gift from the Texas contingent and his excitement for bright orange custom Reeboks was conveyed through two webcams and my video camera all while my mother took digital stills, I had to laugh at how ridiculous it all seemed. And yet, the distance necessitated a little creative thinking since we simply refused to celebrate the holidays….apart.  Sure our situation sat on the periphery of digital activity, but that did not matter. We opened presents and cracked jokes as if we were all together. And in that moment we were.

Sure we all gchat, blog, and skype with swift fingertips, but we also hope, we fear, and we dream like every generation before and every generation to come. The uniqueness in us is not our idealism or eagerness to affect changed. Instead, as guinea pigs of technological innovation, it is how we have embraced communication and made it our own, acting with rather than resisting these innovations and nimbly proffering our perspective in this competitive marketplace of momentum.

We are visionaries of imaginative and impractical proportions, but challenge us with the freedom to act, and we will be the impetus needed to improve, to mend, to create, to produce, and of course, to succeed.

We are inheriting an imperfect world with challenges that demand perseverance, transparency, and integrity. We are impressionable, but independent. Compelled to act, we are the verbs that refuse to sit statically out of sight. We are LinkedIn and logged on.  Our momentum imparts our desire for personal success, but also to find our purpose, and to serve the community, online or otherwise.

The world needs a lot of saving these days. We must save the planet, the economy, the whales. We must save the newspaper, music and arts programs and Darfur, among a host of other causes. If only it were possible to click File Save with our adept fingers. But just because it’s not easy does not mean we aren’t prepared to face the challenges. Not only will we be the saviors of these causes, but we will blog about this saving, perhaps somewhat self-indulgently, or perhaps therapeutically.  But surely someone will want to read about it.

We will turn our tassels and collect our diplomas as the latest hardware with the most up-to-date software.  As we cling to the hope that our hard work these past several years has not been in vain, we must remember that we are the verbs, dynamic and expressive.  Sure, we are not old enough to be wise, but that does not mean we are too young to make a difference.

I expect great things from you, my fellow graduates. And I look forward to reading about them on your Facebook pages.

Congratulations.  And thank you.

Ursula is a graduating senior majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict and Security. She is heading to law school in Fall 2010 and hopes to spend the year in-between traveling and volunteering.

When I graduated from high school, I thought I would always remember walking across the stage and getting my diploma. The only thing I remember is that I didn’t fall in front of the few thousand people who were there. On the other hand, the homecoming game from my senior year and the debate practice when my best friend taped me to a chair will be etched in my memory forever.

Reflecting on the importance of these relatively “small moments” in life, respected women’s rights advocate Susan B. Anthony once said, “Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit, and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these.”

Measuring my days at GW, I realized that there is nothing like the opportunities and experiences that living in Washington offers. Seeing the Washington Monument on our way to class… having the State Department across the street from the Elliott School… praying the Red Line has not broken down when you hop on the Metro, this campus is like no other. We’ve all sprinted to class, freshly printed papers flapping behind us, trying to find a stapler somewhere along the way. We met in Gelman at 3 A.M. during finals, living off Red Bull and junk food. We don’t flinch at large motorcades as they whiz by, and we can usually gauge how important the person is and what country they’re from.

We crowded on the streets to watch the Pope-mobile drive by; we cheered on the GW basketball team, dressed up for the annual Ball and, on January 18, 2009, while most of the country eagerly waited to see the concert performance scheduled at the Lincoln Memorial in honor of the upcoming Inauguration, GW students and staff woke up to a police state of humvees on every corner and having to desperately clutch GWorld cards in order to make it past the checkpoints and back to the dorms while dodging the crazy tourists in their Obama paraphernalia. I even posed for a photo to prove to my parents that this really happened. These are just a few examples of the strange yet oddly thrilling experiences that define our years at this university.

These memories are the “stray dogs” that made up our time at GW and our lives to this point. While graduations, weddings, and anniversaries are important markers, remembering the small things form the building blocks to these greater moments. They give us our bridesmaids, the embarrassing toasts, sidekicks in our adventures of life and the stories that define those moments.

To parents, guardians, family, and special friends: You all remember the random phone calls and conversations you had at odd hours of the evening… or morning, nagging your son or daughter to make sure they actually ate something resembling vegetables, and now you see them move on to the next period of their lives. As some of my friends put it, to “become a ‘real’ person.” Well, then, here’s to “real personhood!” Thank you to all of you who have been so supportive of us and all of our quirks.

As we move on to new jobs, graduate school, new relationships, and new places, remember to let these memories amble ’round, the ones that are close to you. Down the road, the happy dance you and your roommate did when housing worked out for the next year, the hug your sorority sister gave you right before that awful final, the slap on the back from your teammate before the game, and the concert you stood in line for tickets to for eight hours will be what you remember. The hugs and Facebook messages that kept you sane over the past two months of finals and the incredible all nighters for those twenty page papers that will ring clearly in memory.

As we enter the next stage of our lives, I wish you all the best and thank many of you for my own memories. Congratulations class of 2009!

Jessica is graduating from the Elliott School of International Affairs with an M.A. in International Affairs and a focus on U.S. Foreign Policy. She is a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow and will enter the Foreign Service in August.

Congratulations, Elliott School Class of 2009!  We will soon be graduates of The George Washington University.  For the last few years, this college has been our home.  Within its dozen city blocks, GW has nurtured us and prepared us for our future.  We entered this university with empty minds, primed for filling.  Hopefully through our experiences here, we leave with more knowledgeable, open minds.  No longer just absorbent sponges, we now have the ability to entertain a thought without accepting it, the true mark of an educated mind according to Aristotle.

I would like to remind each of you that our education will not end on May 17^th —our education will continue for the rest of our lives because, as President John Adams asserted, “There are two types of education. One should teach us how to make a living, and the other how to live.”  The Elliott School of International Affairs has sufficiently prepared us academically for our respective futures.  Through the careful guidance of our esteemed professors, the vigorous encouragement of our fellow classmates, and the broad spectrum of Elliott School special events, we have been given a solid foundation of knowledge.  And for that I am very grateful.  I am confident that, as graduates, we now have the capacity to earn a living.  Well, at least when the economy improves.

And as for the other type of education—the “how to live” part—that is a puzzle to which we discover more pieces everyday.  Through each exploration, encounter, and exchange, we learn a little something that we did not know before.  We may not realize the utility of some information at the time, but that puzzle piece does fit; though perhaps in a different corner than the one we were putting together.  We learn more about ourselves, how we handle situations, and most importantly, what truly makes us happy.  In the Elliott School, we’ve been fortunate enough to pursue our specific passions with faculty well-equipped to promote our development.  Now, our duty is to direct our zeal toward our goals.

In the words of American novelist John Updike, “You cannot help but learn more as you take the world into your hands.  Take it up reverently, for it is an old piece of clay, with millions of thumbprints on it.”  So, Elliott School Class of 2009, go explore.  Plunge your hands into the earth and stake your claim.  Just remember to respect those who have come before us.  Learn from their successes and failures.  And in return, I encourage and challenge you to make your mark a thumbprint upon history.  Present to the world the person you have become during your experience in our nation’s capital.

Today I applaud you, not only for what you have accomplished so far, but for what you will achieve.  So I say to the future lawyer, diplomat, consultant, development specialist, historian, overseas reporter, financial analyst, and maybe even a future president, it is up to you to incorporate what you have learned through your education at the Elliott School into your life and into our world.  May the GW Hippo bring you hope and good luck in all your endeavors.

Sailee is an Elliott School senior majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Latin America and a minor in Spanish. She studied abroad in Argentina where she realized her passion for promoting Latin American issues. She will remain in D.C. after graduation and hopes to continue her studies in law school.

I remember Karen, a New Orleans homeowner I met my freshman year.  Our team of volunteers had completely gutted her home.  Her stolid countenance stubbornly fought back tears as her elderly frame climbed the van-sized mound of gutted debris.  She stood atop ruined baby photo albums, wedding and prom dresses, appliances, everything that fills a home… and she posed for a picture.

My camera immortalized a proud and tenacious smile that refused to show signs of discouragement.  She was defiant in the face of tragedy, determined to rebuild her home, and dedicated to her community.  Gone were all of her material possessions, but what was left is the only thing I’ve discovered to truly matter: human relationships—with her family, friends, neighbors, a group of student volunteers, and now you, the reader—that in part define who she is and how she affects the world around her.  These things are waterproof.

We will all experience our personal Katrina—a personal tribulation that reminds us all of what is important.  Ask yourself: When the waters wrest everything you thought you knew out from under you, are your foundations strong? Will they hold?

In New Orleans, I’ve found the answer to be a resounding yes from homeowners dedicated to their community.

Looking around this university, I see my peers about to enter uncertain futures and unstable, withered job markets.  I see students awake to global and domestic issues of poverty, crime, education disparity, genocide, financial turmoil, religious intolerance, and healthcare; poised to tackle some of the most difficult questions on these issues.  I see veterans and recently commissioned officers among us, having served or serving in times ripe with conflict and riddled with those who seek to do us harm.

But when thinking about commencement—the culmination of our accomplishments; I see a burning pride, a passionate hope, and a warm optimism that I challenge you to never let fade, no matter how cold the rising waters.  Trust in yourselves.  Hold strong to those around you.

Karen’s story is but one of hundreds of thousands.  Four years later, hope for a city rebuilt stronger than before the storm rings loud in a ceaseless chorus of hammer strikes heard throughout any given day.  While there is still much to do in the Crescent City, despair has long since receded with the floor waters.  It is hope that remains.

I’ve found the best means through which to build the strongest foundations of community and relationships is service, and Karen is but one example of my many sources of strength.  I beseech you too, to find service a place in your life.

Know that the problems are many and the need is vast, but never become discouraged.  Through service you may not be able to change the world, but you will change the lives of all those you include in yours.

On a frigid January 20, just a few months ago, our President’s promise to lead us out of a cold winter and his charge to “endure what storms may come” echoed off the walls of those timeless monuments that border our campus.

Through service I’ve come to understand that hope is not simply a word based in naivety, it is a driving force. I’ve realized relationships are far more than a comforting luxury, they are a necessary definition of self.  Remember this.  Never surrender your youthful optimism, commit to strengthening your relationships with others, and through service build those foundations that make us who we are and define what we are in the world… and we will make it through this storm, we will make it through the next storm, and any storm for years to come.

Collin is a graduating cross-country athlete with a degree in International Affairs and will be commissioning into the U.S. Air Force as a 2^nd Lieutenant, where he will work in Intelligence.  He is deferring his military commitment to accept the Presidential Administrative Fellowship and will be studying at the Elliott School for a Masters of Arts in International Affairs with a concentration in Middle East Studies.

My fellow graduates: “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, today is your answer.” Well, maybe not quite. But still, our graduation marks an important moment, as we turn the page on a formative chapter of our lives. Though for the most part we have commenced our professional aspirations and our careers, after today many of us will take full flight, never to return to the academic nest. So before you leave, make sure to take a final stroll around the grounds to take it all in and remember this place with a fondness.

Let us reflect on these past years.

When we started here, the economy was booming, Barack Obama was barely a twinkle in the electorate’s eye, and Pluto was still a planet. Times sure have changed. And throughout it all, we have studied hard and voraciously consumed the knowledge presented us in the classroom, by our peers, and in the workplace. We have also worked hard, both at our jobs and in our classes. In doing so, we have truly taken advantage of the opportunities we’ve earned for ourselves in Washington. This work will serve us well in our future aspirations. We have also become involved in the DC way of life, understanding its dynamics and its character and appreciating all that is has to offer. Many will stay here and others will move on to new places, but we will always remember and understand this city well.

Let us also reflect on what it means to be a graduate of the Elliott School of International Affairs. We are now graduates of one of the world’s elite institutions for the study of international politics, economy, and relations. Many of us will go on to be leaders in our respective fields: from the halls of government to the front lines of underdevelopment; from consultancies the world over to the best think-tanks in Washington. As you go out into the world, you will bear the Elliott School name proudly. It will earn you respect from colleagues and superiors, and as alumni you will expect the school to maintain and grow its considerable reputation.

So we are all rightfully proud, and everyone here is proud. But let us remember to always keep at hand some of the lessons we have learned here. The rigorous analysis required of our academic work will always serve us well in our careers, whether it’s moderating yours or an institution’s view or raising and discarding competing points of view to strengthen your argument. The ability to think critically and challenge existing knowledge will make you leaders wherever you go. And most importantly, the friendships and personal connections that we have forged over the past couple of years will continue to nourish our careers and our souls. We must cherish and preserve them as we move on to even bigger and better things.

So as we turn the page on this chapter and bid adieu for now, let me leave you with this simple entreaty: Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

Aaron is graduating from the Elliott School of International Affairs with an M.A. in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies. He has worked for the past two years as the program assistant for the Latin American and Hemispheric Studies Program, and is finalizing his plans as a class of 2009 Presidential Management Fellow finalist.

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