Sean Lebowitz
Student speaker Sean Lebowitz reflects on how his four years at Binghamton University shaped him, recalling shared college experiences from meeting strangers to making a difference in the community. He thanks his mother, father, and brother for their support throughout his life, and closes by encouraging the class of 2004 to give their full effort and live without regrets.
Key moments
- 01 Opening joke about students being up before noon on a Sunday
- 02 Recounting formative college experiences and personal growth
- 03 Thanking his mother, father, and brother for their support
- 04 Closing advice to give 100 percent and live with no regrets
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Sean Lebowitz at Binghamton, 2004
A student address about shared experience, campus growth, family support, civic energy, and living with no regrets.
Speech arc
- 01Binghamton University
Opening move
- 02Class of 2004
Speech beat
- 03Student speaker
Speech beat
- 04Political science
Speech beat
- 05Campus life
Speech beat
- 06Family
Speech beat
- 07100 percent
Speech beat
- 08No regrets
Final charge
Moment: A class gathers before noon
Lebowitz opens with a student joke about seeing classmates awake early, then uses the ceremony to name what the last four years made possible.
Humor
The before-noon line makes the speech recognizably student-centered.
Credential
The introduction frames him through political science, economics, honors, student government, and law school plans.
Occasion
The ceremony becomes a rare chance to address thousands of classmates at once.
Lebowitz opens with a student joke about seeing classmates awake early, then uses the ceremony to name what the last four years made possible.
Experience: Campus life changes the graduate
The address lists ordinary college experiences as identity-forming: late nights, lecture halls, leadership, friendships, and community work.
Memory
Staying up until sunrise and eating late become shorthand for the rhythms of student life.
Leadership
Raising a hand, leading a group, and making a community difference turn participation into growth.
Change
The experiences do not disappear after graduation; they become part of who the class is.
The address lists ordinary college experiences as identity-forming: late nights, lecture halls, leadership, friendships, and community work.
Support: No achievement stands alone
Lebowitz pauses to thank his mother, father, and brother, crediting family support for the person standing at the podium.
Family
Mock spelling tests, dawn rides, advice, and patience become the infrastructure behind achievement.
Gratitude
The thanks widen from his own family to all loved ones who shaped the class.
Humility
The speech treats success as shared, not solitary.
Lebowitz pauses to thank his mother, father, and brother, crediting family support for the person standing at the podium.
• Key takeaways •
Show up for the moment
Connects to gratitude.
Campus experiences shape identity
Connects to campus life.
Thank the people who carried you
Connects to family.
Use your power every day
Connects to civic engagement.
Live with no regrets
Connects to purpose.
Closing charge
The close borrows the phrase "you have the power" and applies it beyond politics to effort, responsibility, and daily choices.
Civic energy belongs in everyday life
Politics
His campus political work gives the line a civic charge.
Effort
His mother’s standard is practical: give the endeavor everything you have.
Charge
The class is asked to live without regrets by bringing full effort to what comes next.
The close borrows the phrase "you have the power" and applies it beyond politics to effort, responsibility, and daily choices.
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Transcript
The previously catalogued transcript link is no longer live and is queued for re-sourcing. A video of the address is available above.
Machine transcript available for archive analysis; it is unverified and may contain transcription errors. Machine transcript source ->
Provenance
BROKEN transcript link (checked 2026-06-26): gradspeeches.com is a parked/redirecting domain serving no real content. Provenance: Imported from NPR commencement archive
NPR archive last updated in 2015; destination availability has not been exhaustively rechecked | Transcript URL dead (gradspeeches.com is a parked/redirecting domain serving no real content); video fallback present
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