Theme

Commencement Speeches About Public Service & Civic Life

A whole tradition of commencement speaking asks graduates to spend themselves on something larger: their community, their democracy, their country. These speeches make the case for citizenship and service as a source of meaning, not a sacrifice of it.

41 speeches / 21 core matches

Barack Obama's 2010 University of Michigan commencement address infographic

How to read this theme

A whole tradition of commencement speaking asks graduates to spend themselves on something larger: their community, their democracy, their country. These speeches make the case for citizenship and service as a source of meaning, not a sacrifice of it.

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3 good entry points

Begin with these speeches if you want the clearest path into public service & civic life.

01

Barack Obama University of Michigan / 2010 Why it belongs here Obama frames the entire address around keeping democracy alive through civic participation, service, staying informed, and contributing to the life of the country, invoking the Peace Corp... This theme is central to the speech. 02

Barack Obama's 2009 Arizona State University commencement address infographic

Barack Obama Arizona State University / 2009 Why it belongs here He calls graduates to serve struggling communities, teach in high-need schools, help nonprofits, and contribute to the nation and the world. This theme is central to the speech. 03

Oprah Winfrey's 2008 Stanford University commencement address infographic

Oprah Winfrey Stanford University / 2008 Why it belongs here Her final lesson on happiness centers on serving something larger than yourself, citing the Stanfords and Dr. King on greatness through service. This theme is central to the speech.

Featured speeches

Visual speech maps and strong matches

№ 2010.026

Barack Obama

University of Michigan / 2010

Why it belongs here Obama frames the entire address around keeping democracy alive through civic participation, service, staying informed, and contributing to the life of the country, invoking the Peace Corp...

Core matchInfographicSummaryVideoTranscript

№ 2009.001

Barack Obama

Arizona State University / 2009

Why it belongs here He calls graduates to serve struggling communities, teach in high-need schools, help nonprofits, and contribute to the nation and the world.

Core matchInfographicSummaryVideoTranscript

№ 2008.018

Oprah Winfrey

Stanford University / 2008

Why it belongs here Her final lesson on happiness centers on serving something larger than yourself, citing the Stanfords and Dr. King on greatness through service.

Core matchInfographicSummaryTranscript

№ 2017.002

Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar

Stanford University / 2017

Why it belongs here The speaker devotes his third reflection to the value and varieties of public service, describing democracy's civic architecture and the privilege of protecting and adapting our instituti...

Core matchInfographicSummaryVideoTranscript

№ 2016.002

Ken Burns

Stanford University / 2016

Why it belongs here Burns urges graduates to save the Union, serve their country, vote, and reject a demagogic candidate, emphasizing civic engagement and community over disconnected individualism.

Core matchInfographicSummaryVideoTranscript

№ 2010.020

Susan Rice

Stanford University / 2010

Why it belongs here She urges graduates to become agents of change and serve the most vulnerable through Teach for America, the Peace Corps, and public work at home and abroad.

Core matchInfographicSummaryVideoTranscript

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