Sharyn Alfonsi
Field: letters
Sharyn Alfonsi, a 1994 Ole Miss journalism graduate and CBS correspondent, delivers a humorous keynote to journalism and integrated marketing communications graduates. She shares lessons from her career, including a rejection letter that mocked her appearance, and offers advice on persistence, hard work, humility, and balancing career with family. She emphasizes refusing to take no for an answer, never getting comfortable, being genuinely nice, and ignoring distractions to 'run your own race.'
Key moments
- 01 Reads aloud a discouraging early rejection letter and urges graduates not to take no for an answer
- 02 Advises taking any job in the field, no matter how small, over higher-paying alternatives
- 03 Warns against getting comfortable, citing her choice to pursue reporting over anchoring
- 04 Discusses being 'nice' versus 'stupid nice' and balancing career with family life
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Sharyn Alfonsi at Ole Miss, 2013
A commencement address about reporter habits, discomfort, curiosity, listening, preparation, mistakes, family, and meaningful work.
Speech arc
- 01Ole Miss
Opening move
- 022013
Speech beat
- 03Journalism alumna
Speech beat
- 04Ford Center
Speech beat
- 05Say yes
Speech beat
- 06Be curious
Speech beat
- 07Listen closely
Speech beat
- 08Recover fast
Final charge
Return: A reporter comes home with practical advice
Alfonsi opens with humor about Shepard Smith and turns an Ole Miss homecoming into a compact field guide for work and life.
Humor
The opening lowers the stakes before the advice becomes direct and useful.
Alumna
Her authority comes from having started in the same journalism community.
Frame
The speech is about succeeding in life and making a living without pretending the path is tidy.
Alfonsi opens with humor about Shepard Smith and turns an Ole Miss homecoming into a compact field guide for work and life.
Action: Say yes before the path is clear
The reporter habit of taking the assignment becomes a life habit: step toward opportunity even when the conditions are uncomfortable.
Discomfort
Growth often starts when the room, job, or story feels bigger than your confidence.
Courage
Saying yes is not bravado; it is the first step toward learning what the work requires.
Motion
Doors open after movement, not before it.
The reporter habit of taking the assignment becomes a life habit: step toward opportunity even when the conditions are uncomfortable.
Craft: Curiosity and listening make better stories
Alfonsi treats journalism skills as portable virtues: ask better questions, notice people, listen closely, and prepare hard.
Curiosity
Good work starts with why, what else, and keep digging.
Listening
The best stories often begin when the reporter stops performing and pays attention.
Preparation
Research, facts, plans, and subject knowledge build confidence and trust.
Alfonsi treats journalism skills as portable virtues: ask better questions, notice people, listen closely, and prepare hard.
• Key takeaways •
Say yes to hard assignments
Connects to journalism.
Curiosity is a working habit
Connects to work.
Listening creates trust
Connects to resilience.
Preparation earns confidence
Connects to curiosity.
Recover quickly and keep moving
Connects to mentorship.
Closing charge
The speech gives graduates permission to make mistakes, own them, learn quickly, and keep moving without losing integrity.
Mistakes are part of the assignment
Recovery
Apologize when needed, fix what can be fixed, and do not dwell forever.
Support
Mentors and family carry graduates through difficult days.
Purpose
The final charge is to tell important stories and make a life worth living.
The speech gives graduates permission to make mistakes, own them, learn quickly, and keep moving without losing integrity.
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Transcript
The full transcript is hosted by the original publisher. Commencement Archive links to the source rather than republishing copyrighted text.
Read the full transcript at source →Provenance
Imported from NPR commencement archive; cross-referenced with Open Commencement DB
NPR archive last updated in 2015; destination availability has not been exhaustively rechecked | Open Commencement DB transcript; not independently verified against the original recording
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