I attended my cousin’s Stanford commencement today, my first time in the audience and 16 years after graduating myself.
I thought the entire program was exceptionally well done. The ceremony was short, focused, and refreshingly free of self-congratulation. The President (and all the deans) clearly know how special Stanford is, but there wasn’t an ounce of arrogance on display. If anything, there was a healthy dose of humor. It reminded me of something I’ve always appreciated about the university: Stanford takes its work very seriously, but doesn’t take itself too seriously (see: the President swapping his graduation cap for a tree hat a parent gave him!)
Sundar Pichai was an excellent commencement speaker. And while a small group of students walked out, there was remarkably little disruption. The ceremony continued uninterrupted, the protesters left after a few minutes, and everyone else carried on.
The Wacky Walk was alive and well. As usual, the GSB crowd seemed to be having the most fun. And sitting in the June sun was every bit as challenging as I remember from my own graduation.
Sixteen years later, it was a joy to be back. Days like this remind me how fortunate I was to spend years there, and how proud I am to be a Stanford alum.