Power Point: Find someone to be successful for

“Find someone to be successful for.”

– Barack Obama in his speech to Arizona State University grads on Wednesday in Tempe, Arizona. He borrowed the phrase from an ASU engineering student who said that watching video of the people who would benefit from the medical devices she was designing, “made us want to be successful for them.”

The President acknowledged that while many graduates might not know what they are going to do with their lives, they have an important role to play in the lives of others: children, senior citizens and the homeless. “None of them care how much money is in your bank account, or whether you’re important at work, or famous around town – they just know that you’re someone who cares, someone who makes a difference in their lives.” A powerful reminder for the rest of us too. –Jessica Shambora