We’re now in the midst of college graduation season in the Philippines and I thought it would be timely and appropriate to share with Forum members two memorable and truly inspiring commencement speeches.
(http://josecarilloforum.com/imgs/stevejobs-image-1C.jpg) (http://josecarilloforum.com/imgs/john-gokongwei-jr_image-1C.jpg)
The first is that of the late Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, during the 114th commencement exercises of Stanford University in the United States on June 12, 2005; its video is shown on YouTube and I am presenting it with together with the complete prepared text of his speech. The second is that of John Gokongwei Jr., a leading Filipino businessman and industrialist, during the 2004 Ateneo de Manila University graduating exercises in the Philippines; I commented about it (but, make no mistake, definitely not in an unfavorable light) in a column I wrote for The Manila Times in 2004, “The sorry English of our graduation rites,” that I later posted in the Forum.
Watch and listen to Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement address on YouTube now! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA)
Read the full prepared text of Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement address now! (http://news.stanford.edu/2005/06/14/jobs-061505/)
Read the full text of John Gokongwei’s 2004 Ateneo de Manila University commencement address now! (http://activeknights.org/ssquah/2006/12/entrepreneurship-john-gokongwei-jrs-story)
Read my commentary in the Forum on John Gokongwei’s 2004 Ateneo de Manila University commencement address now! (http://josecarilloforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=593.0)