Thank you, President Battles for that kind introduction. And congratulations graduates; thank you for having me here today on your day.

Transcription

1 Commencement Address of Elizabeth Allen 06 White House Deputy Communications Director and Deputy Assistant to President Barack Obama State University of New York at Geneseo May 14, 2016 Thank you, President Battles for that kind introduction. And congratulations graduates; thank you for having me here today on your day. It s an honor to be here today. And it s also a bit surreal, given that I was sitting in your very seats 10 years ago, surrounded by some of the same family, friends and professors that are here today. When I was sitting where you are, I couldn t have imagined what the coming ten years would have in store for me. That I would find myself traveling to Baghdad, Iraq, with the Vice President or sitting in the Oval Office with the President briefing him on an interview. I couldn t imagine that I d be the one with an office in the West Wing or that it would be me who broke the soap dispenser on Air Force One. (Whoops) That s a long way from sitting at Kelly s on Thursday nights - or trudging to my dreaded econ class in Newton. So I never thought of myself as someone who would be asked to speak at commencement. A commencement speaker is supposed to be an important person standing in front of you, sharing lessons from a lifetime of experience. Well, I don t have a lifetime under my belt yet. Ten years ago, I was still a waitress at Outback Steakhouse. But there are things I do know like what it feels like to sit in those very seats not knowing what s next about having big dreams but not knowing just how to pursue them and things I want to share, like how to get that first job, and what it takes to turn it into a second. I ve learned about navigating decisions and trusting your judgment and what really matters. And because I m so lucky to work in the place where I do, I ve also had the chance to gather the wisdom of extraordinary people. So I want to share some of that with you too. I want to be able to give you all a head start - by talking about lessons from my journey as you move on to start yours. The first might sound counterintuitive and that is: don t worry about planning your path too far in advance. Your parents might not appreciate this one, but I would not recommend having a 5 year plan let alone a 10 year plan. Of course, you need a direction to follow or a passion to pursue, and the opportunities you take have to make sense for your circumstances, but life is going to take you to unexpected places and you need to be ready to walk through a door you didn t think was going to open, or create your own door.

2 After graduating from Geneseo, I took a contractor job at the State Department in Washington. But by early 2008, I felt called to change course and be a part of the historic Presidential election that year I wanted to work to elect then-senator Obama to the White House and I wanted to do that by being part of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. But it was a risk to take a job with the Convention meant quitting my stable government job and taking a 50% pay cut. I also didn t know a single person in Denver, I didn t know what planning a Convention entailed, and I had no time to scout a place to live, so I signed a lease for an apartment, sight unseen, via fax (fax!). So would this have been a logical step in my plan? No, but I knew it s what I was meant to do. I remember having no doubt and I remember trusting so fully in my gut feeling that I knew it would be OK, however uncertain the future was. So take those calculated risks when you can, even when they don t adhere to logic or expectations. This is a good time to tell you that luck plays a part in your path as well, and wouldn t you know that I was lucky because of a Geneseo connection. I got the lead for my job in Denver because the Convention Chief of Staff, Peggy Cusack, was also a Geneseo alumni - unbeknownst to me. So in a stack of resumes that she reviewed, mine stuck out because of our shared alma mater she saw my Geneseo experience and was willing to stake her name on it by recommending me for an interview. It turns out you don t need to go to an Ivy League school to know people in high places, and for your connections to make a difference. So yes, I earned that Convention job and I was willing to take the risk and move across the country, but I was incredibly lucky that I had the chance at all. After Denver, fast forwarding through the 2008 election to early 2009, I was trying to land a job in the Obama Administration back in DC. I had just undergone a rigorous months-long interview process for a job I really wanted at the Department of Homeland Security. I fought for that job and got it. And wouldn t you know, three weeks after I started, the White House called - out of the blue. Vice President Biden s office was hiring a Press Assistant and they remembered me from one trip I had helped his office with months before. Here I was, having just committed to my new boss at DHS, and having no formal press experience, but the door opened to the White House. Here s where we talk about life not only taking you to unexpected places, but how you re not always going to get there the way you thought you would either. So it came time for the interview with the Vice President s office and I was running late that day a rarity as I pride myself on punctuality. Who s late to their interview at the White House? I was. And when I finally got to the gate, I discovered that the White House security system for visitors was down that morning, and I couldn t go inside. Great, the window for my interview was closing. After waiting outside for another half hour, I got an from Jay Carney former

3 White House Press Secretary but Vice President Biden s Communications Director at the time - to meet at Starbucks a block away instead. We could do the interview there, he said. So we met at Starbucks and it was so crowded, there were no seats available to sit down. So Jay and I ended up awkwardly sitting outside on the curb of Pennsylvania Ave. for 20 minutes to talk about the job opening. The entire time, I was thinking This is a disaster there is no way I m getting this job. How fast can I get back to my office at DHS without anyone noticing? But this was a moment where I recognized you have to swing at the curveballs - so I did my best in the interview. I spoke truthfully about what I considered to be my strengths and weaknesses, and I approached it with a mix of earnestness and honesty. Jay ended the conversation by asking for a writing sample as a next step and three days later, I had a job in the Vice President s office. So not only did I never think I d work in the White House, but I never thought that the interview that would get me there would be on a curb on a day I was running late. Remember that the next time you think something isn t likely to happen to you. Since then, I ve had the unique opportunity of to work closely with both President Obama and Vice President Biden. So I m in a position to be able to pass along to you the best piece of advice I ve gotten from each of them. The first, from President Obama, is to read widely. Read books, magazines, blogs, doctor s office pamphlets, online outlets. Expose yourself to information from varied sources. Get out of your comfort zone, seek out opinions that challenge your assumptions. Even in one of the most polarized cities in the world, I ve come to realize that political labels are just that - a label - and not alone a basis for judgement of character. As the President said in a commencement in 2010: the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship. None of us have all the answers, so we should listen to each other. I feel strongly about this point because it ties back to what I consider the most important thing I took away from Geneseo besides my degree and that is, the value of open-minded discussion and studying different beliefs. We did this in discussions about international government systems in Professor Grace s IR classes and through debates about inequality and the criminal justice system in Professor Lofquist s sociology classes -- I learned here on this campus that an education is not just learning what s in books, but also what s in people s minds, how they think about things, why they think them even if you don t think them too. So strive to continue that education now that you re graduating and moving on to the so-called real world. You will encounter more viewpoints and people from more backgrounds when you leave Geneseo, and keeping an open mind, practicing empathy, and attempting to understand those you disagree with will be crucial to succeeding in careers and relationships in this globalized world. So read widely and remember there is a difference between agreeing with someone and understanding them.

4 As for the best piece of advice I learned from Joe Biden - it s actually a quote that his mother used to tell him and it might be the single most significant thing gained from my time at the White House. He says: Everyone is your equal and you are equal to everyone. Think about that Everyone is your equal and you are equal to everyone. This isn t just a constitutional provision; I think of it as a life motto. You can t go through life focusing on hierarchy and division and difference and expect to be ultimately rewarded or fulfilled. Yes, I work for the most powerful man on the planet, but it takes everyone, at every level, to make the enterprise run effectively and efficiently, not just the people at the top. So not only do I think it s important to know the names of the Cabinet Secretaries I pass in the hallway at work, but to also know the name of the custodial professional who cleans the bathroom in the very same hallway. Because people are people - not commodities, and everyone is a valuable piece of the puzzle to make it whole. The meaning of the Vice President s words constantly echo in my head: Nobody is better than you, and you re not better than anybody else. And here s the thing: treating people well isn t just the right thing to do; it's in your interest. It doesn t pay to be cut-throat in the short-term. You never know where life will take you and who will be up or down or when you will need each other. Your intern one day might be your boss. It s not that far-fetched. Look, I understand that job markets and promotions are competitive. But trust me on this you don t need to compromise your personal integrity to keep your edge. So play the long game. Do what you know is right. And look out for others in your professional life and your personal life. Pay attention to the people around you at the end of the day, they matter most. I love my job, but it doesn t tuck me in at night. My coworkers and my friends and my family are what make life rich invest in those relationships. Around graduation, you hear a lot about "doing big things" in your future, but the little things - upon which relationships are built matter just as much. I have potluck dinners on Sunday nights with my friends. I like writing cards and sending people notes in the mail. I think it s important to remember people s birthdays and I m very close to my siblings. Those things are just as critical to my happiness as what job I have. So Class of 2016, to sum this all up, I will leave you with a simple mantra. This is the Cliff Notes version of everything I ve just said, so don t worry if you haven t been listening the entire time it s OK, I understand if some of you are sitting there still working off the bar crawl last night. I ve been there. But here it is, the secret sauce for getting ahead, in four easy words: Work hard, be nice. That s it. There is no more basic recipe for success and for being able to live with yourself. To earn respect and advancement, it's not just what you do; it's how you operate.

5 Working hard and treating others well is the combination that worked for me at Outback Steakhouse and it s what works outside the Oval Office. It s rare when people find it, in any industry, so that s what you need to do to stand out. I am you, ten years later and it s the best advice I d tell the me of 10 years ago. Work hard, be nice. Congratulations and good luck class of You re going to do great. Thank you.