This past weekend, the Class of 2026 heard from a seven-time Super Bowl champion, a former secretary of state, a major CEO and 10 other graduation speakers who shared important life lessons before Georgetown’s graduating class launched into the world.
Speakers like Ford President and CEO Jim Farley encouraged Hoyas to embrace solving problems, while former Secretary of State John Kerry told graduates to disturb the status quo.
In his commencement address, Tom Brady urged graduates to embrace challenges that lead to growth.
“I challenge you, as graduates of this amazing institution, to seek out more things that are just too hard,” Brady said. “Things that will force you to grow beyond what you thought was possible for yourself — physically, mentally or emotionally. I want you to challenge yourself with ideas that are uncomfortable and people who push you to be your very best.”
Discover some of the words of wisdom from Georgetown’s 13 commencement speakers to the Class of 2026.
Cindy McCain
Executive Director of the World Food Programme
“When you leave this campus, you will be tempted by the big paths. You’ll be tempted by titles, prestige and proximity to power. There is nothing wrong with ambition — please hear me on that. But I urge you: Do not let your ambition outpace your empathy. The two are not enemies. The most effective leaders I have encountered in my life married fierce ambition to genuine compassion. They wanted to win, but they knew why winning mattered.”
Watch McCain’s speech at the McCourt School of Public Policy’s commencement ceremony on May 14.
Tom Brady
7x Super Bowl Champion, Lead NFL Analyst for Fox Sports and Entrepreneur
“This is the key: You don’t quit, and you don’t make excuses. Every hard choice is a brick in the path toward the life you want. But every excuse is a brick in the wall that will stand in your way.”
Watch Brady’s speech at the McDonough School of Business’ undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 16.
Dr. Kedar Mate
Founder & Chief Medical Officer of Qualified Health AI
“Trust will be the defining characteristic of our time. And there is exactly one way to build it: be your authentic self. Tell the truth, especially when it’s expensive. Say what you will do, then do what you have said. Show up for the people who are not allowed to show up for themselves. Be present and be you.”
Watch Mate’s speech at the School of Health’s commencement ceremony on May 16.
Mary Wakefield
Former Acting Deputy Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
“So to you, the Class of 2026, my advice is this: Hold firmly to the values underscored at this university’s School of Nursing. Be open to unplanned shifts in your career paths, even knowing they may present risk. Where others see problems, step back and look for the opportunities to innovate and overcome those problems.”
Watch Wakefield’s speech at the School of Nursing’s commencement ceremony on May 15.
John Kerry
68th U.S. Secretary of State and Former Senator
“Disturb the universe. Disturb it with curiosity. Disturb it with courage. Disturb it by refusing easy cynicism. By demanding truth as everyone’s bottom line. By asking better questions. By crossing boundaries that others are afraid to cross. By believing complicated problems are still solvable. And by remembering that progress, however imperfect, has always belonged to the people willing to fight for it.”
Watch Kerry’s speech at Walsh School of Foreign Service’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 16.
Essya Hanachi (B’91)
Senior Finance Executive and Former CFO, U.S. Personal Banking at Citigroup
“You don’t need to be fully ready to take on something big. You need to be willing. Willing to learn. Willing to work. Willing to be uncomfortable. Because growth doesn’t happen when you are comfortable. It happens when you are just a little bit in over your head and you decide to rise anyway.”
Watch Hanachi’s speech at the McDonough School of Business’ graduate commencement ceremony on May 15.
Dr. Carlos Pellegrini
Former Chief Medical Officer, Professor and Chair Emeritus for University of Washington Medicine
“The strongest and most consistent predictor of long-term happiness, health and longevity is the ability to establish close relationships. Not your wealth, not your fame, not your personal status or your personal achievement.”
Watch Pellegrini’s speech at the School of Medicine’s commencement ceremony on May 17.
Mary Beard
Professor Emerita of Classics, University of Cambridge
“A good university helps us to see things in different ways and from different perspectives. … My claim to you is that, whether it’s in storms on social media or in world geopolitics, we really need more people who can imagine what it might be like not to think like they do.”
Watch Beard’s speech at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ commencement ceremony on May 15.
James Farley Jr. (C’85)
President & CEO, Ford
“This is my advice to you: learn to love problem-solving. Seize the opportunity to fall in love with problem-solving — the fulfillment it will give you and how it will enable you to serve other people.”
Watch Farley’s speech at the College of Arts & Sciences’ commencement ceremony on May 16.
Comfort Ero
President & CEO, International Crisis Group
“But cynicism is a luxury that we cannot afford. We owe more to the world’s most vulnerable people. Amid the challenges we face, it is often even more important to keep looking for openings when all pathways appear closed.”
Watch Ero’s speech at Walsh School of Foreign Service’s graduate commencement ceremony on May 16.
Merve Cinarli Hickok
President at Center for AI and Digital Policy
“Whatever the cause it is that you cannot sit on the sidelines, be courageous. You will be surprised that there are so many other people feeling the same way. Advocate for transparency, push for accountability, question the systems and their impact. You are not only doing it for yourself, but for all of us — every single one of us.”
Watch Hickok’s speech at the School of Continuing Studies’ commencement ceremony on May 14.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al Thani
Chairman, Musafir.com and High Camp Holding Company
“Power, fame and money are the tools. They are not the destination. Chase them if they serve your purpose, but they are not the mountain. The mountain is meaning. The mountain is purpose. The mountain is impact. The mountain is that at the end of your life, someone’s life is better because you were in it.”
Watch Al Thani’s speech at Georgetown University in Qatar’s commencement ceremony on May 7.
David Cole
Honorable George J. Mitchell Professor in Law and Public Policy
“At its best, [law] gives voice to the vulnerable, provides guidance to those in need, stands on principle and demands fairness for all. Of course, law is not always at its best. Like any other tool, it can be misused. It can be invoked not to uphold justice but to exploit the weak. It can be used not to solve problems but to obfuscate and intimidate. No matter where you practice, as lawyers you will face choices. You can practice in ways that advance fairness or in ways that obstruct justice. In ways that use power to punish personal enemies or that strive to treat all equally. In ways that scapegoat the vulnerable or that defend them.”
I hope that, as alumni of Georgetown Law School, you’ll know what side … to stand on. I hope you will follow the motto we have sought to teach you, rooted in the Jesuit tradition, that law is but the means, justice is the end.”
Watch Cole’s speech at Georgetown Law’s commencement ceremony on May 17.
