[MUSIC PLAYING]
When you think about UVA, one image comes to mind first.
It's always the Lawn.
It remains the one place where you go back,
and every single memory of the university comes flooding back.
It's this historic place where people
have lived, where they have learned, where they have grown.
It's a place where everyone is welcome,
where so much activity goes on.
But on graduation day, when you walk the Lawn,
you're entering a whole new chapter of your life.
This is the culmination, the accomplishment of four years.
I think graduation puts your years here in focus,
to think about what you've done, and to realize
what it means for your future.
It's loud, it's beautiful, and just like it was yesterday.
I still remember it.
You walk in this mass.
You're not in a straight line to pomp and circumstances.
It's a living, breathing graduation.
You get to be with the people you want to be with.
Who were those important people during your time at UVA?
For me, it was definitely my friends, my sorority sisters.
We made sure that we started together,
and that we ended together.
When you are walking down that Lawn, take it all in.
Really engage with that experience.
See those smiles, be aware of those joys,
and even the freshly cut grass.
Embrace all that.
Take a moment.
Take that extra picture.
Capture some of those memories to share with your loved ones
in the future.
Walking down the Lawn is such a wonderful celebration
of what you've been through.
But it's also a celebration of what you're going to,
your next adventure.
This isn't the end of anything but a phase
in your higher education.
You have won the honors of honor.
You've been able to engage, and grow, and become a leader.
Do not put restrictions on what you think you can accomplish.
Your learning hasn't ended.
Your UVA experience hasn't ended.
What you've done is you walked off the Lawn,
and you've walked into the world.
There's a community of UVA alumni waiting for you.
We are here.
We are everywhere.
Do not think that the only people that you can count on
are those who you've engaged with already.
You have thousands of us to help you in every endeavor
that you take on.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
You are forever written into the spirit
of the University of Virginia.
Enjoy every moment of that walk down the Lawn.
And leave the world a little better place,
just like you left UVA a little better place by going there.
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