Southern Oregon University Commencement Remarks
July 14, 2025
President Bailey, thank you for the warm welcome – it is great to be here.
To all the faculty, staff, family members, and, most importantly, all the SOU students – it's an honor to be with you today to celebrate this graduation day with you. Congratulations on your accomplishment!
I know that young Americans feel conflicted about their world, about themselves, about our democracy. As many here are aware, young people have serious misgivings about the future.
Now, I know that skepticism can be a valuable intellectual exercise. However, skepticism and cynicism are not the same. And in times like these, I know that belief, instead of doubt, is absolutely essential to cultivate – both individually and in community with others.
As the Russian writer Anton Chekhov once wrote: “You must trust and believe in people, or life becomes impossible."
There are three ways that belief has played a prominent role in my life journey – and I'd like to take a few minutes to reflect on them today.
Those three ways are: Believe in yourself. Believe in others. Believe in something bigger than yourself.
So, let me tell you a little about my journey.
I came out to my family when I was 24. But coming out was not my “believe in myself" moment. It was actually a natural conclusion of learning to believe in myself.
You see, understanding who you are and what you need from the world requires intentional reflection, accepting risk, and choosing to trust yourself to get where you need to go, whether mentally or physically, or sometimes both.
In my case, I went from experiencing depression to seeking and finding more joy. I dropped out of a prestigious East Coast university to find my path in the world. I moved 2,815 miles away from Washington D.C. to Eugene by Amtrak train with a big trunk in tow. I eventually went back to college, graduating from the University of Oregon, because that was a better fit for me. I said yes to myself – believing in myself enough to build a life in a place that would be where I could truly be me. That was 1987, three years before I put an exclamation point on everything by coming out to my family.
So, my first message to you today is this: Believe in yourself. Listen to yourself. Follow your heart. But we are not islands onto ourselves, and we need others to thrive. So, number 2 – believe in others.
I became the first lesbian Speaker of the House in any state legislature in 2013, and over time became the longest serving Speaker in Oregon's history. Those successes and historical benchmarks happened because I believed in others – I trusted my team.
I've always considered politics to be a team sport. I prefer to play it that way, even when it can take more time and effort. I played team sports when I was a kid, and through sports I learned that special things can be achieved when true teamwork happens. It's passing the baton in a 400-meter relay race and believing that the last runner on your team will bring it home. It's passing the ball to the open person under the basket who will put the last shot in at the buzzer. When those things happen, it's kind of magical.
True teamwork means believing in others.
And good politics is all about believing in others. To get things done in Salem as a legislative leader, I cared about others, cared about what others cared about, and worked hard with others to row in the same direction for a shared goal. And we got big things done.
I had to believe in others to be successful for Oregonians. I had to believe that when the vote on the floor finally came, my teammates would vote yes. That they'd deliver the critical last vote to raise the minimum wage, or create a paid family leave program, or generate a new way to fund K-12 education.
Are there disappointments because people don't come through sometimes? Absolutely. But I can tell you, without hesitation, that the highs greatly outweigh the occasional lows.
Finally, let's talk about number 3 – believe in something bigger than yourself.
This one's probably the hardest in a post-pandemic, social-media-overwhelmed society. But this one is especially important right now.
In my career in elected office, I have benefitted from leaning into my personal religious faith. To sit quietly away from the worldly noise whenever I can, to center myself in what it means to be human and live on this beautiful planet and to love my neighbor as myself. This has helped me choose hope and choose love when things in the news could push me in another direction.
But it doesn't have to be religion. Your belief in something bigger than yourself can be trusting the aspirations enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. It can be this island home we call Earth and the beauty and wonder of our natural environment, especially here in Oregon. It can be a cause, something that provides meaning for you, like combatting the climate crisis or standing up for our immigrant communities or breathing racial justice into this world. Or it can be a craft or a practice of putting things into the world that weren't there before through art or industry.
The bottom line is this: Don't give up on the big picture. Don't give up on what the world CAN be. Believe in something bigger than yourself because it can bring inspiration, comfort, positive energy – and, sometimes, it can be that little something that keeps getting you up every day – for yourself, for your friends, and for your world.
So, as you start a new chapter in your life –
Believe in yourself.
Believe in others.
And believe in something bigger than yourself.
You'll like where it takes you.