This past commencement, we had the honor of having our Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Sian Silyn Roberts, give a speech to our graduating class of 2016.  The speech is not only moving, but so essential to life as an English major, we had to share it with all of you–our majors, past, present, and future.

Without further ado, here’s the text of Dr. Silyn Roberts’ speech:

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I knew going into this that it would be an honor to address you all today, but until I started working on this speech, I really had little idea of just how much of an honor it actually is.  I’m not going to keep you long, because today is about your success, but your graduation marks one of the most significant achievements of your life, so believe me when I say that to be able to talk to you on this day is a real privilege.  I know there are a lot of proud people in this room: proud graduates, proud parents, and proud families, but what you may not realize is just how proud your professors are too.  It’s one of the extraordinary privileges of this profession to work with bright minds bent toward a single goal, and to see you accomplish that goal, and walk across this stage, is truthfully the biggest highlight of the year.  We know how much work is required to get to this point, we know the kinds of sacrifices you have made, and we are extremely proud of you.

Today is a celebration of what you have accomplished, but I’m sure many of you are already bending your thoughts toward what comes next.  Indeed, in the last few months, I’ve seen a noticeable spike in the number of students coming to my office, seeking advice as they think about careers or further study.   I’m sure in the back of their minds, they’ve been mulling over that tired, old question, “So … what can you do with an English degree?”  This question seems to plague our majors more than any other discipline; I’m fairly positive that almost everyone on this stage, including the professors, have been asked it at some point during their academic careers.  Students who come to see me seeking an answer are really seeking reassurance that you can “do things” with an English degree, so my first instinct is always to list the various practical vocations that our majors often pursue: law, social work, teaching, hospitality, journalism, diplomacy, policy, non-profit and advocacy work, publishing.  It’s not surprising that the question looms so large for our students: English and the Humanities in general have long gotten a bad rap in the media and continues to be devalued institutionally and culturally, so the question, “what can you do with an English degree,” tends to engender uncertainty and panicked self-examination.  The tone in which the question is posed often ranges along a wide affective spectrum, from mild curiosity to skepticism to outright derision.  But every time I hear that question, what I really want to say is: “this is the wrong question to be asking.”  To ask, what are you going to do with an English degree reinforces the implicit assumption that people who study English are not being vocationally trained; that they will finish their degree without any set of practical skills.  This is, of course, a profound falsehood; students who study English are quote/unquote “trained” in the skills of effective communication, which in a digital age are more critical than ever.  Indeed, national studies show that English majors are actually more employed than business and economics majors, and that employers generally prefer people with liberal arts degrees, because they are flexible thinkers.  But more than that, the question reinforces the assumption that all knowledge must be practical, that all education must be training, and that all value is reducible to the degree to which it can be translated into economic terms.

So, I want to take this opportunity today to ask what I think is the better question: not, what are you going to do with an English degree, but who are you going to be with an English degree?  I don’t mean, are you going to be a teacher, or a lawyer, but what kind of person does an English degree foster?  First and foremost, you’re empathetic, because reading across centuries of literary history reminds us that people everywhere, and in all ages, collectively think and write about the shared joys and trials of human existence.  You are better equipped than most to understand and navigate the cultural shifts and exchanges that characterize our current age, because you are able, to paraphrase the great moral philosopher Adam Smith from 1759, to place yourself in another’s situation for the greater harmony of society.  You’re shrewd; you’ve spent years thinking about other people’s ideas, and how to leverage those ideas to your own benefit. You’re imaginative: you don’t spend all that time immersed in other people’s creative worlds without it rubbing off.  You’re a citizen: you know how to think critically about the world around you, to evaluate issues and ideas before arriving at an informed judgment. You’re a diplomat: public acceptance of new or shifting ideas begins with the ability to campaign effectively through language. And, not least of all, you’ve got cultural capital: you’ve read books that most people haven’t, and that’s always impressive at parties.

But perhaps most ironically, you have all the qualities that neoliberal thinking values but claims the humanities don’t foster. You’re a risk-taker.  You know that English is not a vocation, but you did it anyway, because you’re willing to roll the dice and put your faith in yourself.  That makes you an entrepreneur, because you embrace risk and innovation, and recognize that cultivating and organizing creative ideas yields immeasurable profits.  More than ever before, we need people like you.  Even the most expert scientific or economic knowledge won’t solve the problems we face as a nation or a globe without people who understand, respect, and engage cultural differences.  We need humanitarians and that is what one can be with an English degree.

As I wrap up, let me finish with a brief note about something we did in the department recently.  Last month, Jason Tougaw, one of the professors in this department, started a blog and asked our former majors to contribute.  Like me, he had been struck by the increased number of students seeking advice about what to do next, so he wanted to know what our graduates were doing, and whether studying English had helped them get there.  The response was overwhelmingly positive.  Almost without exception, every graduate credited their English degree with setting them on the path to success.  The blog makes wonderful reading, and we’ve put up a link on our department website for those of you interested in reading more.  But I want to finish with one former student’s words of encouragement.  This student is now a creative designer and manager at an agency overseeing web and mobile development projects, and he has this to say: “for all the English majors who have read one-too-many memes on Facebook about their [impending] doom, it’s going to be okay. Just hustle. Learn. Adapt. Don’t be afraid to [BS] a little. You do it every time you fluff up your papers to hit 10 pages.”  And he’s right.  Not the bit about fluffing up papers, because let me assure you, we know when you’ve done that, but he’s right that you are uniquely positioned to learn, adapt, and hustle.

Congratulations, class of 2016!  We are all immeasurably proud of you.