Press Releases
Congresswoman Lori Trahan Delivers Commencement Address to UMass Lowell Graduates
Washington,
May 18, 2019
Lowell, MA – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) delivered the commencement address to graduates of UMass Lowell. This was her first commencement address as a Member of Congress. Specifically, Congresswoman Trahan spoke at the morning session involving undergraduates from the Francis College of Engineering, the Kennedy College of Sciences, and the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences. More than 4,500 graduates – the largest number in UMass Lowell’s history – will receive degrees at three Commencement ceremonies taking place this weekend. More information about these ceremonies can be found HERE: You can watch a video of Congresswoman Trahan’s remarks HERE, or below: You can read a transcript of Congresswoman Trahan’s remarks below:
Congresswoman Lori Trahan Commencement Speech- University of Massachusetts Lowell 05/18/2019
Thank you very much. It is an honor to be here today with all of you. Thank you President Meehan, Chancellor Moloney, esteemed guests, friends, family, and of course, the graduating class of 2019.
This is a first for me and an absolute thrill so indulge me as I look at you, your parents, friends and family. CONGRATULATIONS.
Navigating the challenges of college is an arduous task, one often faced without parents or support structures as a resource. Getting here today was no easy feat, and yet here you are. Take a moment to give yourself a round of applause.
You joined clubs, sports teams; you completed internships; worked summer jobs; balanced classes, late nights with friends; and completed all your labs. All to bring you to this point.
It takes a village to achieve any milestone in life. None of us get here alone. As you celebrate today find the people you love and who love you, and thank them. They are so proud of you.
In classic commencement fashion, I want to open with a quote.
“The young are at the gates.”
Just over 100 years ago, this slogan was a rallying cry for suffragettes – the brave women who demanded the right to vote – as they protested in front of the White House. Angered by the lack of attention from President Wilson, suffragettes got angry, impatient; they organized, and before long they got the right to vote. Just a few years after the phrase “The Young are at the gates” was written for the first time by a suffragette named Lavinia Dock – who was, herself, a nurse - the 19th amendment was ratified…100 years ago next week.
The ‘young’ have been the instigators of all our historic movements – civil rights, labor, equal rights, march for our lives, and whatever we’re calling last year which culminated in electing the youngest, most diverse freshman class to the U.S. House of Representatives.
I don’t know that I could have ever imagined being before you today in this capacity when I was sitting in my cap and gown nearly 25 years ago. Like many of you, I am the first in my family to graduate from college. I grew up in Lowell in a hardworking, loving family. We didn’t have much, but we had enough. I remember my graduation – sitting in the audience with expectations of joining the foreign service officer corps.
Things changed. And that’s okay.
So my first of what will be a few pieces of advice to you today is be ready to embrace change. The best laid plans get disrupted and you must be on the lookout for the opportunities that will inevitability call you.
I came to Congress at a pivotal moment in our Nation’s history. On all fronts we are faced with tough choices. Choices regarding the future health and stability of our climate; choices about how we treat and care for those less fortunate; choices on how and when we fight for our values.
Never has it been more important for us to take control of our fate. These choices will be made on your watch and we need you “at the gate.”
The beauty of youth is that you’re fresh – you’re not wed to your ideas, you’re not cynical, fatigued, indifferent or fearful.
You are the idealists who believe anything is possible.
You are the innovators who will figure out how to do things faster, cleaner and better.
You are the force that, time and again, accelerates progress.
You are the future – optimists who, with your whole life ahead of you, will find a compelling purpose.
So often when we search for light in a world which often feels dark, we find it in the actions – and activism – of young people like all of you.
29-year-old computer scientist Dr. Katie Bouman helped form the algorithm that allowed us to see the first image of a black hole. This cosmic “peak behind the curtain” has united the world in awe.
15-year-old Greta Thunberg of Switzerland started a school strike to call attention to climate change, kicking off a global conversation that would sweep the European Union and the world.
19-year-old David Hogg and Emma Gonzales of Parkland, Florida – having lost 17 classmates in a horrific school shooting last year – injected new life and energy into the fight against gun violence by leading the international March For Our Lives.
Malala Yousafzai was only 15 when she and two of her classmates were shot by the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat Valley. It was brutal retaliation for her steadfast advocacy of the rights of women and girls to have access to an education. She survived that attack and would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize two years later – the youngest person ever to do so.
Representative John Lewis, whom I have the privilege of serving with in Congress, was a young man when he was dubbed one of the Big Six leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. At the age of 23, he was an architect of and a keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington in August 1963.
Do not make the mistake of waiting your proverbial turn or thinking that life has some grand sequence. Your reaction and your perspective is powerful.
Your calling will come. Be ready.
Every issue, no matter how big or how small, affects all of us. When we face the burning reality of climate change, we look at those threats together. When we experience the surmounting toll of gun violence, we experience this together. When we endure a nation that is divided along political, racial or socioeconomic lines, we do so together.
Those issues may sound too big to tackle, but history has confirmed that you will – you must – play a leading role.
This chapter of your life – college -- may be ending, but a new one starts today. UMASS Lowell has prepared you. UMASS Lowell graduates are in demand all around the country. The university is continually climbing in national rankings and gaining national recognition for its accomplishments.
Through research and grants, UMASS Lowell continues to raise the bar. [If you don’t believe me; Good luck getting your children in decades from now J]
Graduates can be found working at NASA, Tesla, Google, the Department of the Defense and Apple. They work at Raytheon, Boston Scientific, Lowell General Hospital, and the Chelmsford Public Schools.
UMASS Lowell graduates shape every corner of our Commonwealth and of our country. I’m proud that the team I was able to recruit to serve the 3rd Congressional District alongside me is led by several Riverhawks who have their roots in our community and an eye to making the world a better place.
Wherever you go next, what’s important to remember is that we need you. We need you to lead in business, science, technology, health care, our government and in your community.
The stakes right now are high, and it is imperative that you, the graduating class of 2019, recognize your ability to re-shape our country.
As someone who has seen up close - and learned from the activism of the next generation, I know that I want you at my side as we tackle these problems.
My advice to you: Get in the game. We can sometimes conjure up excuses to play it safe or sit on the sidelines because we question our ability.
Greta, Malala and John Lewis did not and they changed the world around them.
As you venture out on this new road make no mistake: it will not always be easy, and you will encounter failure -- probably more than once. Don’t let it deter you. Failure is a necessary part of the process. It’s indeed a necessary step toward improvement. Ring out the learning and commit to being better tomorrow than you are today.
Graduates, congratulations! I have enormous faith in you. Your class gives me hope. Enjoy and celebrate this day with the knowledge that UMASS Lowell has prepared you for the times ahead.
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