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I'm going to show you how to use the Google Drive app. I'm going to show you how to use the Google Drive app. I'm going to show you how to use the Google Drive app. I'm going to show you how to use the Google Drive app. Hello, my Hello, my Hello, my name is Hello, my Hello, my Hello, my Hello, my name Hello, my name is Hello, my name Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my And it's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's Thank you. Hello, I'm Ketchy. I'm a student at the University of California, and I'm a student at the University of California, and I am a I'm sorry. I'm going to go ahead and start the test. So, I'm going to go ahead and start the test. I'm going to go ahead and start the test. I'm going to go ahead and start the test. I'm going to go ahead and start the test. I'm going to go ahead and start the test. I'm going to go ahead and start the test. Thank you Welcome students, families, and guests to the University Commencement Ceremony. Leading the procession is the Chapman University Mace. The Chapman University Mace is carried by the Grand Marshal, a gift of Nadine, Class of 44, and former trustee Harmon Wilkinson, Class of 35. Immediately following are Chapman's gonfalon. The gonfalon's represent the schools and colleges at Chapman University. The central focus of each one is a shield divided into four quadrants. The upper left quadrant holds the Chapman window, an architectural feature that may be seen on many campus structures and which has become an important Chapman icon. In the lower right quadrant is a representation of the four pillars compromising a Chapman education. Intellectual, physical, spiritual and social. The remaining two quadrants in the shield contain images symbolizing aspects of the spirit of the school or college. Now entering are members of our distinguished faculty. Welcome our Chapman University Deans. Dean of the Leatherby Libraries, Kevin Ross. Dean of the Donna Ford Attala College of Educational Studies, Roxanne Greitz-Miller. Dean of the Lawrence and Christina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Steven Galloway. Dean of the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Jennifer Keene. Interim Dean of the Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler School of Engineering, Tom Pejota. Dean of the College of Performing Arts, Julio Ongaro. Dean of the Argyros College of Business and Economics, Henrik Cronkvist. Dean of the School of Communication, Drew Mosher. Dean of the Schmidt College of Science and Technology, Michael Eba. Dean of the Dale E. Fowler School of Law, Paul Payton. Dean of the School of Pharmacy, Ren Ostrom. Interim Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications, Garrett Ashley. Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Brenda Rushforth. Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Reginald Chen Stewart. Vice President of University Advancement, Amy Rogan Mehta. Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Jerry Price. Executive Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer, Matt Parlow. Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Harold Hewitt. Now entering are members of our governing boards. Chair of the Board of Governors, Michael Penn. Chair of the Board of Trustees, Parker Kennedy. We have a lot of questions. I'm going to go ahead and start with the first question. I'm going to give you a few minutes. I'm going to ask you to please hold your questions. I'm going to take your questions. I'm going to ask you to put them in the chat box. I'm going to ask you to put your questions in the chat box. I'm going to ask you to put your questions in the chat box. Please welcome Chapman University Executive Vice President, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer, Norma Bouchard. Please welcome Chapman University President, Daniele C. Strupa. At Chapman, we know that inspiration can come from everywhere. It comes from the countless professors you meet whose teaching and research transcend disciplinary boundaries and push the limits of knowledge and innovation. It comes from exceptional students, poor national champions, model UN finalists, film festival winners, advocates, artists, scientists, creators, and classmates who expand your thinking as you introduce new ideas to theirs. It comes from a breathtaking performance, working through a group project, that one-on-one time with a professor who took the time to help you get it. It comes from meeting people with entirely different experiences and perspectives, and forging connections that challenge how you see the world. It comes from your history, your family, your community, your curiosity, and your dreams. At Chapman, inspiration thrives in a campus community that pulses with indescribable energy, and in intellectual, creative, and social vibrance, a community that embraces you in a feeling of belonging while giving you the inspiration you need to do more. An academic community that brings a personalized approach to learning, focused on pushing your limits while surrounding you with the support you need to take risks, knowing that if you fall, we've got you. All while connecting you to a worldwide network of Chapman family members eager to welcome you in so you can shatter conventions and rise to the challenges of a changing world. We call it the Chapman Experience. And in that experience, you'll find what drives you forward. Because here, you'll be immersed in the joy that comes with discovery and the thrill of your curiosity driving your experience. Here, you'll be challenged not to repeat what's known, but to define what can be. For the world, for your community, for yourself. Driven by curiosity. Inspired by Chapman. Please stand and face the flag for our national anthem. Please welcome Executive Director of the Fish Interfaith Center, Reverend Nancy Brink. Let us join our hearts as we center ourselves in gratitude for surviving a global pandemic and the immense challenges of online education and social isolation. for inspiring faculty who have mentored and challenged and opened doors of intellectual curiosity, for dedicated administrators and staff who have offered help and encouragement to the entire Chapman community, for those who have cheered their students on, families and friends, giving them the support of loving community. We offer this blessing on these graduates. For lives of meaning and purpose, challenge and achievement. May you live well and be well. And now it is my great honor to introduce the president of Chapman University, Dr. Daniele Struppa. All right, all right. Welcome to the best day of the academic year. Welcome to the commencement of the class of 2024. Congratulations. I'm sure you remember the beginning of your journey here at Chapman was a bit unconventional. Remote instruction, not so good. Virtual gatherings. A global pandemic, and yet you rose to the occasion and you became a successful student. With the support of your faculty and of your classmates, you follow your passion, your curiosity to new frontiers with grit and determination. And now we are here all together, on this wonderful evening, to celebrate your triumphs as a class. This is the bookend to your journey as a student, but just the beginning of your lifelong journey of learning. This is our opportunity to come together as a community and to celebrate the exceptional scholarship, research, teaching, leadership and growth that you have achieved here at Chapman University. We are here to honor the hard work and the tenacity you brought to this moment, to rever in your success and to toast to your future and incredible achievements yet to come. As you look forward to a future that may not yet be clear, though I hope many of you already have a job, but I know your parents do. I know that you are ready because you already face significant challenges and those challenges have to be in your mind when you face new challenges in the future. You have learned from and worked with the very best and through your hard work you are now equipped with what you need to succeed. This weekend you will walk across the stage and experience one of the most important moments of your life. My recommendation, enjoy it. And when it's all over and you're leaving this wonderful campus, remember you're part of our community forever. That lasts for a lifetime. You will always be welcome home here. I'm really privileged to have been to the opportunity to be part of your journey at Chapman and to work with you and learn from you and so at this moment let me just say congratulations to our graduates and every one of the people that are here that helped us succeed. Now it gives me great pleasure to introduce a friend, somebody you know very well, one of the graduating students this year, a wonderful partner because the university is made of partnership between students and faculty. This person is Rachel Burns. Welcome. I see you know her, okay. She's graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a minor in Nutrition and the University Honors Program. She has worked in student government as a Senator, Speaker of the Senate, and this last year as an SGA President. In her tenure she has been a powerful advocate and has effected meaningful changes on campus. We are very grateful for her leadership, innovation, service, and very grateful for her friendship. Thank you so much, President Strupa, for the warm introduction, and good evening, everyone. It is a remarkable honor to be speaking to you all, and I am more than delighted that we are able to celebrate this moment together. As mentioned, my name is Rachel Burns and this past year I had the privilege of serving as president of Chapman Student Government Association. There are very few words that can truly encapsulate how much I loved getting to work with so many of you to amplify the student voice and enhance the undergraduate experience collectively. And I hope the practice of making your voices heard is something that you never lose as you progress beyond your college years. In most of my speeches for previous special events this year, I've been asked to avoid using the dreaded C word, COVID, but I would be remiss to not acknowledge the depth of significance that this weekend's ceremonies have for many of us who have yet to cross a stage and hear a crowd cheer in celebration of us. There was a time when I sat in my childhood bedroom, battery-powered, candle in hand, trying to figure out why I had just seen Howie Mandel on my laptop screen as part of the virtual opening convocation video for the class of 2024 orientation, when a day like today felt so infeasible and intangible. But after pinching myself about seven times backstage just now, I can assure you all with confidence that this is very real. And I hope you can recognize for yourselves the tenacity you've displayed throughout your educational careers thus far while still understanding what a privilege it is to have these ceremonies when not all graduates can say the same this year. Thinking back again to my first year at Chapman I remember how excited I was to be hired by the Office of Admission as a tour guide. So eager to be giving tours to bright-eyed prospective students like we all once were. Throughout my time, I gave exactly 278 tours. Yes, I sat down and counted them. At the end of every tour, we would share with the group why we chose Chapman. At this point, I could probably recite in my sleep a default answer about small class sizes, bridge program opportunities, and whatnot, but I've always felt like that isn't the most impactful thing I could be sharing on the tour because my why Chapman story has developed and transformed every single day that I've been a student here. So what I've always really wanted to talk about on tours instead is why I continued to choose Chapman throughout these four years. And since I've been holding back for the last 278 shifts, this is finally the night that I get to do that. The answer is quite simple. It was because of all of you. The highlights of my college experience will always come down to the people that I got to live it with and the sense of family that we created in every single nook and cranny of this campus. I have been so impressed by how creative we were when it came to cultivating communities in the most unique ways. We found immense solace in GroupMe and Snapchat groups as admitted students making initial connections that would one day turn into beautiful in-person friendships. That virtual community is where I made my first ever college friend who went on to take on the SGA vice presidency with me this year and I'm so grateful to have had her by my side through it all. We've created a vibrant community surrounding the arts, so much so that it's basically an unspoken rule that every tour guide boasts about the popularity of the bi-weekly shows by Improv Inc. Who, let's face it, are the closest things we have to celebrities on campus. Our collective support for the arts paved the way for me to meet my best friend and to learn more about collegiate acapella than I ever thought I wanted to know while I followed the chat tones around like it was my academic major. We found joy in sharing late evenings on campus, whether cramming for an exam or, like myself, dancing in Argyros Forum 119B until midnight every Monday and Wednesday for my dance team, Floor 13. There are very few people on this campus that I would sacrifice precious sleep time for, but they made it worth it. We made light of having to show our daily clear emails every time we entered a building for a year. I know, I know. And we celebrated, we celebrated the compliments we received upon entering Argyros Forum every time. We came together all the way back in spring 2021 to eagerly watch on Zoom as the university program board hosted a virtual Q&A with many of the writers from Saturday Night Live. And now I stand less than 10 feet away from our keynote speaker, Bill Hader. While I sweat profusely and hope that he thinks I'm funny. All this is to say that we cannot discount the novel trials that our college experiences presented, but we should absolutely revel in how far we've come to bask in this light at the end of the tunnel. Our campus community consistently and without fail shows up for each other in ways I never expected to see in college. I've seen it in sold-out Memorial Halls by students eager to watch a philanthropic lip-sync dance battle. I've seen it in friends nearly racing each other to get into the semesterly student scholar symposium excited to learn about their peers research across every discipline imaginable. I felt the camaraderie from strangers wishing me a happy birthday each week on my tours even when my real birthday was months away. I've experienced the authentic support of classmates who at times seemed like they wanted me to get into graduate school more than they wanted themselves to. We've all benefited from an educational community rich with faculty support. Many of whom who let us live rent-free in their office hours, gabbing about anything and everything, and several that are in the crowd right now who know who they are, who have provided that safe space for me throughout my time here. It just might be impossible to be a student here and to not feel the profound investment and encouragement of everyone around you. You might be surprised to learn that as SGA president, the feedback you get isn't always rainbows and butterflies, but the not-so-easy emails were a reminder to me of the ways our community activates itself for the people and the projects it is passionate about, and that is something that I cherish so deeply about the student body. So much of what we do is because we're doing it for the communities we are grounded in. So as we all jump headfirst into the next phase of our lives, I empower you all to continue to choose each other. Keep investing in the success of your peers and choosing gratitude for them, even on the days that are lacking in rainbows and butterflies. And as you start to get caught up in the common metrics of post-grad success, like job titles and salaries, I hope you'll do your best to let your metric of success be the vibrancy of the community you create in wherever you go next. Thank you all for being my favorite community over the last four years. Thank you. Thank you. With that, we've reached the end of my last tour and my long-winded Y. Chapman story, and I'm now delighted to introduce one of the most invested members of this community, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Jerry Price. Thank you so much. Okay. Yes. Good evening. Thank you. It's great to see all you looking so nice. I wear this every year. Every spring I have the privilege of hosting the annual campus leadership awards during which we recognize more than 50 students who have made a lasting positive impact on our Chapman community through their leadership contributions. The ceremony concludes with presentation of the five highest awards Chapman bestows on our undergraduate students and it is my honor tonight to recognize them here. Will the recipient of the following awards please stand as I call your name. Receiving the Outstanding Diversity Leadership Award for exemplary promotion of social justice, multicultural, and diversity and inclusion initiatives, Lorena Munoz. Receiving the Paul S. Delp Award for the greatest contribution of public service to the community at large, Mo Hijazi. I'm wrong. No. Receiving the Ronald M. Huntington Award for the most distinguished record of scholarly accomplishments, two recipients, Bernadine Cortina. No, I'm wrong. And Kevin Nguyen. Kevin. Kevin. Receiving the Gloria and Julian Peterson Award for Exemplary Leadership, Emily Velos. Emily Velos. Emily Velos. Okay. The Sheverton Award is the most prestigious award given to seniors. Qualifications include a cumulative GPA of at least 3.75 in qualities such as open-mindedness, dependability, sincerity, helpfulness, courtesy, and respect towards students, faculty, and the traditions and ideals of the university. Recipients are chosen by a vote of the faculty. Congratulations to the 2024 Sheverton Award recipient, Rachel Burns. The James L. Doty Outstanding Graduate Student Award is awarded annually and is the highest honor for graduate students at Chapman University. To qualify, students must exhibit academic excellence and outstanding professional leadership. It's kind of breezy up here. Okay. And must be nominated by the respective school or college. Recipients are selected by the Graduate Academic Council. Two students are selected, one from the doctoral cohort and one from the masters. It gives me great pleasure to announce the 2024 Dodie Award recipients. Audrey Fong. Audrey is a dual Master of Arts in English and Master of Fine Arts and Creative Writing candidate from Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. And the doctoral cohort recipient is Kaitlyn Kitchens. Kaitlyn is a PhD candidate in education from Antalya College of Educational Studies. Congratulations to all of our award recipients. And now it's my pleasure to announce our alumni speaker, President of the Chapman University Alumni Association, Michelle Filo, Class of 2003. As the President of the Alumni Association, it is my privilege to be one of the first to welcome you as our newest class of alumni. Yeah, give yourselves a round of applause. Graduation is one of those times to reflect on your Chapman experience. As a student, I hope you have had the opportunity to engage with alumni. Perhaps as a mentor, as a panelist in one of your classrooms, an employer, or perhaps just in casual conversation. I'm sure at some point you heard an alumni or two share stories about how today's buildings used to be coveted parking lots. I may be guilty of that one. And just as those alumni may be reflecting on their days at Chapman, your own alumni chapter will be built upon your time here with your Chapman experience as the baseline. While your individual experience is different than the graduate next to you, and perhaps greatly different than the graduate several decades ago, all of the collective alumni experiences are what create the powerful alumni community that you are now a part of. I do have two requests to make of you. You have heard the term, think Chapman first. It's a concept to call to action and hire fellow alumni. For many of you, hiring is not at the forfeit of your abilities right now. However, this concept is more than just hiring fellow Chapman alumni or referring business to fellow alumni, which both are very important. My first request is this. As you navigate this chapter as alumni, you will have a myriad of successes. You'll have career promotions, title changes, life changes. You'll be leaders in your communities. You will receive awards and be recognized for how you contribute to the world we live in. You will have personal moments in your lives that you would want to share. When this happens, think about us. Include the Alumni Association. on the list of folks you share your good news with. Drop us a note, tag us, send us a link to your announcement. Your future successes are what make the alumni network stronger, bolder, and more esteemed. For my second request as a new alumni, consider contributing your time. Offer to mentor a student or student organization, offer to serve as an alumni of one of the panels for one of your professors. Offer your time to volunteer in a myriad of opportunities we have here on campus. Come out to our networking events. Share your knowledge and experiences with the students behind you. And perhaps one day, you will come back to campus, see how it has grown and developed, and share with future students how when you were a student, your orientation and candle lighting ceremony and classes were on online platforms using software that future generations might laugh about. The Alumni Association, we're looking forward to hearing from you, welcoming you back to campus, and celebrating you. Congratulations, Class of 24, you did it. It is now my pleasure to introduce Chapman University Vice President, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer Norma Bouchard. Hello graduates, family members, and friends. As Chapman's Chief Academic Officer, I want to welcome you on behalf of all the Chapman Deans, faculty members, academic administrators, and staff. Let me say how proud we are of all our successes. Your academic career, Chairman, is including many major milestones. Important papers, research, performances, presentations, and critical exams. During your time here, the University has also experienced many major milestones. This past year, in recognition of all the important work that many of you have been part of, Chairman's Carnegie classification, the gold standard in evaluating a university's research productivity, once again reaffirmed our status as an R2 or high research activity institution, which means that we are placed among the top 10% universities in the country. As in years before, Chapman remains ranked as one of the country's most innovative schools, and the talent and commitment of our faculty is nationally recognized through our best university teaching rankings. Speaking of the faculty, your Chapman professors rank among the top 2% of all researchers for the volume and impact of their research, which has also seen a 9,000% increase in citations over the past two decades. The accomplishments of our faculty highlight the high level of collaboration between our faculty and students. Chapman students serve as research assistants, thought partners, and inspiration to our faculty. By working together, the experiences and success of all members of the Chapman community are enriched. With that, I'm now pleased to recognize some of our finest faculty, beginning with this year's Valerie Scatter Award winner. These three honorees are celebrated for their excellence in teaching, creative, scholarly activity, and service. Please stand and be recognized if you are present. Winnie MacIntyre Miller from Atalla College. Lisa Lachance from Crean College. Surya Naouli from the School of Pharmacy. Next we have the Wang-Franck professorship, the highest recognition for scholarly and creative work the chairman can bestow on a faculty member. I'm honored to announce the recipient of TGIR's Wang-Franken Professorship. Please stand and be recognized if you are present. Recipient of the Wang-Franken Assistant Professorship, Patricia Lopez from Schmidt College. Recipient of the Wang Fracking Senior Professorship, Leah Halloran, Wilkinson College. Please join me once more in giving all of our faculty a round of applause. Tonight, I have the privilege to recognize several individuals who continue to build on the academic distinctiveness of Chapman through their own distinguished accomplishments in the arts, humanitarian causes, business education, and law. Their contributions and accomplishments exemplify the Chapman mission to provide personalized education of distinction that leads to inquiring, ethical, and productive lives as global citizens. I'm proud to say that we have five honorary degree recipients joining us on the platform tonight. And at this time, will President Struppa and Professor Ron Steiner please join me at the front of the stage with our first recipient. Michael Belay. Michael Belay, your extraordinary service has been marred by numerous humanitarian efforts to various non-profit organizations, including Hands Across the Planet to Poor Youth or HAPI. Which you founded in 2001. Your boundless endeavors of helping education, health care, and clean drinking water to children and families in your home village of Ethiopia. Here at Chapman, you have selflessly dedicated 30 years of service to the university as a public safety officer, impacting the lives of countless students, staff, and faculty. Thus, it is with esteem and great pleasure that Chapman University confers upon you the degree of Doctor of the University on Horace Causa. Our next candidate is James Dodie. Please join us at the front of the stage. James Dodie! Your transformative leadership as a distinguished economist and academic leader has shaped Chapman University's history and fueled its remarkable growth. Originally appointed as an economics professor in 1974, you went on to lead Chapman Forward as Dean of the School of Business and Economics and the 12th president of the university, cultivating and nurturing environment for innovation and excellence. Your indelible impact on Chapman's growth, prominence, and academic excellence solidifies your legacy as a visionary and accomplished academic leader, and you exemplify the ideals that we strive to teach our students. Thus, it is with esteem and great pleasure that Chapman University confers upon you the degree of Doctor of the University Honoris Causa. I now invite Dean Paul Payton to join us at the front of the stage with your candidate. Scott Lauren Sanders. As an attorney with the Orange County Public Defender's Office for 31 years, you have handled cases ranging from misdemeanors to death penalty cases. Your tireless efforts in exposing a covert system targeting accused persons in high-priority cases for unconstitutional interrogation are truly remarkable and have had a lasting impact on the criminal justice system in Orange County. Your achievements, dedication, and courageous pursuit of justice have influenced the legal landscape and furthermore set a benchmark for the next generation of legal professionals. Thus, it is with esteem and great pleasure that Chapman University confers upon you today the degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa. And now I invite Executive Vice President Matt Barlow to join us at the front of the stage with your candidate. Donald Sodaro. As a well-respected businessman with more than 50 years of experience in the hospitality industry, your astute business acumen is showcased by the co-founding of Sixpence Inns of America and the establishment of Hanford Hotels Incorporated. In addition to your remarkable achievements in business, your active engagement in various community organizations reflects your commitment to community service and cultural enrichment. Your tenure as a member of the Board of Trustees at Chapman University since 1988 and as chairman from 2002-2012 was filled with accomplishments that helped propel Chapman forward with unprecedented growth and expansion. Thus, it is with esteem and great pleasure that Chapman University confers upon you today the degree of Doctor of the University Honoris Causa. Now it is my honor to introduce to all of you our keynote speaker. All right. Evidently, Bill needs no introduction. But please indulge me. All right. Bill Hader has made the transition from being a master of standout characters and impression on Saturday Night Live to becoming a true multi-hyphenate by creating, directing, writing, producing, and starring as a burned out assassin trying to break into Hollywood. As an actor in HBO's award-winning and highly acclaimed dark comedy, Barry. Barry concluded its fourth and final season in May 2023, and Hayder directed all eight episodes. The first three seasons of Barry received a total of 44 Emmy nominations and nine Emmys, including two wins for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Haider has also garnered three Director's Guild of America Awards for outstanding directorial achievements in a comedy series and three Writer's Guild Awards. Barry has also received an FAI Award and a Peabody Award as well. Hayder is also the co-creator of the IFC's documentary Now, which was named one of the best TV shows of 2015 by the New York Times, and is now in the fourth season. Hayder spent eight seasons on Saturday Night Live and garnered four Emmy Award nominations for his work on the series. The Tulsa Oklahoma native has starred in such film as Trainwreck, Superbad, Pineapple Express, and Tropic Thunder. He most recently starred in It Chapter Two, The Sequence. 2017 it hit, based on the best-selling Stephen King's novel. We are very honored to have him here with us tonight, and I of course welcome him to the stage. Now, Bill, hold on. All right. So, Mr. Hayter, multi-talented actor, director, and writer, you represent the best of what Chapman students could hope to achieve as an artistic force dedicated to your craft, inspiring others and providing opportunities for others to excel. For these reasons and many more, it is Chapman University privilege to confer, or having conferred to you, today with great honor and distinction, the degree of Doctor of Arts, honoris causa. Yes. Hey, guys. All right. How's everybody in the back doing? All the moms and dads, everybody doing good? This has been... I love you, man. There's a guy here with glasses on. It looks like the bad guy in an 80s movie. It's like, oh, no. So I had come here a couple months ago to talk to your amazing film school, who I love. And that was a great experience. And then I got the email saying, hey, they want you to come and give a commencement speech. and I prepared something because I assumed I was talking to the film school. So my first lesson to you is read your emails carefully. But I look out onto you. I look out onto you. Can you imagine if I did the whole speech like this? I look out onto you, and I see so many young people. I've never seen this many young people so thrilled. to be on a jumbotron. All I've been doing is watching you guys. I love you. So I came here thinking I was talking to the film school. And then they go, and then I wore a hoodie and jeans. Because I didn't really have a, I didn't really have a graduation. I just kind of moved here, right? And. I showed up and everybody was in suits. And so I called my girlfriend. Her name's Allie Wong. She's a comedian. And I said, I said, Allie, everybody's in suits. And she was like, yeah, you're giving a commencement speech, dumbass. So I'm going to do my best. I came in. I met your amazing president, who's like the nicest guy I've ever met. Fucking good guy. And he said, you're wearing a hoodie. Why? Why are you wearing a hood? And then I met Jerry. I met Jerry back there. Jerry introduced himself and he said, hey man, I don't want to picture with you. I feel like you kind of do. So I have a couple of things I'm going to say. and it was geared towards the film school, but you know what? I think all you guys could kind of, you know, figure it out. So I guess the main thing I would say, you know, I asked some friends, I was like, I'm doing a commencement speech, what do I say, what do you guys think? And what it boiled down to, really, is if you do a good job, when you're getting a job outside, you leave here today, you escape. You guys are about to escape, you know that? about to be free if you do a good job be on time learn from your mistakes and be drama free you'll work forever you really will I moved here in is that really for that someone like that or there's a horse race over there I don't know what's going on Yeah, horse race! Horse! And anyway, and so I moved to LA exactly 25 years ago. This is what you have to look forward to. And I was a production assistant. I started out as a production assistant. I went to my very first meeting with this producer. And I said, I have an associate's degree from Scottsdale Community College. Go Artichokes. That girl. You are so brave. It's like, go artichokes. Um, and, uh, and I, uh... I said, I have an associate's degree in motion picture and television from Scottsdale Community College. And the guy said, do you have a car? And I said, I do. He goes, you need to go pick up the film at this place. I went and picked up the film. And then he said, OK, tomorrow morning, your call time. And, you know, it's on the call sheet. So I see it's like 530 in the morning. I drive up to Hollywood Boulevard. It's my first job. I'm so stoked. I tell my roommates I got a job. They're jealous. Um, they're so jealous. And so I get there at 5.30, and the first assistant director comes up to me and says, you were supposed to be here at 4. And I was like, okay, all right. So I blew that one, beyond time. I really messed that one up. And then they were shooting, and they had, like, the scene was, like, some guy walking across the street and getting into a car. and in the shot they said, oh, there's a passenger van in the shot. Can someone move it? And I was like, I'll do it. And I got in the van, and I immediately drove it into the car that the guy was supposed to. And the assistant director came up to me, and he goes, give me the keys, give me the keys. Go home. Go home. So I went home, and I got home before my roommates woke up. So when they woke up, they were like, hey, man, aren't you supposed to go to work? I go, I already went to work and got fired and came back. So I blew it on every single one of those my first time out. And I'm here right now. I'm a doctor, dude. So... You guys will probably be okay. Yeah, man. The other thing, this is also to the film people. You guys should learn to write, no matter what your thing is, learn to write. Write a screenplay, learn to write. And you guys, you business people can figure that out, and you guys other lawyers. Write a screenplay. And you don't need to read Save the Cat or any of that stuff. Someone just yelled, F, save the cat. I didn't read any of those books or anything, but the thing I did learn, maybe you guys could do this, is that what helped me learn to hone my craft and the thing that I really cared about was kind of like mechanics, you know, to learn how to put an engine together, they have to take it apart. And so, you know, you can read a lot of this stuff, and you can take the classes and everything, and you can go out and you can have these kind of experiences. But actually engaging with the thing, and what I did, I don't know, with a movie, it was like Rosemary's Baby is a movie I really liked. I watched that film, and I just started writing out the scenes, just outlining it. And I went through it, and you start to feel the emotion of it. You start to feel how it moves, how the story moves, where all the characters are. And that was super helpful for me. It kind of taught me a very valuable lesson that I wish I knew early on, which was like, you're going to learn. You guys have learned a lot of great things here. But there's still things you can teach yourself. Don't ever stop doing that, you know? I wrote here, don't talk bad about people. I love talking bad about people. Why did I write that? I love talking bad about people. It's like, it's delicious. Also, like, saying things are bad. I don't know, that's good, because it kind of shows you a sort of, like, it defines your taste a little bit. You know what I mean? And it does. Alec Berg, who co-created Barry with me, he has a saying which I really like. Like, a hit movie or show is like a tree being hit by lightning. And in Hollywood, they just gather around that tree, waiting for it to get hit by lightning again. And I think your job is to create one of the other trees in the forest. Create something really amazing that not everybody else is doing. You know? And that goes for your lawyers, too. I know what you guys want to do. So, and the last thing I'll say is, I asked a lot of people, and the biggest thing that I wish I knew at your age was I thought I had to, like, I had to come out of the gate and just be amazing and just land it and be phenomenal. And I came out, and I was, like, a production assistant. I was working as a post PA on Speaking of Women's Health, a Lifetime show. And I went to go see a movie called Donnie Darko. So I go see Donnie Darko. It's before it came out. And I watch it. I go, man, that was an awesome movie. Wow, that is exactly the kind of movie I'd like to make. And then the director came out, Richard Kelly, and he was my age. And I was like, uh. And I felt so bad. That sucks. And I was like, man, how did that guy get that thing made and I'm sitting here making coffee for speaking of women's health. And so you can't really control that, you know, and so the best thing to do is love the process. Love the process of making a thing. Like, Ali Wong, I watch her go up, like, every night doing stand-up, and she bombs most of the night. She does, but it's part of the thing. She's learning new stuff, and she hones it, and she hones it, and then she does a little better. And then it's amazing. The Barry's Ri... The Barry Ryder's Room, if you came in there, it is... What we're making is awful for months because the process takes so long. I learned this because I went to Pixar, and I went to go learn how to write at Pixar. I met a guy named Pete Docter, and I hung out with him, and I said, hey, man, I really like to learn how to write. He said, oh, come hang out with us. We're making this thing called Inside Out. And I was like, all right. So I watched them write, and it took them five years to write that movie. And every day going in, trying to make it work. And I think if I was at your age and knew like, okay, I got to love the process. I think I would, I think it would take, I would stop worrying so much and know that it takes a bit. Even you sunglasses guy. So I like to say, you know, what else can I say here? You know what? When you hit 40, your back goes out. I know you guys are all young and you guys are drunk right now. I don't know what those yellow sashes mean, but I'm assuming it means beer. But, yeah, take care of yourself, guys. Seriously. Take care of yourself. It's much better. And I call my grandmother. She's 92, and I was back there, and I called my grandmother, and I was like, hey, I thought I was talking to a film school, and it's, like, a massive group of people. Do you have any advice for anybody? What would you give? She's 92. And she's from Tulsa, Oklahoma. And she said, well, BLA? just tell them, don't worry about shit you can't control. So I'll leave you with that. Thank you, guys. Thank you, Dr. Hader. Graduates, as each of you entered Wilson Field this evening, you are given a 2024 class medal, a symbol to strengthen you for the journey that lies ahead. The medallion should fall over your heart with the University seal facing outward. The seal is symbolic of the friends you have made during your time here, the faculty who supported and mentored you, and the many experiences you have had over the past few years. If you are not already wearing your medal, Please put it on now and I hope you will wear it at your degree ceremony this weekend. Okay, alright. Keep this medal and let it be a reminder that you will always be a part of Chapman University, just as the university is part of you wherever you go and whatever you do. You will always be a Chapman Panther. Congratulations and good luck. Before I confer upon you your degree, I'd like to remind you that at the end of the ceremony, the Chairman of the Board, Parker Kennedy, and myself, will wait for you in front of the Musco Center, where we toast to your success and to your future. And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. I would like to invite our deans to please stand as we recognize our graduates. By the authority vested in me by the Board of Trustees of Chapman University, I hereby confer upon you the degrees for which you are qualified, with all the rights, privileges, immunities, and honors that are unto pertaining. Bachelor degree candidates, you have earned the right to switch your tassel from the right side to the left. Congratulations, Class of 2024!