Graduation Speech Archive
I have been collecting commencement addresses with inspirational quotes for the past twelve years now and when I talk about my passion for collecting graduation speeches people often ask me which one is my favorite. I tell them I have over 400 best speeches. It might sound hard to believe but truly, each and every one of these speeches has beautifully crafted words of advice and touching stories.
Commencement speeches have been known to be boring and I am the first one to agree, knowing all too well that to put together this collection I have read probably more than 1,000 platitudes peppered speeches. Luckily, you can skip the boring ones and instead use this collection and take the plunge: be inspired, come along for the ride, and bask in this timeless advice.
| Speaker | Profession | Year | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Meltzer | Historian, Author | 2024 | University of Michigan |
| Barbara P Bush | American activist | 2001 | Wake Forest University |
| President Biden | U.S. President | 2021 | Coast Guard Academy |
| Christine Lagarde | Politician, President of E.U. Central Bank | 2018 | Claremont McKenna College |
| Pete Davis | Writer, Activist | 2018 | Harvard University |
| Idina Menzel | Actress, Singer | 2023 | University of Pennsylvania |
| Sonia Sotomayor | Lawyer, Supreme Court Judge | 2019 | Manhattan College |
| Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson | First Lady of the United States | 1973 | University of Virginia |
| Marie Lynn Miranda | Professor, Scientist | 2021 | University of Notre Dame |
| Josh Groban | Singer, Songwriter | 2018 | High Point University |
| Alma Adams | Politician | 2023 | Clinton College |
| James Patterson | Author | 2013 | University of Florida |
| John Krasinski | Actor | 2019 | Brown University |
| Kamala Harris | Politician, Vice President | 2023 | U.S. Military Academy |
| Kathy Hochul | Governor of New York, Politician | 2021 | Syracuse University |
| Abby Wambach | American soccer player and coach | 2018 | Barnard College |
| Amy Poehler | Actress ,Comedian | 2011 | Harvard University |
| Martin Luther King Jr. | American minister, Activist | 1959 | Morehouse College |
| Kristen Bell | Actress | 2019 | USC School of Dramatic Arts |
| Pharrell Williams | Singer, Rapper | 2017 | New York University |
| Beyonce | Singer, Songwriter, Businesswoman | 2020 | |
| Tim Cook | Apple CEO | 2019 | Stanford University |
| Michelle Yeoh | Actress, Advocate | 2023 | Harvard Law School |
| Hillary Clinton | Politician, Diplomat | 2018 | Yale University’ |
| Ava DuVernay | Filmmaker, Screenwriter | 2021 | Compton College |
| Tom Hanks | Actor | 2023 | Harvard University |
| John Legend | Singer, Songwriter, Pianist | 2021 | Duke University |
| John Cena | Wrestler, Actor | 2015 | Cushing Academy in Massachusetts |
| Taylor Swift | Singer, Musician | 2022 | New York University |
| Peggy Noonan | Author, Journalist | 2019 | UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME |
| Rihanna | Singer, Musician, Businesswoman | 2017 | Harvard University |
| Ronan Farrow | Journalist | 2018 | Loyola Marymount University |
| Sarah Abushaar | speaker | 2014 | Harvard University |
| Zadie Smith | Author, Novelist | 2014 | New School University |
| Rashida Jones | Actress | 2016 | Harvard University |
| Bill Watterson | Author of Calvin and Hobbes, | 1990 | Kenyon College |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | Actor, Businessman, Activist, Politician | 2017 | University of Houston |
| Anne-Marie Slaughter | Lawyer | 2014 | Tufts University |
| Jill Abramson | Journalist | 2014 | Wake Forest University |
| Janet Yellen | Economist | 2014 | New York University |
| Bernard Harris | Astronaut | 2015 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
| Maya Rudolph | Actress | 2015 | Tulane University |
| Ed Helms | Actor | 2015 | University of Virginia |
| Atul Gawande | Doctor, Surgeon, Journalist | 2014 | Chapel Hill |
| David Remnick | Journalist, Writer, Editor | 2014 | Syracuse University |
| Peter Thiel | Entrepreneur, Venture capitalist | 2016 | Hamilton College |
| Warren Buffett | Investor | 2020 | UNL |
| Sundar Pichai | C.E.O. of Google | 2020 | Non specificato |
| Michael R. Bloomberg | Businessman, Politician | 2019 | Harvard Business School |
| Winston Churchill | Statesman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | 1941 | Harrow School |
| Aaron Sorkin | Screenwriter, Director | 2012 | Syracuse University |
| Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw | Founder Zingerman’s Delicatessen | 2015 | University of Michigan |
| John Seely Brown | Researcher | 2015 | Arizona State University |
| Matt Damon | Actor | 2016 | MIT |
| Donald Trump | Businessman, U.S. President | 2004 | Non specificato |
| Robert F. Smith | Investor | 2019 | Morehouse College |
| Kristen Bell | Actress | 2019 | USC |
| Oprah Winfrey | Television host | 2019 | Colorado College |
| Barack Obama | Politician, U.S. President | 2020 | Non specificato |
| Angela Merkel | Politician, Chancellor of Germany | 2019 | Harvard |
| Randy Pausch | Educator, Professor | 2007 | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Peter Thiel | Entrepreneur, Venture capitalist | 2015 | Stanford University |
| Elon Musk | C.E.O. of Tesla Motors | 2014 | University of Southern California |
| Natalie Portman | Actress | 2015 | Harvard University |
| Ann Patchett | Writer | 2006 | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Tom Wolfe | Author | 2000 | Boston University |
| Judith Butler | Philosopher | 2013 | McGill University |
| Robert De Niro | Actor | 2015 | NYU Tisch School of the Arts |
| John Fisher | Philanthropist | 2018 | University of San Francisco |
| Marissa Mayer | C.E.O. of Yahoo | 2009 | Illinois Institute of Technology |
| Barack Obama | Politician, U.S. President | 2013 | Morehouse College |
| Michelle Obama | U.S. First Lady | 2016 | City College of New York |
| Taylor Swift | Singer, Musician | 2022 | New York University |
| Barack Obama | Politician, U.S. President | 2016 | Rutgers University |
| Seamus Heaney | Poet, Nobel | 2000 | University of Pennsylvania |
| Ralph Waldo Emerson | Philosopher | 1838 | Harvard University |
| Carrie Chapman C | Activist | 1936 | Sweet Briar College |
| Henry A. Wallace | Politician, U.S. Vice President | 1943 | Connecticut College |
| Dwight Eisenhower | Politician, U.S. President | 1955 | Penn State |
| Ronald Reagan | Politician, U.S. President | 1957 | Eureka College |
| John F. Kennedy | Politician, U.S. President | 1963 | American University |
| Kurt Vonnegut | Writer | 1974 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges |
| David Broder | Political journalist | 1975 | Kalamazoo College |
| Adrienne Rich | Poet, Feminist | 1977 | Douglass College |
| William H. Gass | Writer | 1979 | Washington University |
| Mother Teresa | Nun, Nobel | 1982 | Niagara University |
| Meryl Streep | Actress | 1983 | Vassar College |
| Ursula K. Le Guin | Writer | 1983 | Mills College |
| Leonard A. Lauder | Philanthropist | 1989 | Connecticut College |
| Naomi Wolf | Feminist, Activist | 1992 | Scripps College |
| Billy Joel | Musician, Pianist | 1993 | Berklee College of Music |
| Callie Khouri | Screenwriter | 1994 | Sweet Briar College |
| Vaclav Havel | President of the Czech Republic | 1995 | Harvard University |
| Margaret J. Geller | Astrophysicist | 1995 | Harvard University |
| Tom Brokaw | Journalist | 1996 | Connecticut College |
| Brian J. Dyson | C.E.O. of Coca-Cola | 1996 | Georgia Tech |
| Madeleine Albright | Diplomat, Political scientist | 1997 | Harvard University |
| Muriel Siebert | Businesswoman | 1998 | Case Western Reserve University |
| Roger Rosenbl | Memoirist, Writer | 1998 | Brigham Young University |
| Robert Pinsky | Poet | 1999 | Stanford University |
| Tim Russert | Journalist, Television host | 2000 | Niagara University |
| Stephen King | Writer | 2001 | Vassar College |
| Daniel S. Goldin | Technologist, NASA Administrator | 2001 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Wally Lamb | Writer | 2003 | Connecticut College |
| Yvonne Thornton | Obstetrician-gynecologist | 2003 | Tuskegee University |
| Toni Morrison | Writer | 2004 | Wellesley College |
| Ruth Westheimer | Sex–therapist, Television host | 2004 | Trinity College |
| Njabulo S. Ndebele | Writer | 2004 | Wesleyan University |
| Anita L. DeFrantz | Rower | 2004 | Connecticut College |
| David Foster Wallace | Writer | 2005 | Kenyon College |
| Kofi Annan | Diplomat | 2005 | Penn State |
| George W. Bush | Politician, U.S. President | 2005 | Calvin College |
| John Roberts | Lawyer | 2005 | Niagara University |
| John McCain | Politician, Senator | 2006 | Liberty University |
| Wangari Maathai | Political activist, Environmentalist | 2006 | Connecticut College |
| Jodie Foster | Actress, Filmmaker | 2006 | University of Pennsylvania |
| Elie Wiesel | Writer, Professor, Nobel | 2006 | Dartmouth College |
| Ken Burns | Filmmaker | 2006 | Georgetown University |
| Michael Ignatieff | Politician | 2006 | Niagara University |
| Alice Greenwald | Writer | 2007 | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Bill Gates | Founder of Microsoft, Philanthropist | 2007 | Harvard University |
| Robert Ballard | Explorer, Oceanographer | 2007 | Connecticut College |
| Omid Kordestani | Businessman | 2007 | San Jose State University |
| Dana Gioia | Poet, Literary critic | 2007 | Stanford University |
| John Doerr | Investor, Venture capitalist | 2007 | Rice University |
| Frank McCourt | Writer, Pulitzer | 2007 | Syracuse University |
| Jennie Cyran | Technical Business Analyst | 2007 | Niagara University |
| John Mackey | C.E.O. of Whole Foods | 2008 | Bentley College |
| Barbara Kingsolver | Author | 2008 | Duke University |
| Angela Ahrendts | Businesswoman | 2008 | Ball State University |
| Mike Tomlin | NFL coach | 2008 | Saint Vincent College |
| J.K. Rowling | Writer | 2008 | Harvard University |
| Clayborne Carson | Historian, Professor | 2008 | Niagara University |
| Chuck Norris | Actor | 2008 | Liberty University |
| Randy Pausch | Professor, Computer scientist | 2008 | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Carl Schramm | Economist | 2009 | Urbana-Champaign |
| Barack Obama | Politician, U.S. President | 2009 | Arizona State University |
| Robert M. Gates | C.I.A. director, Secretary of defence | 2009 | University of Georgia |
| Paul Hawken | Environmentalist, Entrepreneur | 2009 | University of Portland |
| Martha Nussbaum | Philosopher | 2009 | Connecticut College |
| Larry Page | Founder | 2009 | University of Michigan |
| Jarl Mohn | Investor | 2009 | USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism |
| Dolly Parton | Singer, Musician | 2009 | University of Tennessee |
| Ellen DeGeneres | Comedian, Television host | 2009 | Tulane University |
| Chris Gardner | Businessman, Motivational speaker | 2009 | University of California, Berkeley |
| Bill Clinton | U.S. President | 2010 | Yale University |
| Tiffany Shlain | Filmmaker, Author | 2010 | University of California, Berkeley |
| Lynn Sherr | Journalist, Author | 2010 | Wellesley College |
| Barack Obama | Politician, U.S. President | 2010 | University of Michigan |
| Susan Rice | Diplomat, Public official | 2010 | Stanford University |
| Tim Cook | C.E.O. of Apple | 2010 | Auburn University |
| Sandra Soto | PhD, Assistant professor | 2010 | University of Arizona |
| Michael Oren | Historian, Politician | 2010 | Brandeis University |
| Jeffrey Sachs | Economist, Public policy analyst | 2010 | Connecticut College |
| Glenn Beck | Political commentator, Radio host | 2010 | Liberty University |
| Drew Brees | Former football player | 2010 | Loyola University |
| Jimmy Tingle | Comic | 2010 | Harvard University |
| Robert Krulwich | Science journalist, Television journalist | 2011 | University of California, Berkeley |
| Steve Blank | Entrepreneur, Author | 2011 | Philadelphia University |
| Tom Hanks | Actor, Filmmaker | 2011 | Yale University |
| Phil Rosenthal | Television writer, Television producer | 2011 | Hofstra University |
| John Legend | Songwriter, Musician | 2011 | Kean University |
| Makoto Fujimura | Artist | 2011 | Belhaven University |
| Gary Malkowski | Politician | 2011 | Gallaudet University |
| Cynthia Enloe | Political theorist, Feminist | 2011 | Connecticut College |
| Ahmed Zewail | Chemist, Nobel | 2011 | Caltech |
| Whoopi Goldberg | Actress, Comedian | 2011 | Savannah College of Art and Design |
| Kati Marton | Journalist, Human rights advocate | 2011 | Central European University |
| Michelle Obama | First Lady, Attorney | 2011 | Spelman College |
| Edward O. Wilson | Biologist, Naturalist | 2011 | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill |
| Eric Greitens | Politician | 2012 | Tufts University |
| Colin Powell | Politician, Statesman, Diplomat | 2012 | Northeastern University |
| Sutton Foster | Actress, Singer, Dancer | 2012 | Ball State University |
| Wesley Chan | Filmaker, Entrepreneur | 2012 | University of California, San Diego |
| Peter Dinklage | Actor | 2012 | Bennington College |
| Sal Khan | Educator | 2012 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Ronan Farrow | Journalist, Human right activist | 2012 | Dominican University of California |
| Neil Howe | Author, Consultant, Historian | 2012 | University of Mary Washington |
| Maria Shriver | Journalist, Author | 2012 | USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism |
| Michael Bloomberg | Businessman, Politician | 2012 | University of North Carolina |
| Ira Glass | Radio host, Radio producer | 2012 | Goucher College |
| Hank Aaron | Baseball player | 2012 | Marquette University |
| David McCullough Jr. | English teacher | 2012 | Wellesley High School |
| Andy Samberg | Actor, Comedian, Producer | 2012 | Harvard University |
| Angela Davis | Feminist, Political activist | 2012 | Pitzer College |
| Lee Corso | Sports broadcaster, Football analyst | 2012 | Florida State University |
| Louis B. Susman | Banker, Ambassador | 2012 | Connecticut College |
| Wynton Marsalis | Trumpeter, Composer | 2013 | University of Vermont |
| Stephen R. Kellert | Professor | 2013 | University of Western Sydney, Australia |
| George Saunders | Writer | 2013 | Syracuse University |
| Dalai Lama | Spiritual leader | 2013 | Tulane University |
| Jonathan Safran Foer | Writer | 2013 | Middlebury College |
| Neil deGrasse Tyson | Astrophysicist, Author, Science communicator | 2013 | Rice University |
| John F. Kerry | Attorney, Politician | 2014 | Yale University |
| Michelle Obama | Attorney, Author | 2014 | Dillard University |
| Tory Burch | Fashion designer, Entrepreneur | 2014 | Babson College |
| Sheryl Sandberg | C.E.O., Philanthropist | 2014 | City Colleges of Chicago |
| Mindy Kaling | Actress | 2014 | Harvard Law School |
| Mary Barra | Businesswoman | 2014 | University of Michigan |
| Janet Napolitano | Politician, Lawyer | 2014 | Northeastern University |
| Susan Sontag | Writer | 1983 | Wellesley College |
| Joseph Brodsky | Poet | 1988 | University of Michigan |
| Gloria Steinem | Journalist, Feminist, Activist | 1987 | Tufts University |
| Meg Greenfield | Writer, Pulitzer | 1987 | Williams College |
| Woody Hayes | Football coach | 1986 | Ohio State University |
| Meredith Monk | Composer, Musician | 1985 | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Edward W. Brooke | Politician | 1969 | Wellesley College |
| Jefferson Smith | Politician | 2012 | University of Oregon |
| Jerry Yang | Founder, Internet entrepreneur | 2009 | University of Hawaii |
| John Green | YouTuber | N/A | Butler University |
| Larry Bock | Entrepreneur | 2007 | University of California, Berkeley |
| Jonathan Youshaei | YouTuber | 2009 | Deerfiel High School, IL |
| Meredith Vieira | Broadcaster | 2008 | Tufts University |
| Brian J. Dyson | C.E.O. of Coca-Cola | N/A | N/A |
| Rachel Maddow | Television host, Political commentator | 2010 | Smith College |
| Marian Fontana | Author, Activist | 2006 | Massachussets School of Law |
| Nora Ephron | Author, Writer | 1996 | Wellesley College |
| Sheryl Sandberg | Executive | 2011 | Barnard College |
| Jim Steen | Coach of the swim teams | 2011 | Kenyon College |
| Benno Schmidt | Academic, President of Yale | 2012 | University of Missouri |
| Aaron Sorkin | Screenwriter, Director | 2012 | Syracuse University |
| Ira Glass | Radio host, Radio producer | 2012 | Goucher College |
| Adam Savage | Television host, Special effect designer | 2012 | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Sanjay Gupta | Neurosurgeon | 2012 | University of Michigan |
| Michael Lewis | Writer | 2012 | Princeton University |
| James Carville | Political commentator | 2013 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges |
| Jimmy Iovine | Entrepreneur | 2013 | University of Southern California |
| Sandra Bullock | Actress | 2014 | Warren Easton Charter School |
| Garrison Keillor | Writer, Radio host | N/A | N/A |
| Cody Keenan | Political advisor, Speechwriter | 2015 | NYU’s Graduate School of Public Service |
| Matthew McConaughey | Actor | 2015 | University of Houston |
| Gloria Steinem | Feminist, Social activist | 2015 | Bennington College |
| Eric Carle | Writer, Designer | 2007 | Bates College |
| Neil Gaiman | Writer, Comic books writer, Screenwriter | 2012 | The U. of the Arts in Philadelphia |
| Alan Alda | Actor, Comedian | 1980 | Connecticut College |
| Jim Carrey | Actor, Comedian | 2014 | Maharishi University of Management |
| Steve Jobs | C.E.O. of Apple | 2005 | Stanford University |
| Victor Hwang | Fonder, C.E.O. | 2014 | Austin Community College |
| Terry Teachout | Critic, Biographer | 2011 | Hamilton Holt School |
| Terry Gross | Journalist, Radio host | 2014 | Bryn Mawr College |
| Andy Rooney | Television commentator | 1996 | Colgate University |
| Suzan-Lori Parks | Screenwriter, Pulitzer | 2001 | Mount Holyoke |
| Steve Blank | Entrepreneur | 2011 | Philadelphia University |
| Stephen Colbert | Comedian, Television host | 2013 | University of Virginia |
| Stephen Colbert | Comedian, Television host | 2015 | Wake Forest University |
| Howard Schultz | C.E.O. of Starbucks | 2017 | Arizona State University |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | Actor, Politician | 2009 | University of Southern California |
| Shonda Rhimes | Television producer, Screenwriter | 2014 | Dartmouth College |
| Sheryl Sandberg | Executive | 2017 | Virginia Tech |
| Sheryl Sandberg | Executive | 2014 | Harvard Senior Class Day |
| Shayin Alfonsi | Journalist | 2013 | University of Mississippi |
| Robert De Niro | actor | 2015 | New York University’s Tisch School |
| Rita Dove | Poet, Pulitzer | 2016 | University of Virginia |
| Richard Russo | Writer, Screenwriter | 2004 | Colby College |
| Mary Karr | Poet | 2015 | Syracuse University |
| Billy Collins | Poet | 2008 | Colorado College |
| Pico Iyer | Writer, Author | 2015 | USC Baccalaureate Ceremony |
| Siddhartha Mukherjee | Physician, Biologist | 2018 | University of Southern California |
| Peter Hollens | Singer, Musician | 2015 | University of Oregon |
| Patti Smith | Singer, Musician | 2010 | Pratt Institute |
| Oprah Winfrey | Television host, Television producer | 2017 | Agness Scott College |
| Neil deGrasse Tyson | Astrophysicist, Author, Science communicator | 2015 | UMass Amherst |
| Natalie Portman | Actress | 2015 | Harvard University |
| Gabrielle Giffords | Politician | 2009 | Scripps College |
| Mark S. Lewis | Professor, Clinical Psychology | 2000 | University of Texas |
| Mike Krzyzewski | Basketball coach | 2016 | Duke University |
| Mary Carillo | Sports commentator, Tennis player | 2014 | Elon University |
| Martin Scorsese | Film director | N/A | N/A |
| Susan Sontag | Author, Professor | 2003 | Vassar College |
| Maira Kalman | Artist, Illustrator | 2013 | Rhode Island School of Design |
| Lin-Manuel Miranda | Songwriter, Actor | 2016 | UPenn |
| Leonard Nimoi | Actor | 2012 | Boston University College of Fine Arts |
| Lawrence Kasdan | Filmmaker, Screenwriter | 1990 | University of Michigan |
| Kirk Schneider | Psychologist, Psychotherapist | 2010 | San Francisco State University |
| Kenneth Kosik | Neurologist | 2016 | UC Santa Barbara Humanities and Fine Arts |
| William Chiu | Professor of Surgery | 2012 | Halsey Junior High School |
| Julianna Margulies | Actress | 2010 | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Julia Keller | Writer, Pulitzer | 2010 | Dominican University |
| Joyce DiDonato | Opera singer | 2014 | Juilliard School |
| Joss Whedon | Screenwriter, Director, Producer | 2013 | Wesleyan University |
| Jon Lovett | Podcaster, Comedian, Speechwriter | 2013 | Pitzer College, CA |
| Jon Bon Jovi | Singer, Musician | 2015 | Rutgers University – Camden |
| John Malkovich | Actor | 2017 | The Savannah College of Art and Design |
| John Legend | Songwriter, Musician | 2014 | University of Pennsylvania |
| Joe Paterno | Football Coach | N/A | N/A |
| Jimmy Buffett | Musician, Singer | 2015 | University of Miami |
| Jennifer Lee | Director, Screenwriter, Film producer | 2014 | University of New Hampshire |
| Jay Leno | Television host | N/A | Emerson College |
| Jane Lynch | Actress, Comedian, Singer | 2012 | Smith College |
| James Ryan | Dean of Harvard | 2016 | Harvard University |
| Jack Black | Actor, Comedian | 2015 | Montverde Academy |
| Poroschista Khakpour | Journalist | 2010 | Desert Academy |
| John Stewart | Comedian, Political commentator, Television host | N/A | N/A |
| Jean Andrews | Writer | 2003 | University of Texas at Austin |
| David L. Calhoun | CEO of Boeing | 2005 | Virginia Tech |
| Billie Jean King | Tennis player | 2000 | University of Massachusetts |
| Ian Brennan | Screenwriter, Director | 2015 | Loyola University Chicago |
| John Walsh | Television host, Criminologist, Activist | 2000 | Wheaton College |
| Hank Azaria | Actor, Comedian | 2016 | Tufts University |
| Marissa Mayer | C.E.O. of Yahoo | N/A | N/A |
| Peter Dinklage | actor | 2012 | Bennington College |
| Eric Idle | Actor, Comedian | 2013 | Whitman College |
| Carl Sagan | astronomer, planetary scientist | N/A | N/A |
| Colson Whitehead | Writer | 2017 | Connecticut College |
| Alex Smith | NFL PLayer | 2014 | University of Utah |
| Admiral William H. McRaven | Admiral | 2014 | University of Texas at Austin |
| Paul Glasser | Actor, Director | 2004 | Stanford School of Medicine |
| Mike Judge | Actor | 2009 | UCSD |
| Fareed Zakaria | Journalist, Author | 2009 | Bates College, Maine |
| Eugene Mirman | Actor, Comedian | 2009 | Lexington High School |
| Jon B. Fisher | Professor | 2018 | University of San Francisco |
| Emir Kamenica | Economist | 2014 | Shepherd University |
| Elizabeth Warren | Politician, Professor | 2016 | Suffolk University |
| Elias A. Zerhouni | Scientist | 2004 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Ed Helms | Actor | 2015 | University of Virginia |
| Ed Helms | Actor, Comedian | 2014 | Cornell University |
| Ed Helms | Actor, Comedian | 2013 | Knox College |
| Earl Bakken | Engineer, Businessman | 2004 | University of Hawaii |
| Drew Houston | C.E.O. of Dropbox | 2013 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Dr. Mehmet Oz | Television host, Physician | 2011 | West Chester University |
| Douglas Smith | Actor | 2010 | DeVry University |
| Doug Marlette | Cartoonist, Pulitzer | 2005 | Durham Academy |
| Donovan Livingston | Poet | 2016 | Harvard University |
| Diana Nyad | Swimmer, Inspirational speaker | 2014 | Middlebury College |
| Denzel Washington | Actor | 2015 | Dillard University |
| David Woodle | C.E.O. | 2001 | Penn State University |
| David Sedaris | Humorist, Comedian | 2018 | Oberlin College |
| David Foster Wallace | Writer | 2005 | Kenyon College |
| David Cote | Businessman, C.E.O. | 2011 | University of New Hampshire |
| David Carr | NFL player, Journalist | 2014 | University of California at Berkeley |
| David Brooks | Political commentator | 2007 | Wake Forest University |
| David Brooks | Political commentator | 2013 | Sewanee University of the South |
| David Brooks | Political commentator | 2015 | Dartmouth College |
| David Brooks | Political commentator | 2011 | Rice University |
| Melissa Harris-Perry | Political commentator, Author, Professor | 2012 | Wellesley College |
| Marian Fontana | Author, Activist | 2006 | Massachussets School of Law |
| Madeleine Albright | Diplomat, Political scientist | 2007 | Wellesley College |
| Robert Rodriguez | Filmmaker | 2009 | University of Texas at Austin |
| Tom Brinck | Writer | 2011 | Art Institute of California |
| Brooke Shields | Actress | 2015 | Fashion Institute of Technology |
| Sergio Marchionne | C.E.O. of Fiat Chrysler | 2011 | University of Toledo |
| Chris Matthews | Political commentator, Talk show host | 2006 | Fordham University |
| Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Author, Feminist | 2015 | Wellesley College |
| Charlie Day | Actor | 2014 | Merrimack College |
| Ben Bernanke | Economist, Chairman of the Federal Reserve | 2013 | Princeton University |
| Biz Stone | Entrepreneur, Founder | 2011 | Babson College |
| Bill and Melinda Gates | Founder, C.E.O. Philantropist | 2014 | Stanford University |
| Dick Costolo | C.E.O., Businessman | 2013 | University of Michigan |
| Anthony Corvino | NFL player | 2009 | Binghamton University |
| Anderson Cooper | Televisione anchor, Political commentator | 2010 | Tulane University |
| Amy Poehler | Actress, Comedian | 2011 | Harvard College |
| Alexis Ohanian | Internet entrepreneur, Founder | 2014 | Carthage College |
| Mindy Kaling | Actress | 2018 | Darmouth |
| Helen Mirren | Actress | 2017 | Tulane University |
| Abby Wamback | Soccer player | 2018 | Barnard College |
| Randy Pausch | educator, professor | N/A | N/A |
| Woody Hayes | Football coach | 1986 | Ohio State University |
| William Foege | Physician | 2016 | Emory University |
| Steven Levitan | Television producer | 2017 | University of Wisconsin Madison |
| Tracy Chevalier | Writer | 2013 | Oberlin College |
| Michael Uslan | Film producer | 2006 | Indiana University |
| Tony Snow | Journalist | 2007 | The Catholic University of America |
| Tim Minchin | Comedian, Actor, Musician | 2013 | University of Western Australia |
| Paul Hawken | environmentalist, entrepreneur | 2009 | University of Portland |
| Sumner Redstone | Chairman of Viacom | 2002 | Kellogg Business School |
| Sue Monk Kidd | Writer | 2010 | Scripps College |
| Steven Spielberg | Film Director | 2016 | Harvard |
| Steve Ballmer | Businessman, C.E.O. | 2011 | University of Southern California |
| Stephen Colbert | Comedian, Television host | 2011 | Northwestern University |
| Brian Kenny | Sport anchor | 2007 | Ohio Northen University |
| Sheryl Sandberg | Executive | 2016 | UC Berkeley |
| Sarah Heidt | Professor of English | 2010 | Kenyon College |
| Ruth Westheimers | Sex therapist, Television host | 2004 | Trinity College University |
| Russell Wilson | N.F.L. player | 2016 | University of Wisconsin |
| Ron Suskind | Journalist, Writer | 2015 | Lewis & Clark College |
| Roger Goodell | Commissioner of the NFL | 2010 | UMass-Lowell |
| Ray Sidney | Musician, Missionary | 2007 | Edwin O. Smith High School |
| Rahm Emanuel | Politician, Diplomat | 2009 | George Washington University |
| Paul Hamer | Politician | 2007 | Park Tudor School |
| Oprah Winfrey | Television host, Television producer | 2007 | Howard University |
| Octavia Spencer | Actress, Film producer | 2017 | Kent State University |
| Meryl Streep | Actress | 2010 | Barnard College |
| John Jacob Scherer | Entrepreneur | 2010 | Roanoke College |
| Maz Jobrani | Comedian, Actor | 2017 | UC Berkeley |
| Maria Popova | Author, Poet | 2016 | University of Pennsylvania - Annenberg |
| Lisa Kudrow | Actress | 2010 | Vassar College |
| Larry Lucchino | Lawyer, Sport executive | 2008 | Boston University |
| Kumail Nanjiani | Actor, Comedian | 2017 | Grinnell College |
| Katie Couric | Television journalist, Television anchor | 2007 | Williams College |
| Jose Gonzales | Singer, Musician | 2017 | Three Rivers College, Norwich |
| John Green | YouTuber | 2016 | Kenyon College |
| Joe Plumeri | Businessman | 2011 | William & Mary |
| Jessica Lange | Actress | 2008 | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Jesmyn Ward | Writer | 2018 | Tulane University |
| Jeff Bezos | Founder, C.E.O. of Amazon | 2010 | Princeton University |
| Jason Kilar | C.E.O. | 2015 | Chapel Hill |
| J.K. Rowling | Writer | 2008 | Harvard University |
| Jamie Hyneman | Special effects expert, Television Host | 2010 | Villanova University |
| Mike Tomlin | Coach | 2008 | Saint Vincent College |
| Michael Dell | C.E.O., Investor | 2003 | University of Texas, Austin |
| Ray Bradbury | Writer | 2000 | Caltech University |
| Meryl Streep | Actress | 1983 | Vassar College |
| Wade Davis | Explorer, Anthropologist | 2010 | Colorado College |
| Garry Trudeau | Cartoonist | 2017 | Macaulay Honors College |
| Fred Armisen | Comedian, Actor | 2011 | Oregon Episcopal High School |
| Mark Zuckerberg | CEO of Facebook | 2017 | Harvard University |
| Cory Booker | Politician, Social justice advocate | 2010 | Pitzer College |
| Conan O'Brien | Television host, Comedian | 2011 | Darmouth College |
| Margaret Spellings | Politician | 2006 | Montgomery College |
| Carly Fiorina | Businesswoman, C.E.O. | 2000 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Lewis Black | Comedian, Actor | 2013 | Thurgood Marshall College of UCSD |
| Chris Waddell | Paralympic athlete | 2011 | Middlebury College |
| Bill Watterson | Cartoonist | 1990 | Kenyon College |
| Bono | Musician, Singer, Activist | 2004 | University of Pennsylvania |
| Bobby Knight | Basketball coach | 2010 | Trine University |
| Atul Gawande | Doctor, Surgeon, Journalist | 2012 | Williams College |
| Arianna Huffington | C.E.O. of Thrive Global | 2013 | Smith College |
| Arianna Huffington | C.E.O. of Thrive Global | 2011 | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Tim Cook | CEO of Apple | 2010 | Auburn University |
| Anne Lamott | Writer, Author | 2003 | University of California at Berkeley |
| Paul Glasser | Actor, Director | 2004 | Stanford School of Medicine |
| Will Ferrell | Comedian, Actor | 2017 | University of Southern California |
| Jerry Zucker | Film producer, Director | 2003 | University of Wisconsin |
| Michael Dell | C.E.O., Investor | 2003 | University of Texas, Austin |
| Bradley Whitford | Actor | 2004 | University of Wisconsin |
| Anna Quindlen | Journalist, Pulitzer | 2000 | Villanova University |
| Abigail Washburn | Musician, Singer | 2012 | Colorado College |