Information overload and the economic recession are obstacles that this year’s class of graduating seniors must be prepared to overcome, President Barack Obama said at the Hampton University graduation Sunday.
Obama included many Hampton-specific references in his commencement address, but there was also no shortage of comments that will apply to anyone who will soon be forced out of the comfort of academia into the waiting arms of their parents’ basement and the unemployment office.
But even as Obama reminded the Hampton grads of the unpleasant picture — “you’re graduating in a time of great difficulty for America and the world” — he offered optimism to students: things may be bad for everyone, but a college education provides a leg up.
“It’s a period of breathtaking change, like few others in our history,” Obama said. “We can’t stop these changes, but we can adapt to them. And education is what can allow us to do so. It can fortify you, as it did earlier generations, to meet the tests of your own time.”
Obama also described all the distractions that face today’s young people, both in a wide variety of entertainment options — “iPods and iPads; Xboxes and PlayStations” — and in a barrage of conflicting information in the media.
“You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t rank all that high on the truth meter,” Obama said.
“Fortunately, you’ll be well positioned to navigate this terrain,” he continued. “Your education has honed your research abilities, sharpened your analytical powers, and given you a context for understanding the world. Those skills will come in handy.”
“An education can fortify us to meet the tests of our economy, the tests of citizenship, and the tests of our time,” Obama said.
Let’s hope.