And to our 330 Starbucks College Achievement graduates, so proud of you. Those who have benefited from the starbucks and asu partnership. Im incredibly proud to be your partner, congratulations to all of you. [applause] i would like to begin my time with you today by sharing a personal story. Last year, Starbucks CoffeeCompany Opened our first store in south africa in johannesburg. , i had never been to south africa before. I did not know what to expect. Certainly could not be prepared for the level of poverty and what i saw in the townships throughout the city. We opened 2 stores and lines were out the door in anticipation of starbucks coming to the market. Before we opened the stores i , gathered the 50 young people who would grace the green apron and represent the company. I sat with them for a few hours and wanted to hear each one of , their personal stories. As they were sharing their stories with me, despite their poverty, their plight in life, there was so much joy and gratitude in their hearts. T i learned was 2 things one, all 50 of these young people had never had a job before. They were all unemployed for their entire lives. You should see the selfesteem and the sense of security as they were getting ready for their first job. The second lesson was as they were going around the room and talking to me about their story i kept hearing and african word, i had never heard it before. A word that Nelson Mandela used all the time. The word is umbutu. Umbutu finally i got this courage up to ask what the word meant. They couldnt wait to share it with me. In unison, they said it needs i am because of you. I am because of you. As i had the honor to speak with you today, i ask you to keep that story in mind. Everything i will share with you today is through the lens of umbutu. I grew up in new york in Public Housing. The projects. My parents were both High School Dropouts and they could barely month rent and our two bedroom apartment for my brother, my sister, and my parents. However, from my earliest of memories, my mother instilled into me her American Dream and the promise of america. A good education and hard work will open the door to a better life. That provides me with an important lesson to share with you all today. Your station in life does not define you and the promise of america that is for all of us. When i was seven years old, i had a defining moment in my life. I came home from school one day and saw my father laid on the couch with a cast from his hip to his ankle. He had a series of terrible bluecollar jobs as a high t, but dropout, army ve this particular job he had in 1960 was one of the worst. He was a truck driver delivering and picking up diapers before the invention of pampers. He fell on a sheet of ice in march of 1960. In march of 1960, if you are a bluecollar, uneducated worker, you are dismissed if you had an accident. No workmens compensation, no severance, no Health Insurance. I saw the fracturing of the American Dream, and i saw my parents go through hopelessness and despair at the age of seven. , those scars that , shame is with me, even today. As a young boy, i could have never imagined that i would one day build a company of my own, let alone a company that would have more than 26,000 stores in 75 countries and employs more than 300,000 people. [applause] thank you. From day one, i really wanted to build the kind of company my father never got a chance to work for. A company that honors and respects the dignity of work and the dignity of all men and all women. That is why we became the First Company in all of america to provide comprehensive Health Insurance 30 years ahead of the afford of care act as well as ownership in the form of Stock Options for all of our employees, including parttime. It is my firm belief that success in business and in life is best when it is shared. Starbucks Coffee Company went public in 1992. From 1992 to 2006, we were on a magical carpet ride in which everything we did turned to gold. In 2007, the music stopped. We had lost sight of our shared purpose and our guiding principles. In which growth and success began to cover up mistakes and a disease set into starbucks. That disease was hubris. We lost our way and believe it or not, we almost lost the entire company. Ing this cat is closing cataclysmic period i was reminded what it means to love something and the responsibility that goes with it. As well as an understanding that leadership and moral courage is not a passive act. My partners and i took it personally and we transformed the entire company. We galvanized the entire organization around our core values and servant leadership. Every business, every organization, even every family must be true to its values and reason for being. Our core purpose and reason for being then and now has always been to achieve the fragile balance between profit and humanity. Today the equity of the starbucks brand has never been stronger. Our track record of creating shareholder value and social impacts over the last 25 years has virtually been unparalleled. We have built one of the most respected and recognized brands in the world with the view that today, the rules of engagement for business and Business Leaders has changed. We must do more for our people and the communities we serve. Most importantly, not every business decision is an economic one. Entitlement. T an it has to be earned, and earned every day through the lens of humility. Only in america can a poor kid from Public Housing have the privilege and honor to be the Commencement Speaker at the largest and most Innovative University in the country. [applause] i stand before you as living proof of the American Dream. Joining many of your parents, your professors and generations of graduates before you. Today, you may question the strength of that dream and the promise of america. That is fair. My generation has not made it easy for you. Our political leaders on both sides of the aisle have not acted with enough courage nor honesty in addressing the longterm challenges we face. [applause] they have been more focused on fighting with each other then walking in the shoes of the american people. Vitriol and selfinterest rules the day in washington. Despite all that, when i look to the future, i am extremely optimistic, especially when i look out and see you. The future is not up to them. Not up to washington, it is up to you. This milestone in your life may come with some anxiety about what tomorrow holds. You may have questions that only time can answer. As a young man who once sat nervously at his own commencement, i encourage you to always trust yourself and to be mindful of these three enduring questions. How will you respect your parents and honor your family . How will you share your success and serve others with dignity . How will you lead with humility and demonstrate moral courage . You are leaving this campus as the best prepared generation in the history of our country. [applause] you each possess entrepreneurial spirit, the passion and the commitment to create the future you deserve. However, do not stop there try , not to rely only on what you have learned in the classroom. Your compassion, your curiosity, youre into the towards others and your , commitment to service. Give more than you receive and i promise it will come back to you in ways you cannot possibly imagine. Each of you is here today because of someone else. A parent, sibling, a teacher, someoneor, a mentor, who had faith and confidence in you, like my mother had in me and nurtured your dreams. As you leave here today, take a moment to think of those who have come before you, who have helped you along the way, who are at your side today. If they are here, embrace them and thank them for the gifted education your generation can bring people together like no other. You can innovate, create and lead. Your generation will transform our economy and create millions of new jobs. You will develop cleaner energy. Onlyill make it so racism exists in history books. Applause]d. Yes you will you will be the generation that teaches the world that we are at our best when we recognized, respect and celebrate our diversity. And applause] can and you will make your mark on our country and our shared humanity. , and then drain bigger. A more innovative dream. A more inclusive during. All of you will preserve and enhance the promise of america. The promise that propelled me out of Public Housing. The promise that will propel you forward, regardless of the color of your skin calming to religion, your gender, your sexual orientation, or your station in life. Applause]d please remember that. Asu is because of you. You are because of asu. We are because of each other. [chanting] [applause] yes, sale with me. [chanting] go forward and continue to make your parents and your family proud. God bless you and thank you and congratulations to the class of 2017. Applause] [chanting] thank you [applause] you know what you are class of 1999 . You are a bunch of eves. Thethat you have each in apple of knowledge, you are getting kicked out of here. [laughter] many of you intend to become teachers, which is a profession in the democracy. Teachers can be so good for this country, but only if their classes can be cut to 18. [applause] teaching is friendship and intelligentlyl with more than 18 friends at any given time. And only well informed warmhearted people can teach others things they will always remember and love. Tim peters mtvs can never do that. Child whatteaches a a computer can become. An educated human being teaches a child what a child can become. Some of you will become mothers, these things happen. [laughter] if you should find yourself sidelined in this fashion [laughter] remind yourself of these lines by the 19th century white male poet william roth wallace. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Case, you might teach the kid a couple of things it should say every day. We forgive our trespasses as those we forgive who trespass against us. As long as there is a soul in prison i am not free. Ideals to attainable, class of 1999, let me press on you that ideals by their very definition can never be too high. Cspans washington journal, live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Coming up this morning, author and historian garrett grabbed on the career of robert mueller, appointed special counsel to oversee the investigation into russian interference in the 2016 president ial election. Then, university of virginias president ial Recordings Program thearcher will discuss history of past president s who secretly recorded conversations in the oval office. Cspanso watch washington journal live at 7 00 eastern this morning. Join the discussion. Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren was the Commencement Speaker at the university of massachusetts in amherst. She encourage graduates to be involved with Public Affairs and talked about her past to becoming a u. S. Senator. This is 15 minutes. [cheers and applause] senator warren thank you