School, i have to tell you the thought of becoming a murder prosecutor or attorney general or, for that matter, a United States senator, that was not on my radar screen. When i went back to New Hampshire after graduating from law school, my plan was to go work for a private firm because i had to pay some Student Loans off and make money and really just be in the private practice of law. Which can be very rewarding. That is what i did. But my life changed because you will find that with your law degree, there are many opportunities to use your degree in many different ways. So one day, the firm that i was working at a New Hampshire there was a partner who came to me and he asked me to cover for him at an arraignment in federal court, in a criminal case. And so, of course, you are eager to prove yourself and i said yes, i will do it. What i didnt know at the time is that he was sending the setting me up in a very significant criminal case. It was one where it involved a bank robbery in New Hampshire where, unfortunately, two guards were murdered. And it involved charges against five defendants that were charged with committing Bank Robberies up and down the east coast of the United States. And this was a case where i walked into federal court and, i have to say, i had never done in arraignment. I had only been a lawyer for a few years. And i felt way over my head and i was surrounded with many other experienced lawyers. Even my clients had more experience in the courtroom than i did. [laughter] senator ayotte in fact, i have to tell you the first time i went out to meet my client because he was charged with a very serious matter, i went down to the cellblock and i met this very tough looking individual. And here i am, a young woman and he looked at me, i looked at him, he had a look of terror on his face, this tough guy, and the only thing i could think to tell him is, dont worry. I am not your only lawyer. [laughter] so, at that first hearing, i spent most of the day at that arraignment just looking at the other experienced lawyers in the room thinking, am i standing in the right place . As many of you who may have looked at and study the criminal law, the arraignment is just to appear in court. You really dont have to do much at that point other than obviously enter a plea for your client. But then the real beginning of the proceedings happen after that. On my way back to the office that night, im thinking about this case and im thinking, wow, this is a big case. And im obviously a new lawyer. But the more i thought about it, the more i thought this was an exciting opportunity to do something i would never do. So i went back to my partner and i said, i want an opportunity to work on this case with you. Obviously, he was much more experienced. But he gave me the opportunity to work on this case with him. And as a result, my first jury trial, i spent three months in federal court. I learned about dna evidence. I had the opportunity to cross examine witnesses. And most of all, i found a different path in my career. I realized that i wanted to be in the courtroom. I realized that i wanted to serve the public because it looked very exciting, first of all, to be part of an important case on either side and to know that it made a difference to the people of our state. So i applied for a job as a prosecutor at the Attorney Generals Office and i wasnt hired on the first try, but i kept at it. And they finally hired me. In fact, i took a pay cut to take that first job at the Attorney Generals Office. But it was worth it. Because after that, i spent years prosecuting cases and within a decade at the Attorney Generals Office, i became the first woman to serve as attorney general in our state. And what i took from that experience is that dont be afraid to take on cases or new jobs or new issues that really stretches your boundaries. And really pushes you. And it looks difficult and it looks like you are may be over your head. There are people that will help you, but it will push you on to the next level and allow you to really push yourself to show what you are capable of. The other thing that i took from that whole experience is that sometimes what looks like a detour in your career is actually something that is going to bring you to your true calling. And something that you have a passion for. I think that passion is the secret ingredient that drives hard work and excellence. My passion is to serve the public. To be in the arena of public policy, to have the opportunity to solve problems for our country, to be in a position where i can make a difference. And i wish for each of you that you use your law degrees and the degree you are getting today to find your passion. That you find that career path which allows you to use your logic the to its fullest so that you can excel at whatever you do and that you can make a difference. It is a privilege to serve the country in the United States senate and serve the people of New Hampshire. I wake up every day with a sense of purpose. We have many problems that need to be solved, i think we can all agree with that here but i want you to know as much as i love what im doing, i have not lost my love for the law. Keep that love you have for the law and why you are getting this degree today. In fact, my job as a u. S. Senator has made me appreciate the law even more. And what it has made me appreciate is the importance of the rule of law to our democracy. I serve on the Armed Services committee, as the dean mentioned. And as a result of that, i had have had the opportunity to travel to Different Countries around the world. The middle east, eastern europe, asia, and other areas around the world. And what i have noticed in traveling to other countries that are embroiled in conflict in countries where sometimes women are treated as secondclass citizens, or where people are being persecuted because of their faith in the countries where we see these challenges and we see these problems, one of the things that is often absent, and i would say it is the most glared glaring thing, is the rule of law. In some countries, people are fighting to the death because there is no second place. In the United States, because we are a nation of laws, you can lose an election and keep your life. In the United States, you can lose an election where you can disagree with our leaders or our government and you wont lose your business, you wont lose your family, and you wont lose your freedom. What you see in areas where you have conflict or you have people who are dying and fighting over trying to take control of a government or fight for their freedom, you see that when people dont believe that today will find justice in a system of the rule of law, they will try to obtain their own justice. It wont be an objective justice. It will be one that is based on peoples subjectivity. Think about places like syria. When you dare disagree with the leader, you are met with violence. This is something that i think we take for granted too much in this country. Think about our own elections. The case of bush versus gore. The most powerful office in the world was decided by a 54 Supreme Court decision. With less than 1000 votes in the state of florida would decide the outcome. Yet once the Supreme Court decided the outcome, we accepted it. How many people live and conflict or tyranny around the world that wouldnt want to live in a system like that . Yet, as important as the rule of law is, we have to make sure and we have to be aware that if we dont to nurture our legal system or if we overly politicize it, we will load it and by a routing it, we will overload our democracy. We will erode our democracy. Today, as you graduate and you receive this degree and you receive your law degree from this great law school, you have become a guardian for the rule of law. And by doing so, you are a guardian. For our International Students you are a guardian for our country. For all of us, we are guardians for our democracy. Regardless of the role that you choose in the law, every lawyer has the ability to speak truth to power. That means standing up for what you believe is right, no matter how difficult it is. You have the ability to do so and the talent to do so with your law degree. That means standing up for the weak or disaffected or those who do not have a voice. To understand that when we defend the most unpopular among us, you do a Great Service to our justice system. It means telling clients not what they want to hear, but what they need to hear. That is what a good lawyer does. I will tell you it means admitting what you dont know. Because often there is so much we dont know and we need to know if we are going to do a good job. In our legal profession. And finally, it always means applying the golden rule. And i believe the golden rule is the most important rule is a goal off into the legal as you go off into the legal profession. And that is to treat adversaries and opposing counsels like you would want to be treated. In the law, more than any other profession, what goes around comes around. And you will be surprised as you go ford in your career how many lawyers that your pad on the that you have had on the other side of the case that will refer you to your next case. Why . Because they saw how he treated them with respect and they saw how good a lawyer you really are. When you receive your law license, dont underestimate the awesome opportunity that you have been given to affect peoples lives for the better or for the worse. And the responsibilities which with that opportunity. Which comes with that opportunity. With the degree that you receive today, you have the opportunity to make our country and to our International Students to the countries from which they come from stronger and more just and more compassionate. Dont squander that opportunity. Embrace it. Remember a good lawyer is a godsend to a free and democratic society. And you have the tools you need today to be that godsend. For our country. We are all so proud of you and that you have chosen this noble profession. I just want to say congratulations and i will see you all in court. [applause] admiral Michelle Howard is vice chief of Naval Operations and the first woman to be reported at the rank of four star. She received she gave the commencement address at the graduates of rensselaer polymath technic institute. This is 15 minutes. Admiral howard president jackson, dean, faculty students, thank you for this wonderful privilege that youve given me, this honorary degree. I will tell you, my fellow honorees are full of respect. They would not be the first to tell you that this is pretty cool. It feels a lot like a superman cape. I want to know, does it stop bullets . [laughter] i could use that in my job. President jackson faculty students and class of its a 2015, sincere honor to join you on this extraordinary occasion. Today marks a triumphant milestone in your lives. Symbolically crossing the stage, you will also cross over into the next phase of your lives. With each step, you will pound into your souls this week the sweet feeling of accomplishment. Years from now you will recall , the challenges of that last calculus class, the anxiety of preparing for your last test the excitement of your last big red freak out night, and the last witnessing of the Shirley Ann Jackson weather machine. [laughter] [applause] as a naval officer i thought it appropriate that i start this speech and share with you a see story. In my service, the sea story is an important exchange of wisdom. It is told amongst fellow sailors and shipmates, generally in a small place with a beverage of choice and generally reaches , great origins of mythology over the lifetime of an individual. This sea story is true because it is not mine. This story was given to me by captain guinevere polly, the woman whose Leadership Award is named after her. I met her when i was a young lieutenant commander. That began a relationship of mentor protege. She was an iconic leader. She was born in 1911 and came into the navy in world war ii. With the start of the war, our nation needed the strengths and talents of everyone. The navy started the