Good afternoon to the great Class of 2030!
On behalf of the administration, faculty, and staff, I’m delighted to welcome you to Duke University.
You have traveled from many different places to arrive at this moment: this Convocation ceremony, marking the opening of the academic year for our new undergraduates.
With this gathering, we are continuing a cherished tradition that dates back more than a century. Indeed, one hundred years ago, Duke welcomed what was then its largest freshman class ever—approximately 650 students. Like you, they assembled to prepare for the beginning of the fall semester.
Among them were two young men from Ohio, Vernon Crozier and Charles Lake. For reasons unknown, they were in San Francisco when they decided to enroll at Duke. According to the Duke Chronicle, Vernon and Charles hiked all the way to Durham, arriving with a few days to spare.
Now, Google Maps estimates that journey would take about 43 days by foot—and that’s with the assistance of a ferry. While I admire that level of dedication, I’ll say I’m more than a little skeptical that this actually happened.
Nevertheless, I hope your own journey to Duke was considerably smoother and simpler. However you arrived here, and wherever you called home before today, we’re thrilled that you are here now, together, at Duke and in Durham.
My personal journey to Durham also originated in California. I grew up in the LA area, did my undergraduate and graduate studies in the Bay Area, and spent much of my adult life in Michigan and Pennsylvania before coming to Duke—you see, I saved the best for last.
But I assure you that I did not walk to Durham when I moved here.
I did quickly come to appreciate that North Carolina has four truly distinct seasons. And that is what I’d like to talk with you about this afternoon: the many seasons and changes of weather that you’ll encounter in your journey through Duke.
You’re already experiencing perhaps the most unmistakable season: a hot and humid Southern summer. I won’t speak for all your orientation leaders and other volunteers, but I think I’m still recovering from move-in this year. Even with some comforting cloud cover, it was as much an exercise in hot yoga and weight lifting as it was a welcome party.
But before long, I assure you, this sweltering summer weather will give way to autumn. And in many ways, that season best symbolizes the beginning of your time at Duke.
That’s because autumn is a season of transition.
As the temperatures cool and the dew points drop, the air becomes crisp and inviting. The leaves turn brilliant shades of orange, red and yellow before eventually falling away. It’s a truly beautiful season, one that quietly reminds us that growth often begins with change.
Fittingly, fall is one of the best times to plant seeds—the soil is still warm from the summer, and the cooler air provides the ideal conditions for seeds to germinate and take root.
Your early days at Duke are much the same.
This is a season for planting the seeds of the version of yourself who will graduate from Duke—when you will almost certainly be a different person from the one sitting in this stadium today. Not because you abandoned who you are or where you came from, but because you discovered more about yourself—your capabilities, your interests, and your purpose.
As you look around, you see new faces. You are already learning new routines and embracing newfound freedoms. You are also perhaps feeling uncertain. Change often brings uncertainty.
I urge you to embrace all that this season offers, including that uncertainty. Nurture it. Invest in your new community. Try things that are unfamiliar. Be open to connecting with new people, considering new perspectives, and challenging your assumptions about the world. Take full advantage of this new opportunity for learning and growth.
Now as fall transitions to winter, the daylight hours will shorten, and the temperatures will turn colder here. You will encounter an occasional wintry mix—maybe even enough snow for building a small snowman or making snow angels in one of the quads. And those of you from the upper Midwest will marvel at how folks around here go bananas at the prospect of even a flake of snow. You will see bread and milk fly off the grocery shelves.
By winter, Duke will feel more familiar to you. And most of the season, it’s a time to retreat into the warmth of the indoors.
The freshness of your transition from high school…it will eventually wear off. The novelty will begin to fade. New routines will quickly become habits. Your exciting new beginning will give way to the quieter work of becoming.
But winter is not the absence of growth. In nature, a seed’s most important work happens beneath the surface, before anyone can see it.
Winter is the season that teaches us the true value of commitment and perseverance, of making steady, quiet progress toward a larger goal.
There will be times this year when your progress will feel difficult to measure. You may feel overwhelmed by your coursework or disappointed to fall short of your own expectations. It’s very likely that at some point you will have doubts about your direction, or change your mind about your destination, or run into roadblocks that lead to unexpected course changes or detours.
That’s OK. In fact, it is all part of the process of learning, growing, and evolving. But even as you endure these challenging moments, much of your transformative growth will happen in a winter season—quietly and beneath the surface. And you will soon discover that the seeds you planted in the fall are maturing and growing stronger through the knowledge and experiences you are gaining.
When you have moments of doubt, just remember that spring will soon be upon us. And, of course, there’s basketball.
Spring will arrive. And more than any other season, it symbolizes growth. It’s when the seeds planted in the fall begin emerging from the barren ground.
The spring temperatures are pleasant, and after the relative dormancy of winter, it’s a time to celebrate the outdoors again. You’ll discover that Duke Gardens has the most spectacular displays of cherry blossoms, a particular point of pride.
Spring is a fitting metaphor for that time when you begin to understand and recognize the version of yourself you are becoming, like a plant emerging from the ground and beginning to bud. What was once growing beneath the surface now becomes visible. And it’s a different campus, because you are different. Your friends are different. Things look different in the new light.
It’s an exciting time—and not just because of spring break.
Your confidence will grow, which is good. That’s what we want. But be aware that it may also tempt you to look ahead. So don’t rush yourself. Be patient. Stay focused on the present.
In a world where distractions are all around us, patience and focus are becoming harder to maintain. But I assure you, they are traits that will serve you well. So before getting too far ahead of yourself, just remember that even in the delightful days of spring there are inconveniences, and new challenges we must overcome.
For example, you’ll soon discover that in spring the entire state of North Carolina turns a bright shade of yellowish green, as pollen from our state’s pine and hardwood trees blankets everything in sight—cars, park benches, and anything else you leave outside, believe me, even for two minutes.
Pollen is an essential part of our ecosystem. It enables plant reproduction and helps sustain agricultural crops that produce fruits and nuts. Yet, many people—myself included— are allergic to it. That’s another reminder that growth is not always comfortable.
But before you know it, spring showers will wash away the pollen. Summer will arrive. And as the heat and humidity return, summer will offer a chance to pause and reflect on how much you have grown and changed since you were sitting here today, hopefully listening to my speech.
No one can say for certain what your world will look like by next summer, much less by the time you graduate from Duke. And notwithstanding advances in meteorology, nobody can say for certain what weather we will enjoy, or battle through, on any given day.
Every season of life is full of surprises. There are gorgeous sunny days in the middle of winter. And here in North Carolina, as you will discover, we can sometimes experience all four seasons in one day.
Your Duke experience will be like that…not always predictable or proceeding according to a set timeline. But remember that those truly glorious rays of sunshine streaking through a cloud break can only happen in cloudy skies. And what I do know is this: if you embrace the changes in the weather, if you persevere and stay focused, if you take full advantage of the Duke experience, you will be as ready as you can be for whatever comes next.
One last thing I want to leave you with today: nobody likes feeling under the weather. And so, I’ll offer you the same advice I give every incoming class, something all of us need to remember: the surest way to be our best is to get some rest. Step away from those screens, make sure to get a good night’s sleep, and allow your body and mind to recharge.
Class of 2030, welcome.
As we might say around here, y’all are about to have a heck of a journey. Enjoy the walk, in every season.