The Purpose in Pivoting:

(2020 Graduation Speech at George Washington University)

If you would have told me at the beginning of this semester I would be spending the last couple of months of my undergraduate career in my adolescent bedroom, I would have laughed. Naively I would ask, why would I choose to go home, when I get to wake up every morning in Washington, D.C.; a city which holds unparalleled stature in our world. Where the White House is a mere three blocks east of campus, museums are plenty, a variety of cultures represented, and the greatest achievement of all the George Washington University. In all seriousness, G.W. is a truly remarkable place, perhaps it is because it is situated in the capital of our country or maybe it is the people — students, faculty, and staff — who make constitute this institution, but GW is absolutely unique.

I have good news and bad news, which do you want first? In the spirit of what we have been hearing lately, I’ll start with the bad news — we are graduating in pandemic emergency that has forced our society to restart, restructure, and in some ways completely reset. No longer is our sense of normalcy one of comfort, but rather one in flux. We are in an area of unknown. Our paths to what’s next are fundamentally interrupted; however, this cannot be an excuse in stunting our growth. As a criminal justice major, I must point out some injustices and issues facing our country in the criminal justice realm and in turn, plaguing our society. More than 375 people have died of coronavirus in the state and federal carceral facilities. More than 6,700 prison staff members have tested positive. More than 25,000 people incarcerated have tested positive, even though this is a large undercount, given the lack of testing available for the carceral state. PPE is scarcely provided and hand sanitizer is still banned in many prisons due to its alcohol content; however, many people in prisons are the ones producing hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and protective gowns, making cents per hour to even no compensation at all; the Fair Labor Standard Act, the federal law establishing minimum wage for private and government sector, does not protect those within prisons. What does this tell us — the need for reform is ever-present.

Now for the good news, we must learn to pivot. Look around, there is no better time to find purpose and passion and make a difference. Use this period of disorder and dysfunction to evolve our sense of normalcy and change our paths. When I was 17 years old, I decided to attend Villanova University. However, I found it was not right for me — I then transferred to GW going into my junior year; that is when I first learned the value in pivoting. When an advisor in the college told me I would be unable to graduate on time and without a minor because I was transfer, I pivoted — changed my approach and am now graduating here today with all of you and with two minors. When people tell you no, tell them yes and pivot. When the odds are against you, find another way, pivot. When a pandemic plagues the entire world, economies tank, lives are lost, and people are left without a sense of what was before, we can only pivot; it is what will keep us going.

Here we are. The purpose of pivoting is no clearer than the present. Even though we are not able to walk across the stage on the National Mall and throw our caps in the air, we hold a special place in world history; a time where injustices and inequalities among people are clearer than before. This pandemic has illuminated even further inequities and inequalities within the criminal justice system. People are warehoused on top of each other, unable to social distance and without access to PPE, hand sanitizer, and even basic medical care. There is only room for change; we must pivot to be better.

After this, we will have graduated from an esteemed and distinguished university — no one or no thing can take that away. Every graduate of 2020, especially, will have expertise in an area of subject matter like no group of people before, the ability to pivot. Transform your trajectory and realize your purpose. We are being challenged more than ever to service our community — how will you harness this education and your voice to empower, change, and create more justice than before? Let’s be the class that decides to pivot and change our direction towards something better.