Advice to the graduates
Governor Warner spoke at the Shenandoah University commencement ceremony in Winchester on Saturday.
As the first in his family to graduate from college—he graduated from The George Washington University in 1977 by paying his own way, thanks to student loans and part-time jobs – Governor Warner shared some advice and his own life experience.
He told the graduates to not be afraid to fail, because in failure they would learn some of life’s most valuable lessons. He shared his own failures:
A few years after his 1980 graduation from Harvard Law School, Warner said he tried to begin his career as an entrepreneur by investing his life savings in a company that ended up folding six weeks later. He followed that by going to another firm, which took six months to go out of business.At 26 years old, Warner said he was flat broke and sleeping on friends’ couches. Then, someone told him about cellular telephones.
Ultimately, Warner co-founded the company that became Nextel.
He also reminded the graduates of the basic obligation they have to “conduct our political debates in a civil and respectful manner.”
Individuals should be able to disagree on issues without their morality or sincerity coming into question, Warner said. Additionally, truth and virtue are not in the exclusive possession of a particular side. With civil debate, there’s nothing that can’t be accomplished, he said.
Finally, he reminded the graduates to “call your mother,” or anyone else who helped them get to graduation day, and thank them for their support in helping them get that far.
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