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Susan Hockfield
President Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A faculty member who gave the first lecture for our freshmen this past fall was talking about the incredible power of the American melting pot. That brilliant, ambitious people from all over the world have come to America because of the freedom, because of the ability to rely on yourself. Right? Because at the heart, it's a meritocracy. If you work hard, you'll be rewarded for your hard work. Dick Samuels, who is a professor of political science, was giving a lecture to our students, and talking about the power of the American melting pot and he said, "We'll do an experiment. Raise your hand if you weren't born in the United States." Now only eight percent -- eight to ten percent of our freshmen -- are international students, but about 20 percent of the students raised their hands, roughly. So these are the children of immigrants. And he said, "Keep your hand in the air. Raise your hand if one of your parents wasn't born in the United States." And another huge number of hands went up. And he said, "Keep your hands in the air. Now raise your hand if one of your grandparents wasn't born in the United States." I didn't actually I couldn't count, but it looked to me as though 85 or 90 percent of the students had their hands in the air. This is what America's about, is bringing people from all over the world to these shores, giving them productive work, giving them opportunities. And what I think is incredibly important -- not just for the nation but also for the world, as an example of what people can do together from different backgrounds -- that we continue to be a nation that welcomes immigrants, that we continue to be a nation that offers everyone opportunities, and that we continue to be a nation also that rewards success. I think these are all important elements. And individual achievement, individual effort, I think, is an important part of it. So it's balancing opportunity for all, but also appropriate rewards for work that's been well done.
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Ron Howard
Oscar for Best Director
My father is working more now than he ever has. And he said, "You know, a lot of my friends, they went into the corporate world, they became doctors, they had great careers, the kinds of careers that everyone would have applauded them for pursuing. And they pursued them, and some of them are happy about it and some of them aren't. But I followed my dream. And if the object is to have a secure and gratifying life, I've achieved that. Maybe never stardom, but my home is paid for, I have a great pension through the Screen Actors Guild plan, and I have security. And on top of everything else, while everyone else is winding down, I still can keep the dream alive. Because you never know when another interesting challenge is going to come along, or another great role. And I'm working more now than I ever have, and I'm active. And I've got a lot to look ahead towards."
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