Associate Chair Juan Cole welcomed the group and talked about the opportunity offered by the Department to develop a broad global background through the study of history. He introduced the speaker, Professor Matt Lassiter, a name and face familiar to many of the graduates.

Professor Lassiter has won many teaching awards for his courses on Cold War America and the History of American Suburbia. He encouraged the graduates to turn the uncertainty most feel about the future when leaving college to their advantage and seek opportunities that offer unique life experiences. This might mean deferring graduate or professional school or a career-track job for a year or two, if possible. Instead, students might use this more flexible time of life for extended travel, to move to a new area to find a job, to intern or work for programs like Teach for America, but especially to become independent and take time to figure out what it is they want to do in life. He assured the audience that with a University of Michigan degree, each graduate can look forward to excellent career prospects in the long-term.

He concluded, "As great as the college experience can be, your early 20s could well turn into the best years of your life."

Professor Maria Montoya called the name of each graduate in the audience and invited them to the stage to receive congratulations and a certificate from Professor Cole. A prolonged round of applause from parents, grandparents, siblings, spouses, and children, expressed the joy and pride of the occasion.

The faculty and staff of the History Department join them in extending congratulations and best wishes to each new historian in the Class of 2005.