This is the text of the speech, the student keynote, I delivered at the Smeal MBA Graduation Ceremony on May 5, 2012.

1.
Ezra
Nanes,
MBA
‘12
Penn
State
Smeal
College
of
Business
Pre-­Commencement
Speech,
May
5,
2012
(please
note:
section
headings
in
bold
will
not
be
spoken)
Good
afternoon
everyone.
What
an
incredible
day.
MBA’s
thank
you
for
the
honor
and
the
privilege
of
speaking
here
today.
This
is
a
true
story.
Verse
One:
Finding
Oneself
in
the
Pursuit
of
a
Vision
I
once
found
myself
alone,
high
up
on
a
great
mountain
standing
on
the
shore
of
a
lake
called
Solitude.
How
I
came
to
be
there...
well,
it
was
my
own
two
feet
that
carried
me.
Standing
there,
having
reached
my
goal,
I
looked
down
between
the
toes
of
my
boots
and
saw
my
face
reflected
in
the
glassy
mirror
of
the
lake
-­‐
my
own
two
eyes
looking
back
at
me.
But
it
was
more
than
my
reflection
that
I
saw.
I
could
somehow
see
myself.
And,
right
then
and
there,
high
up
on
that
mountain,
on
the
shore
of
that
lake,
I
knew
exactly
who
I
was.
It
wasn’t
a
thought
or
an
idea
that
came
to
my
mind,
but
a
feeling
-­‐
like
a
bright
point
of
light
inside
me,
shining
like
an
eternal
sun.
I
thought
of
my
mom
and
my
dad
and
my
brother
and
my
friends
and
my
family.
And
standing
there,
alone,
I
knew
what
it
meant
to
be
loved.
Verse
Two:
Facing
the
Challenge
At
that
very
moment,
behind
my
reflection,
the
sky
turned
dark,
and
a
chill
breeze
raised
goose
bumps
on
my
arms.
I
looked
up
beyond
the
towering
rocky
cirque
that
surrounded
me,
and
there
massed
in
the
sky
above
the
peaks
was
a
giant,
growling
thunderhead.
A
massive
storm
–
slate
grey
and
foreboding
and
awesome
and
beautiful.
A
rush
of
fear
hit
me,
and
my
lungs
sucked
in
a
deep
breath
of
the
electric
air.
The
heavens
were
about
to
unleash
their
fury,
and
I
was
exposed.
And
then,
the
first
drop
fell,
striking
the
water.
And
then
another.
And
another.
From
each
point
a
million
ripples
echoed
outward,
shattering
the
pristine
mirror
of
the
lake.
My
moment
of
stillness
on
the
mountain
was
no
more.
Now
was
the
time
for
action.
I
reached
in
to
my
backpack
and
grabbed
my
poncho.
I
made
quick
calculations.
Nine
miles
to
shelter.
For
it
was
nine
miles
I
had
come.
I
looked
all
around
me.
Not
a
soul
in
sight.
Only
one
way
down
the
mountain.
I
breathed
in
to
my
belly,
which
was
full
of
the
animal
instinct
to
run.
But,
run
I
did
not.
I
desperately
wanted
control
over
the
situation,
but
I
knew
there
was
only
one
thing
to
do,
and
that
was
put
one
foot
in
front
of
the
other,
over
and
over
and
over
again.
And
so,
scared
and
prepared
I
sought
the
homeward
trail.
Verse
Three:
The
Journey
Home
For
miles
I
could
hear
only
the
rain,
so
hard
did
it
fall.
But
I
was
dry
under
my
poncho,
and
I
felt
good.
I
love
that
feeling
of
being
impervious
to
the
elements.
So
magic,
to
be
out
in
the
full
experience
of
nature,
and
in
some
small
way
not
be
at
its
mercy.
1

2.
I
walked
on,
through
alpine
meadows
full
of
wildflowers
and
through
pine
forest
groves,
through
open
rocky
passes
and
through
narrow,
walled
passages.
I
listened
intently
for
sounds
beyond
the
hum
of
the
storm
–
fully
aware
that
I
was
in
the
heart
of
grizzly
bear
country.
I
was
alert
for
any
sign
of
movement,
and
more
than
once
I
thought
I
was
not
alone.
Tree
stumps
and
shadows
become
fearsome
beasts
in
my
peripheral
vision
-­‐
artifacts
of
my
mind.
But
in
the
end,
no
danger
ever
did
appear.
Eventually,
after
a
long,
long
while,
I
found
myself
walking
under
a
clear,
indigo
sky,
the
alpine
storm
behind
me.
Out
ahead
in
the
flats,
beneath
banks
of
orange
and
pink
cloud,
I
could
see
the
campground,
where
I
knew
my
brother
waited
for
me.
Walking
up
to
the
tent,
I
felt
proud
of
my
journey
and
so
happy
to
be
done
with
it.
It
was
great
to
see
my
brother
again.
I
ask
you,
how
is
it
that
the
toughest
things
become
so
rich
and
satisfying
when
you
share
them
with
someone?
Verse
Four:
The
Reward
and
the
Lessons
Learned
I
showered
up
and
I
got
dressed
in
the
best
clothes
I
had
with
me,
and
my
brother
Marc
and
I
went
out
to
the
Million
Dollar
Cowboy
Bar
in
Jackson
Hole,
Wyoming
and
we
ate
the
best
gosh-­‐darned
steaks
we
ever
had.
I
love
that
story.
At
the
time,
I
didn’t
realize
that
it
would
come
to
be
a
defining
moment
in
my
life,
but
so
it
was.
Now
THIS
moment
on
the
other
hand,
I
have
no
doubt
that
this,
right
here,
is
-­‐
and
will
forever
be
-­‐
one
of
the
great
moments
of
all
of
our
lives.
MBA’s,
class
of
2012,
we
have
arrived!
We
have
completed
our
epic
journey.
We
have
become
Masters.
The
story
that
I
just
told
makes
me
think
so
much
of
our
time
here
at
Smeal
as
MBA
students
in
the
Class
of
2012.
So
many
times
have
we
found
ourselves
facing
down
an
awesome
and
terrifying
challenge,
a
challenge
that
we
sought
-­‐
a
test,
a
speech,
an
interview,
a
presentation,
a
case
competition,
an
all-­‐nighter
-­‐
(all
of
the
above
on
the
same
day!)
-­‐
another
survey
on
survey
monkey,
trying
to
get
an
answer
out
of
a
financial
calculator
faster
than
Jason
Jones
can
do
it
in
his
head,
trying
to
figure
out
what
Denny
Gioia’s
ties
really
mean,
another
cup
of
that
coffee
at
the
buzz.
Chorus:
Our
Strength
Comes
from
You
On
this
journey,
there
are
times
when
we
must
stand
alone,
on
the
shore
of
Lake
Solitude,
having
scaled
a
great
height.
We
come
to
know
ourselves
through
these
challenges.
Come
to
know
what
we
are
made
of.
But
what
gives
us
the
strength
to
put
one
foot
in
front
of
the
other
and
what
makes
it
all
worthwhile
are
the
people
waiting
there
for
us
on
the
other
side.
Our
families,
our
friends,
our
classmates,
our
communities.
They
remind
us
of
why
we
set
out
to
do
something
that
is
so
hard.
When
you
are
surrounded
by
this
kind
of
love
-­‐
love
that
gives
you
the
courage
to
follow
your
own
heart,
wherever
it
may
lead
-­‐
life
is
truly
sweet.
2

3.
And
you
know,
in
these
two
years
at
Smeal,
I’ve
learned
that
for
me,
the
goal
is
not
up
there
on
the
top
of
the
mountain.
For
me,
the
goal
is
making
it
back
home.
MBA’s
lets
take
a
moment
to
thank
the
people
who
have
stood
by
us
and
supported
us
through
this
journey
–
our
spouses
and
significant
others,
our
children,
our
parents,
our
brothers
and
sisters,
grandma
and
grandpa,
our
cousins,
aunts
and
uncles,
nieces
and
nephews,
and
our
beloved
friends.
Let’s
clap
it
up.
They
deserve
it!
Verse
Five:
A
Moment
of
Pride
in
Your
Heroes
Now,
families
and
friends,
I
want
to
say
something
about
your
MBA
in
the
Smeal
Class
of
2012.
They
have
come
here
because
they
want
to
make
a
difference
in
this
world.
They
are
not
content
with
the
status
quo.
They
came
here
to
be
better,
stronger,
smarter,
more
effective,
more
efficient,
more
expert.
They
have
worked
so
hard
to
be
what
they
really
want
to
be
–
which
is
your
hero.
I
hope
you
are
proud
of
your
MBA
and
of
the
support
that
you
have
given
to
them.
I
know
I
am.
Chorus:
Our
Strength
Comes
from
You
Before
I
conclude,
I’d
like
to
say
something,
on
behalf
of
our
class.
I
want
to
say
a
profound
thank
you
to
the
faculty,
administration
and
staff
of
the
Smeal
College
of
Business.
YOU
ARE
TRULY,
TRULY
AMAZING.
You
have
given
us
so
much
of
yourselves
in
these
past
two
years.
You
have
taught
us
with
passion
and
intelligence
and
inspiration.
You
have
provided
structure
and
support
and
opportunity.
But
most
importantly
you
have
enabled
us
to
learn
for
ourselves
how
to
lead,
how
to
persevere
and
how
to
succeed!
For
all
of
this
and
so
much
more,
THANK
YOU!!!
The
Bridge:
A
Call
to
Action
and
a
Fond
Farewell
My
sweet
Class
of
2012.
What
can
I
say?
I
love
you.
You’ve
really
gotten
inside
my
heart.
I’m
going
to
miss
seeing
you
all
every
day.
Seeing
your
smiling
faces
in
the
mornings
before
class
lifted
me
up
-­‐
made
me
feel
valued.
You’ve
challenged
me
to
be
my
best
self
so
that
I
could
be
worthy
of
your
appreciation,
which
means
so
much
to
me.
And
you
know,
as
hard
as
it’s
been,
it’s
also
been
incredibly
fun!!
We
will
never
be
all
together
like
this
again.
But
I
am
comforted
by
the
knowledge
that
we
have
become
a
part
of
one
another.
Our
experience
here
has
become
true
north
on
our
internal
compass.
It
has
become
our
point
of
reference.
Wherever
we
may
go,
though
we
may
not
see
one
another,
for
the
rest
of
our
lives
we
will
guide
each
other
through
our
toughest
decisions,
through
the
challenges
we
face
to
achieve
our
goals
and
on
the
journey
back
home
again.
Now
listen
MBA’s,
go
out
there
and
make
a
difference.
Trust
your
heart
and
the
light
inside
of
you.
Show
the
world
what
you’ve
got
to
give.
Go
out
there
and
be
the
hero
that
you
already
are,
live
your
dreams,
and
always
remember
–
we
are...
Penn
State.
3