It’s that time of year again: graduation season. With so many commencement speakers in the news this month, media outlets from across the country have compiled their lists of some of the best graduation speeches of all time. Among those addresses given the seal of approval by both TIME and NPR was journalist Maria Shriver’s inspiring speech at the 2012 USC Annenberg School of Communication Commencement.
“I hope if you learn anything from me today, you learn and remember — the power of the pause. Pausing allows you to take a beat — to take a breath in your life. As everybody else is rushing around like a lunatic out there, I dare you to do the opposite,” said Shriver during her address.
Shriver’s speech, which is one of USC Annenberg’s most-watched videos with nearly 90,000 views, was named as one of TIME’s 12 Inspiring Graduation Speeches by Amazing Women, and one of NPR's 300 Best Commencement Speeches, Ever.
Also among NPR's 300 Best Commencement Speeches, Ever was the speech given by newly-appointed NPR President and CEO Jarl Mohn, who spoke at the USC Annenberg Commencement in 2009, as well as past University of Southern California Commencement keynote speakers Jimmy Iovine (2013), Steve Ballmer (2011), Arnold Schwarzenegger (2009), and Art Buchwald (1993.)
