SPEAKER 1: Love you, Zamyla.
ZAMYLA: Love you too.
Hello, World is one of
the most famous computer
programs in the world, a rite of
passage as you begin your journey
into computer science education.
We say Hello, World as an introduction
to a new programming language.
Hello, World marks the opening of a new
door, the very beginning of a journey.
Each and every time
this phrase is uttered,
I am fully aware of the symbolism
of these two simple words.
They represent a commitment to
add to one's personal development,
to imprint and add richly
to Harvard's story.
And this journey is bravely taken.
Despite our very disciplines
at the end of CS50,
we can all confidently and
humbly say, hello world
and know that we have all passed
through this same checkpoint
in our unique, individual journey
that is undoubtedly demanding,
but as seen here today,
ultimately doable.
And your journey is measured not in
where you end up relative to others
but where you yourself end up
relative to yourself in week zero.
Indeed I'd argue that CS50's
best lessons aren't actually
in programming but for life itself.
You learn quickly that programs
with any modicum of complexity
are not written from scratch.
You learn to include
and import libraries
of code, functions, and classes,
and structures written by others.
And what better library than Harvard's,
the largest academic research
collection in the world.
Contained within the library
are vast banks of knowledge,
which you equip in your tool box
formula from great mathematicians,
rigorous case studies, poems, and
religious texts and literature.
Yet even with this
tool box, you struggle.
Encountering bugs and glitches,
your code doesn't work properly.
It might not even work or run at all.
You often find yourself questioning
whether the system itself is broken,
or maybe are you the
one that came broken?
You get your feedback,
parse the error messages,
and start to debug line by line.
This journey is painful.
It is grueling.
It is filled with frustration,
struggle, and sleepless nights
in Currier dining hall fretting
over assignments and deadlines.
But with the lows come many highs,
the camaraderie of your study group,
a surge of strength and confidence
from your blockmate's encouragement,
the aha moment when you finally
solve a complicated problem.
Your aha moment is when you learn
the difference between knowledge
and intelligence and that
logic can link the two.
Your aha moment is when
you realize that there
are many options for how
to implement something,
all of them viable solutions, just
as all of us have different paths.
Some of us have crossed oceans to
get here today, have fought prejudice
to get here today, have battled
physical and mental health complications
to get here today, have sacrificed more
than I can mention to get here today.
Many of us here today have
achieved beyond our wildest dreams.
As a proud black Asian
female, first generation,
working class engineer,
scientist, educator,
but most importantly,
always a learner, I
want to shout out to
all of you, hello world.
I see you.
And I'm here with you.
Each one of us has done it.
But also we have done this together.
We have imprinted forever on Harvard's
network, made our own contribution
to the library.
And the Harvard story continues.
We see our own tree planted as we also
see the forest that we are a part of.
This journey is exhilarating
and the most exquisite learning
adventure that I have ever had the
pleasure and honor to experience
and share with all of you.
So with pride, humility, and bravery,
let us all together say, hello world.
