(upbeat string music)
Wow, all of you guys are
first-generation students.
The fact that you have
endured and you are here
and very soon you will
graduate and, hopefully,
will be very productive and successful,
that's really impressive
and it's impressive
because you break that mold and,
for the first time, you see it can be done.
And I think that's very, very powerful.
My story's probably a little
bit unusual for many of you
because my circumstances are different.
I was born in Iran. You know my parents,
my father was very poor.
And feeding 10 kids wasn't easy.
We didn't have what you call a series
of good options in front of us.
It was just this one lucky option
and everything else was kind of tough.
But, my determination was always very,
very strong and I really always believed
that I could do anything that I wanted to.
And that helped a lot.
And it's not because I'm anything unique.
No, every single one
of you can do the same.
But, it's that belief that is so enduring
and powerful that you never let anybody,
first of all, tell you that you are lesser
and you never say that
"no, this is not for me.
"I can't do that."
If you say that you're really doing
a disservice to yourself.
You're as good as anybody else.
And I think that you have to
keep saying that to yourself.
There is no magic formula.
There is no lesson out there,
there is no book out there.
Honestly, I learned everything
one thing at a time.
And on occasions I screwed up and I made
a lot of mistakes along the way.
And that is okay.
What amazes me is that when
people like us succeed,
it is very different than somebody
who had everything ready for them, right?
Because it was easier.
The fact that you have
achieved up to this point,
that's remarkably great itself.
That should give you that
motivation that I am good enough.
I got to this point.
I'm about to graduate
and get a biology degree
and, who knows, medical school next thing.
Next thing that I know that's the dream.
And why not you?
You're as good as anybody else.
(audience applauds)
(students laughing)
