Speaker: Don't fear failure

One speaker said now is the time for graduates 'to go out there and really screw up.'
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Those in the sea of black gowns and mortarboards -- peppered with the obligatory "Hi Mom!" and "I made it!" messages -- were urged by peers and mentors to embrace change but also to fail and fail often.
More than 750 Youngstown State University students attended graduation ceremonies Saturday morning in the campus's Beeghly Center. They represented the largest graduating class at YSU in recent memory; school officials estimate 1,869 students graduated in the 2002-03 academic year.
As the students craned their necks, searching for family members in the audience, and while mothers, fathers, friends and others dabbed the tears from their eyes, the group shared memories and advice with two keynote speakers: Brenda Chadambura, of Zimbabwe in southern Africa, who graduated magna cum laude Saturday with a bachelor's degree in business administration, and Maureen E. Midgley, plant manager of General Motors Lordstown Assembly plant, who also received an honorary doctor of science degree.
Rough beginning
"Twenty-degree temperatures, slabs of ice on the road, 3-foot piles of snow," was how Chadambura remembered the conditions of her first day of classes at YSU in January 1999. "I remember crying out, 'What am I doing here?'"
In deciding to come to the United States to be near an uncle who was already in the Mahoning Valley, Chadambura said she chose YSU because she knew it was an area where she could spread her wings. She knew she was not alone in a situation in which she had to adapt to her new surroundings.
Chadambura told her fellow graduates at the ceremony, "The fact that we are all here is a pretty good indicator that we not only rose to the challenges, we excelled as well."
Midgley, who moved to the Mahoning Valley four years ago from her home state of Missouri, said before commencement began that she considered her address to the students one of the most important speeches of her life. She added that she held the highest respect not only for the students and their families, but also for YSU and its officials.
"YSU has done an incredible job of leading the renaissance not only of the city, but of the region," she said. "I really think they hold their own."
Embrace failure
During her speech, Midgley instructed graduates not to fear failure, but to embrace it and the lessons it teaches. She highlighted not only the great achievements but also the repeated failures of icons such as Beethoven, Henry Ford, Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth. In each case, she said, they learned from mistakes they made, but were still not afraid to fail in their quests for greatness.
"It's through life's mistakes and missed opportunities that we get the greatest lessons," she said. "The knowledge gained will be more powerful than found by reading a book or taking a lesson."
She also urged graduates to take advantage of the time element; it's easier to make mistakes earlier in your career, before the stakes get higher, she said.
"Now's the perfect time to go out there and really screw up," she said.
After the speeches, while YSU musicians performed and giant beach balloons were batted through the air by the crowd, some were realizing their "real" lives were about to start.
Kareen X. Neal of Houston, Eugene Mintze of Miami and Anna Visa Mark of Poland, all communications majors, attended -- at the urging of their parents -- the ceremony that marked the end of their college years.
Loved their experience
Neal and Mintze said they came to Youngstown to play for the football team, and Mark attended because it was so close to her home. But each of them had only praise for their experiences and educators as they waited to get their degrees.
"Everything about it was a learning experience," Neal said of his time here. "It's a smaller school, so it forces you to network and meet people."
Mintze, who has already applied to graduate school at YSU, said the intimate atmosphere was a major reason he stayed in the Mahoning Valley.
"I got a lot more one-on-one attention than I would have," he said. "It was actually good to be with a small group, especially in communications."
And despite being a member of one of the largest graduating classes at the university, Mark said she believes she forged more relationships at YSU than she would have at another school.
"You run into the same people over and over again; they become familiar strangers," she said. "You get to the point where you say 'Hey!' when you see them."
And though they listened to advice during commencement, ready to move on to the next step in their lives, the trio had their own words of wisdom for underclassmen.
"Make the most of it from the beginning."
slshaulis@vindy.com