Pouya

What can words add to that except delay the moment you get your diploma?

I oppose the form of the commencement speech, and I continue to oppose it even as I do one now.

And I said yes only because of my personal connections to this school.

One is your president, Sandy Unger, who I worked closely with at NPR years ago, who, as many of you know, has a special gift for convincing people to do things they do not necessarily want to do.

Which worked out great in this case because I have a special gift for saying yes to people like that.

As was said, another personal connection I have to Goucher is my grandma, Frida, is my dad's mom, Frida Freelander, Goucher class of 31.

A very defiantly proud Goucher grad.

Are there members of Phi Beta Kappa here?

Can I hear Phi Beta Kappa?

You are my grandma's sister in that organization.

I'm wearing her Phi Beta Kappa key.

Grandma Frieda wore her key to any special dinner or occasion until she died and was not shy about talking about being a member of Phi Beta Kappa with anyone who would listen, which makes her seem like some wacky crank grandma old lady.

But she was actually anything but.

She was smart and funny and awake to the world.

And I loved her enough that although I oppose the form of graduation speech, I am standing here in front of you

because I know it would please her a great deal.

My third connection to Goucher I really was not going to talk about at all, and this week my wife and some friends insisted that you graduates would find it relevant.

And that is that I lost my virginity in one of the dorms here.

Not recently.

I was 20.