I saw Steve Wozniak Live - He was the 2nd Best Speaker

As of this writing, Apple’s market capitalization is 2.71 trillion, which makes it the 5th largest country by GDP. Steve Wozniak co-founded the largest company in the history of the world and I got to see him speak live at Berkeley’s commencement. The craziest part of seeing one of the most influential people of the last century? His speech wasn’t even close to being the highlight of the event.

The Power of Graduation Speeches

Taken from Scott Cramer’s recent YouTube video, I’ve been thinking a lot about graduations. Graduations are special because they represent a pivotal celebration. As we grow older, celebrations become more rare. We begin to dread birthdays as they mark more aches and pains. However, graduations are different because they are a landmark event where you get to reminisce on the past while also dream about the future.

Graduation speeches are the highlight of all graduations; they sit in the upper echelon of YouTube videos, alongside TED talks and Daily Dose of Internet. As people sit in the hot sun, everyone is looking to the speakers to be informed or entertained. Commencement speakers come from far and wide, from all walks of life to impart the next great story, jokes and advice to the next generation. UC Berkeley is no different.

When I first walked into the UC Berkeley Stadium, I grabbed a program and flipped through it. Sure, I was there to support my sister as she was graduating, but imagine my surprise when I saw the name Steve Wozniak, right after hers. He was the commencement speaker. My mind flooded with possibilities, having gone to a small (overpriced) private school with my graduation being online, I relished the opportunity to hear from the great Steve Wozniak. Yet, like always, my sister was the one to surprise me.

Congratulations, Loser

My sister (Mari) and I grew up hating each other. We would always fight over who got to sit in the middle seat, who could read better and constantly called each other losers. As we got into high school and beyond, that faded and we were able to share a mutual bond for never being able to live up to our parent’s expectations (Just kidding, we love you Mom and Dad). However, our lives drastically diverged once I went to college.

Her junior year of high school she went through significant health challenges, which caused her to miss a majority of school. She was undeterred through it all as she narrowed her focus on what mattered in life, getting into a great college. Despite overcoming her many internal challenges, she faced an even bigger one. Her college counselor. Her college counselor had told her (and my parents) repeatedly that she had missed too much school and she needed to lower her expectations. The great schools were for those who were capable and put together. Nevertheless, she persisted and succeeded.

Through her own sheer aggression and force of will, she ended up at UC Berkeley. Having filled out a resume that turned more than a few heads and traveling the world for internships and events, she’s more than proved that college counselor wrong. She’s made a life for herself that anyone would be proud to lead. That all lead to graduation day.

The Small Stories

Our brains are hard-wired for stories, we crave them and listen to them. If you’ve ever doubted the power of stories, check out 6 word stories. Ernest Hemingway wrote the most famous one

As much as we like to believe we are rational creatures, swayed only by data and logic, we are story-driven animals. Mari told a small, but special story that exemplified this. I’m not going to butcher it here but if you want to watch it, here’s the link. She told the greatest story of the day, tugging at the audience’s heart strings, with audible “Aww’s” filling the stadium. I never would’ve thought this to be the case, but I couldn’t remember anything from Wozniak’s speech. Nothing against him, he seems like an amazing person with an intellect I can’t even begin to imagine, but I held on to the best story of the day. With whatever you do next, I know you’ll do great.

Derek

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