Senior White House adviser encourages law grads to be responsible leaders
Valerie Jarrett speaks at Hill Auditorium on Saturday.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Passion, resilience, character and courage.
Those were the four traits Senior Presidential Adviser Valerie Jarrett told University of Michigan Law School graduates they need to be responsible leaders during their commencement Saturday.
Coming exactly one week after President Barack Obama spoke at the general U-M spring commencement, Jarrett shared her own journey to the White House as the ceremony’s keynote speaker.
“If you’re wondering why the University of Michigan has gotten so much attention, it’s because we have alums throughout our administration.” she said. “Go Blue.”
Jarrett, who graduated from U-M’s law school in 1981, said her path to success wasn’t easy and wasn’t always what she had planned.
After spending six years at a Chicago law firm where she thought she’d end up long term — six years that included marriage, a baby and a divorce — Jarrett said she found herself looking out her window and crying.
“What I was doing is what I thought I should do,” she said. “But not what was fulfilling.”
Soon after, Jarrett decided to go into public service, working as an administrator in the mayor’s office — a move, she said, that required a huge leap of faith.
“For the very first moment, I felt like that was were I belonged,” she said.
Jarrett encouraged graduates to seek out work they loved but to stay flexible and embrace change. She said it was important to resist complacency in the law and to always keep a strong moral compass, no matter how strong the opposition is.
She said the higher up in leadership you go, the more adversaries you will face. But, she said, that is when a strong sense of character, resiliency and courage are most important.
“Government roles are not for the faint of heart,” she said.“Transformative change is very hard, but please don’t settle for anything else.”
Friends and family take photos as University of Michigan law graduates march down the aisle at Hill Auditorium on Saturday afternoon
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Many of the new law grads left commencement feeling inspired, they said.
“It’s nice to see someone who has accomplished so much take time to come back and speak with us,” Rodney Tolentino said. “Just to see two members of the executive branch speak with us, it was great.”
Raphaelle Monty also enjoyed the keynote speech and said she liked Jarrett’s advice to pursue what you love. She said she liked how the speech was focused on the law grads, while Obama’s speech had been geared toward a more general civic duty.
“It’s always great to hear what alums have to say,” she said. “And it’s always great to see alums in high places.”
Erica Hobbs is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734 623-2537 or via e-mail at ericahobbs@annarbor.com.
Comments
David Briegel
Tue, May 11, 2010 : 6:25 a.m.
Moral compass. Right Wing Morals. An oxymoron. Wall Street, I mean the casino on Wall Street. Now That is where we need a moral compass. Think of all the families that scraped and saved to send their children to the finest schools so they could go to Wall Street and plunder the resources of a nation and rob the citizens of their retirement and their future. We could have had Bush or Paulson come tell us how to Loot our nations Treasury!
waylon
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 10:50 p.m.
Sure Dave! I would try it.. but, i'm not drinking the Kool-aid! You can have my dose... I just think those that dont have a moral compass, shouldn't be leading our scholars into their journey.
David Briegel
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 7:13 p.m.
Caryn, come on, she was speaking to lawyers! I remember my good friend going to Harvard on a fellowship as the legal profession made a feeble attempt to cleanse itself from the richly deserved "bagman" image post Watergate. That was a great experience for our families. He is now a successful law professor who did not need additional morals which was not widely the case! Waylon, they are doing just that!! Try it! How can one be morally strong in an unprincipaled corporate world? That is the question.
Basic Bob
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 4:24 p.m.
"Keep a strong moral compass" - Unfortunately, morals are relative. Even ambulance chasing has a moral basis (protecting the afflicted from malicious actions). And how can one be morally strong in an unprincipled organization such as the federal government?
bravetruth
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 6:11 a.m.
'Transformative change is very hard' when the majority opposes it but Rham and Andy Stern and Barney Frank and the MSM worked out a backroom deal. Way to go Ann Arbor.
waylon
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 4:02 a.m.
valerie jarret and the white house administration, needs to practice what they preach!
Phil Dokas
Sat, May 8, 2010 : 10:07 p.m.
I spoke with some graduates and their families today after the ceremony and they all had nothing but the best to say about Jarrett's address.
Caryn
Sat, May 8, 2010 : 9:08 p.m.
"graduates they need to be responsible leaders" OMG does this REALLY have to be SAID? That is a given!