Judge Greg Mathis gives the winter commencement address Sunday at Eastern Michigan University.

Mark Bialek | For AnnArbor.com

Graduating from college is no longer a guarantee of gainful employment, particularly in Michigan where almost 15 percent of job seekers can't find full time work.

Graduates nowadays also need hustle, Judge Greg Mathis said in his keynote address today at Eastern Michigan University's Winter Commencement.

That, he told graduates, is what he showed after graduating from EMU in 1983.

Mathis took the Greyhound bus from Ypsilanti to downtown Detroit. Once in the city, he camped out in front of the office of then-Detroit City Council President Clyde Cleveland, making the trek for three days straight before he was even acknowledged by Cleveland's office.

When he was finally recognized, Mathis asked Cleveland's staff how he could volunteer his services to help the council president. Eventually he was brought onto Cleveland's staff, and the city council president became one of Mathis's mentors and earliest supporters.

But, Mathis said, his troubles didn't end there. After pulling double duty as a council staffer and a student at the University of Detroit Law School, the State Bar of Michigan refused to grant the judge his license because of his indiscretions as a teenager. For three years, Mathis waited as his case made it all the way to the state Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor.

In 1995 Mathis became the youngest judge to ever serve the 36th District Court. In 1999 his star rose further when his judicial talents turned him into a television personality with "Judge Mathis". It's still on the air.

To hear Mathis tell it, talent wasn't the essential element in his success. More than anything, it was Mathis's ability to push past disappointments and keep fighting that have made him a household name.

And if a street kid from Detroit can make it, Mathis said, graduates of one of the state's best universities can make it, too, Mathis said. The job market might not be strong at the moment, but, Mathis challenged the graduating class, the world is still set up for youth to make an impact.

From Alicia Keys in music to Sean "Diddy" Combs in music and fashion to President Obama, younger people are some of the major drivers of the world culture, Mathis said. Each of those success stories started out without many resources and each has turned into global icons in their respective fields. Those stories, and not tales of woe related to the economy, are what the class of 2009 should be focused on, Mathis said.

EMU took a chance on Mathis, who as a young member of Detroit's Errol Flynns drug gang, spent his formative years in and out of jail. Mathis's evolution, from street tough to political activist to judge to television personality and now author was rewarded today with an honorary degree in public service. Mathis's book, "Inner City Miracle," was recently published by Ballatine Books.

Mathis's redemption story is an extreme case, but like many of the graduates he spoke to, Mathis was able to find his home at Eastern. While posting solid grades, Mathis participated in the Free South Africa campaign and lent his talents to various voter registration drives in Washtenaw County. Mathis also met his wife, Linda, on campus.

Today's graduates appreciated his words as they prepared to head into the world.

Annie Nieuwenhuis, who graduated today with a degree in psychology, started her college career at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. But that environment was "almost like high school" and she needed a change, so she transferred to Eastern.

For Erica Peterson, of Novi, her degree in secondary education is the culmination of almost a decade of twists and turns.

The Novi High School graduate, class of 2000, studied English, as well as European and American history during her time at Eastern. She's looking to put what she's learned to use in the classroom now, but said that the job market for teachers is a tough one, especially in Southeast Michigan.

But even before hearing Mathis's motivational words, Peterson was undeterred. Peterson, a self-described "Michigan girl, through and through," said that if she has any choice in the matter, she'll remain in Michigan. But she has heard that the job market is strong in other states. The longer it takes for her to get a job in Michigan, the tougher it'll be to ignore that option.

"You've got to go where the population is," Peterson said. "I'm going to go wherever the 'man upstairs' sends me - kids everywhere need good teachers."

James David Dickson can be reached at JamesDickson@AnnArbor.com.