(crowd cheering)

Let me just take it in.

First of all, it is beyond a pleasure and an honor

to be here to celebrate the City College of New York

class of 2016.

You all, I mean,

this has been the most fun I think I've had

at a commencement, ever.

(crowd cheering)

Let me just say a few thank yous.

Let me start of course by thanking president Coico

for that wonderful introduction,

for her leadership here at City College,

for this honorary degree.

I also want to recognize Senator Schumer,

Chancellor Milican, trustee Shorter,

Edward Plotkin as well as your amazing valedictorian,

Andoni Mourdoukoutas.

Did I get it right?

Andoni.

And your amazing salutatorian, Orubba Almansouri.

I really don't want to follow those two. (laughs)

If anybody is wondering about the quality of education,

just listening to those two speakers

lets you know what's happening here.

And I'm so proud of you both, and to your families,

congratulations, well done, well done.

And of course, let us not forget Elizabeth Aklilu

for her amazing performance of the national anthem

earlier today.

She blew it out of the water.

But most of all I want to acknowledge all of you,

the brilliant, talented, ambitious, accomplished,

and all around outstanding members of the class of 2016.

Woo!

You give me chills.

You all have worked so hard and come so far

to reach this milestone.

So I know this is a big day for all of you and your families

and for everyone at this school who supported you

on this journey.

And in many ways this is a big day for me too.

See, this is my very last commencement address

as first lady of the United States.

This is it.

So I just want to take it all in.

And I think this was the perfect place to be

because this is my last chance to share my love

and admiration and hopefully a little bit of wisdom

with a graduating class.

Graduates, I really want you all to know

that there is a reason why, of all of the colleges

and universities in this country,

I chose this particular school in this particular city

for this special moment.

And I'm here because of all of you.

I mean, we've talked about it.

Andoni, I'm gonna talk a little bit

about diversity, thank you.

Just look around.

Look at who you are.

Look at where we're gathered today.

As the president eloquently said at this school,

you represent more than 150 nationalities.

You speak more than 100 different languages.

Whoa, just stop there.

You represent just about every possible background,

every color and culture, every faith and walk of life.

And you've taken so many different paths to this moment.

Maybe your family has been in the city for generations

or maybe like my family, they came to this country

centuries ago in chains.

Maybe they just arrived here recently,

determined to give you a better life.

But graduates, no matter where your journey started,

you have all made it here today through the same combination

of unyielding determination, sacrifice, and a whole lot

of hard work.

Commuting hours each day to class, some of you.

Juggling--

Yes, amen.

Juggling multiple jobs to support your families

and pay your tuition.

Studying late into the night, early in the morning

on subways and buses.

And in those few precious minutes during breaks at work.

And somehow you still found time to give back

to your communities, tutoring young people,

reading to kids, volunteering at hospitals.

Somehow you still manage to do prestigious internships

and research fellowships and join all kinds

of clubs and activities.

And here at this nationally ranked university

with a rigorous curriculum and renowned faculty,

you rose to the challenge.

Distinguishing yourselves and your classes,

winning countless honors and awards,

and getting into top graduate schools

across the country, whoa.

So graduates, with your glorious diversity,

with your remarkable accomplishments

and your deep commitment to your communities,

you all embody the very purpose of this school's founding.

And more importantly,

you embody the very hopes and dreams

carved into the base of that iconic statue

not so far from where we sit,

on that island were so many of your predecessors

at this school first set foot on our shores.

And that is why I wanted to be here today at City College.

I wanted to be here to celebrate all of you,

this school, this city,

because I know that there is no better way to celebrate

this great country than being here with you.

See, all of you know for centuries,

this city has been the gateway to America

for so many striving, hope filled immigrants.

Folks who left behind everything they knew

to seek out this land of opportunity that they dreamed of.

And so many of those folks, for them,

this school was the gateway to actually realizing

that opportunity in their lives.

Funded on the fundamental truth

that talent and ambition know no distinctions of race,

nationality, wealth, or fame,

and dedicated to the ideals that our founding fathers

put forth more than two centuries ago,

that we are all created equal.

All entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

City College became a haven for brilliant,

motivated students of every background.

A place where they didn't have to hide their last names

or their accents, or put on any kind of airs

because the students at this school were selected

based not on pedigree, but on merit and merit alone.

So really,

(crowd cheering)

it is no accident that this institution has produced

10 Nobel Prize winners.

Along with countless captains of industry,

cultural icons, leaders at the highest levels of government.

Because talent and effort combined with

our various backgrounds and life experiences has always been

the lifeblood of our singular American genius.

Just take the example of the great American lyricist

Ira Gershwin, who attended City College a century ago.

The son of a Russian Jewish immigrant,

his songs still light up Broadway today.

Or consider the story of the former CEO

of Intel, Andrew Grove, class of 1960.

He was a Hungarian immigrant whose harrowing escape

from Nazism and communism shaped

both his talent for business

and his commitment to philanthropy.

And just think about the students

in this very graduating class.

Students like the economics and pre-law major

from Albania who also completed the requirements

for a philosophy major and dreams of being

a public intellectual.

The educational theater student from right here in Harlem

who's already an award winning playwright

and recently spoke at the White House.

The biomedical science major who was born in Afghanistan

and plans to be a doctor, a policy maker,

and an educator.

(crowd cheering)

And your salutatorian, whose Yemeni roots

inspired her to study Yemeni women's writing

and to advocate for girls in her community,

urging them to find their own voices,

to tell their own stories.

I could go on.

These are just four of the nearly 4,000

unique and amazing stories in this graduating class.