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REMARKS BY :		DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:			University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland
DATE			May 21, 1997

I know that all of you will take time today to thank your families for their love and support that made this day possible. You should also thank hard working people all over Maryland - citizens you will never meet - who pay taxes to maintain this great public university.

I know exactly how you feel at this moment.

I'll never forget my own college graduation. In the air, you could feel the same sense of accomplishment, excitement, and the most chilling feeling of all - the absolute fear that the commencement speech would never end.

As a former Governor liked to say, "Commencement speakers should think of themselves as the body at an old-fashioned Irish wake. They need you in order to have the party, but nobody expects you to say very much." Albert Einstein gave one of the shortest graduation speeches ever. He said, "I do not have any particular thoughts to express today, so I wish you all success in the future." Then he sat down.

Well I do have a few thoughts to share with you.

Because graduation speeches are really about giving advice, in the spirit of David Letterman, as you head out into the world, let me offer you Donna Shalala's top ten pieces of advice for UMBC graduates.

Ten. Face reality. When your alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m., it's not a nightmare - it's a job.

Nine. Be decisive. As Yogi Berra liked to say, "When you come to a fork in the road - take it!

Eight. Be diplomatic. When your parents ask you how long you'll be living at home after graduation - lie.

Seven. Listen to voices of experience. Lilly Tomlin once said: "The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat."

Six. Don't procrastinate. Order your World Series tickets now because Cal and the O's are going all the way.

Five. Be patient. Wait at least 24 hours after graduation before asking your parents for money.

Four. Be loyal Americans - vote, pay your taxes, and above all else, always beat the Oxford Debate Team.

Three. Be honest. When relatives ask you what are you going to do the rest of your life, tell them the truth: You have no idea.

Two. Be succinct: When asked what the UMBC chess team has to say to Deep Blue, give just one word: Checkmate.

But in all seriousness - and without the David Letterman drum roll - my number one piece of advice for UMBC grads is: Be more than good at your chosen work - be good citizens as well. In other words, don't confuse having a career with having a life. They are not the same.

Before he died, Paul Tsongas, a former Senator from Massachusetts, and a beloved husband and father, said, "Nobody ever says on their death bed, I wish I had spent more time in the office." I decided to make this point early because, let's face it, if you had a dollar for every time someone asks you, "Now that you've finished school, what are you going to do for the rest of your life?" - you could retire now.

A generation ago, the movie The Graduate, made the word "plastics" the favorite answer to that question. But, today, I have come to ask you the only question more important than what are you going to do with your life? It is, how are you going to live your life?

Because, the fact is, you are about to enter a world where you will no longer be judged by your grades, but by your character. By the promises you keep, and the changes you shape. By the examples you set, and the challenges you meet. By your guts and your heart. In short, you will be judged by what kind of citizen you are.

Thirty years ago, when I sat where you're sitting, my parent's generation had just saved our nation from economic collapse and world tyranny. And President Kennedy was challenging my generation to fight for civil rights; join the Peace Corps (which I did); explore space (which I would have liked to do); and carry the American dream to every corner of our country. But, now it's your turn.

The Cold War is over, but as we enter the next century, we face huge new challenges - challenges that are really about you and your future. Will we protect, not neglect, the environment? Will we kick Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man out of young people's lives? Will health care and student loans be there for you, and for your children? And, will we end the racism and division that still plague us - and finally emerge as One America? It is up to you.

Today, too many people think that your generation simply doesn't care about the future. They even call you Generation X. But I don't buy it for a minute. I believe the only "X" that you stand for is excellence. I believe that you and your entire generation will define yourselves not according to someone else's empty labels, but by your words and deeds. Your hopes and dreams. And, I believe that your class - your generation - will redefine what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century.

Groucho Marx once posed this interesting question, "Who are you going to believe, me or you own two eyes?" With that warning for the ages, I will not try to define a 21st century citizenship for you. But I will offer you some suggestions, with a little help from someone who was the embodiment of early American citizenship - Ben Franklin.

Just a couple of weeks ago, at the volunteer summit in Philadelphia, the President told this story about Franklin. On the last day of the Constitutional Convention, Franklin encountered a woman who asked him, "Well doctor, what have we got? A monarchy or a republic?" Franklin replied, "A republic if you can keep it."

More than 200 years later, keeping it is now in your hands.

Keep it by taking the same commitment you brought to the UMBC community and investing it in your local community - and your nation. By never losing the spirit of service that has made your own Shriver Center a national model for mentoring. None of us got to where we are without standing on the shoulders of another. And none of us will get to where we need to go without bending down to lift up someone who comes after us. Keep our republic by taking an active role in your health and your health care. Keep our republic by voting - yes. But also by staying informed, getting involved in public service, and proving that the author William Faulkner was right when he said we are immortal because we are capable of compassion, sacrifice, and endurance.

And, perhaps most important, keep our republic - and your sanity - by always leading a balanced life. Balancing work and family. Work and friendship. Work and spiritual renewal. And perhaps most important, work and having fun. Yes, I said fun.

When I graduated, I did not know exactly where life would take me. But I promised myself, I would never play it safe. I've kept that promise.

As you prepare to leave UMBC, my deepest hope is that you won't play it safe either. That you'll rise to every challenge, and pick yourself up every time you fall. That you'll stand your ground - and when necessary, stand conventional wisdom on its head.

I wish you the best of everything - and that every dream you carry inside you today comes true. I wish you good health, great friendships, and love. And I wish you uncomfortable but exciting lives - with balance, promise, and many visits back to your wonderful campus. Congratulations and God speed. Thank you.