C U M L AU DE A DDR E S S
oracle or dicemaster with the future. You are speaking in the realities of what you will do and how you will spend your time. And that process is much more under your immediate control. When I thought about the startup experience, I realized it would most certainly be a journey of learning—no matter what happened to the product. Perhaps no one would use it, and we would silently exit the stage as if the product had never existed. But what I did know one hundred percent was that I would be learning a ton in the process about building new products, technically and otherwise. It would also be a journey of fun. And I don’t mean “fun” in the sense of watching Netflix or posting on Snapchat or whatever young people do these days. I mean the kind of fun that can persist even when you
2017 CUM LAUDE SOCIETY INDUCTEES Fourteen members of the Class of 2017 were inducted into the Cate School Chapter of the national Cum Laude
are stuck in traffic, because you’re sitting
Society: Top row (left to right): Bryce Huerta, Henry Dawson, Halie Straathof, Rebecca Qin, and Robert Zhu.
next to your best friend. The kind of fun
Middle row (left to right): Ryan Borchardt, Olivia Siemens, Edward Lee, and Summer Christensen. Bottom row
that helps you get through a grueling hike
(left to right): Flora Hamilton, Katherine Grossman, Serena Soh, Nancy Wu, and Gabby Teodoro.
or any of the most challenging, nightmarish scenarios by being able to laugh together at
was wrong. I learned the importance of
hard you try. As was the case for me, your
the situation. This also was something that
community in my work, and came to
first instinct may be to stick with what you
we could control.
really rely on my teammates to provide
know. But what we are celebrating tonight
positive energy when I was feeling like
is something all of you in this room are
as a start-up founder, I saw a journey that
everything was going down the drain. And
deeply familiar with in your core—the
was not without dark times, but that was
most importantly, we had fun. I grumbled
curiosity to pursue the unknown, both in
also full of learning opportunities and full
sometimes about how we went from
the world and in yourselves. I hope you
of joy and camaraderie. When I considered
gourmet three-course lunches at Google
carry that forward, and that considering the
the journey, and really valued it for what
to canned bean salads, but all in good fun.
journey ahead will make the leap into the
it was independent of the outcome, the
After some of the most grueling investor
unknown a little bit easier. I hope you really
decision became shockingly easier. It wasn’t
pitch meetings, where we were hammered
take the time to understand the journey
about the risks and the hypotheticals. It was
with brutal rejections, we were able to
ahead, and to realize that it is yours to
all about what we would get to experience
make silly jokes about them, laugh a little,
design. I hope that it takes you to decisions
every day and every step.
regroup, and move on to the next pitch.
you thought you would never make. I hope
So when I imagined the journey ahead
And it turned out to be true. I learned
Life will invariably throw you a lot of
that it takes you past peaks and valleys and
so much from the experience, one surprise
decisions to make after Cate. Should I take
eventually to surprising new heights. And
after another. I learned that putting
that class? What should I major in? Should
I wish you the best of company on those
together an early-stage product is really
I go work at that company? Should I stay?
journeys. Thank you.
an exercise in humility, that I had to lay
Should I quit? It is truly non-stop. And they
down my pride, constantly ask for feedback
can be sort of exhausting and paralyzing,
even when it wasn’t easy to listen to, face
because many of them you have to evaluate
rejection after rejection, and admit that
with imperfect information. You just won’t
much of what we had done or assumed
know what the outcome might be, however W W W. CATE . O R G
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