In addition to the comments collected in the video above, several Questrom alums sent notes by e-mail:

May 1, 2020

Questrom Class of 2020

Congratulations!!

You have a completed an important phase in your young lives and now it’s time to continue your journey.

I think that there are 3 key factors in life that will place you in the best situation to be successful as a person in our society. They are Education, Passion, and Execution.

You are on your way on with Education and I know many of you will be heading directly into the workplace and others will be continuing their formal education.  I cannot stress enough how important this factor is in becoming a contributing individual in our society. Please, please keep giving education the highest priority in your lives. All you need to do is look around and see how important this is.

The next factor is Passion. This may be the most difficult and yet the most important factor to possess, as it comes from within and in most cases cannot be taught, although you can be guided and pointed in the right direction by looking at examples in your life to learn from.  Find what you love in life and go after it. The fear of failure is what stops most individuals finding the Passion that is inside all of us. Failure is only a step in the process and not the end in your journey. No one will go through life without failure, so embrace it, step over it, go through it, learn from it and focus on your Passion to succeed.

The third factor is Execution. This can be defined as your hard work and dedication by using your education and passion to get things done, complete tasks, obtain goals, work smart, work hard. This is about setting goals and making things happen. Never accept being average. Never accept mediocrity.

Strive for excellence and work hard to reach your individual potential. Don’t compare yourself to others.  Be the best YOU that you can be. There is no limitation on what you can achieve.

SOAR HIGH!

CONCEIVE, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE

Barry Shames

Retired Founder, Shames Construction

Questrom Class of 1974

“Legends aren’t born, they are made. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal which is worthwhile.”

—Vince Lombardi

This quote could not be more applicable with the current challenges we face together as a country and as citizens of the world. I hope the 2020 graduates come out stronger than ever and support each other for greatness.

Collin Yip (Questrom’12)

You are all in for an exciting time.  There are so many opportunities awaiting you.  When I graduated, I couldn’t wait to venture into this world.  You should too.  Embrace the challenges, be adventurous, be creative, be brave, and work like a fiend. As you know, the Chinese have a saying: “Where there is danger, there is opportunity.” These two words, “danger and opportunity,” are tied in so many ways.  Life without risk means an uneventful, plain, and boring life. Humans have faced risks and challenges throughout human history. While there are big problems such as over-population, climate change, and a global pandemic facing you, there are also such great opportunities to fix these problems. It will take a concerted global effort, no doubt, but we could see our greatest leap forward yet. Just look at what the last hundred years or even the last couple of decades have achieved. The next couple of decades could be exponentially greater. Good luck and be prosperous.

George Chen (Questrom’72)

Message from Class of 1952

Congratulations to members of the class of 2020 and best luck in whatever your future will bring.

Louis H. Shoer (Questrom’52)