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====== 2024 Commencement Speech: Shital Vora, CEO and co-founder of Global Brigades   ======

**//[[https://www.youtube.com/live/g93UOTQYGTA?si=WKO2IS3SYt6gjzWu&t=4729| A recording of the commencement speech can be found online.]]//**

This is a very untraditional way to get on the jumbotron, so this is very exciting.

This is truly one of the most incredible honors that have come my way for numerous reasons and honestly there are no full thoughts to describe how meaningful this is to me and the organizations I get to represent which is Global Brigades and Escala and also to be able to share my journey of who I am today which beautifully started right here in Milwaukee when I was an eager and excited Marquette student 23 years ago.

So picture this, it was a Monday, the day that my three little children finally went back to school after what was a really long winter break and it was finally really quiet and still in the house. I had my eye on this cup of coffee that I brewed that I just really wanted to you know, get and start tackling the inbox for the day to get to work.

So I open my inbox and I see this e-mail from Dr. Lovell and it catches my eye and I click open that message and my heart starts racing with all this anticipation. I read and re-read and re-read those words and it hits me. I've been asked to be the 2024 commencement speaker and to top that off I am being awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

So it is a moment that completely stops me in my tracks. And I have this mixture of excitement and kind of disbelief swirling in my mind. So the enormity of this thing starts to sink in right as I'm sitting there and I thought about how did I, just this ordinary person find myself in company of typical commencement speech legends, like typically it's you know like, Michelle Obama or Steve Jobs and even a few years ago we had Dwyane Wade, right. Big shoes to fill right, especially after Marquette's basketball season that was so stellar.

But as I sit here and I'm grappling with what's going on, something in my brain kind of shifts. I pick up that now luke warm cup of coffee and I realize that this isn't a fluke, right, this moment isn't a fluke. It's a culmination of 23 years of my team and my dedication to organizations such as Global Brigades and Escala.

So we were just a group of humble beginnings. We were a group of students that would meet in the basement of Schroeder Complex to now a global movement impacting millions across seven countries. But every step of the journey has lead me here, right. It is a realization that fills me with a lot of pride and gratitude and a reminder that nothing is really by chance.

Again, Global Brigades started off as a small chapter of just 10 Marquette students. We would meet outside the furnace closet at Schroeder Complex and now we are one of the most largest movements of resolving health and economic disparities to support over 2 million beneficiaries across seven countries. 

Now, you'll never know when your time comes but every single rep we do day to day and every experience leads you to your moment and so this has been my opportunity to rise to the occasion. I truly know that each of you has worked so hard before starting your time at Marquette and especially during your time here at Marquette. And here you are, celebrating this tremendous achievement on your graduation day.

So how do you level up to be at the next chapter of your life to handle that next chapter of your life as soon as the ceremony concludes so that you're ready to rise to your occasion when it comes your way. 

So as you leave today with the experiences and lessons that you've learned throughout your time here at Marquette I just want to share 3 short stories and 3 pieces of advice that allowed me to be the difference and rise to my occasion.

So the first story is usually when you are in high school the latter years are focused on getting the best grades that you can, getting involved with as many extracurriculars that you can stomach, right. Finding out ways to get accepted to some prestigious university that will hopefully create this great future for you. 

So I was on that same path, as a first generation Indian daughter there was nothing that my parents wanted more than to see me succeed and take advantage of every opportunity that this world had to offer. So I was full throttle making a case for myself to get into any prestigious school that would open their doors for me.

Now you always hear that anecdote, my immigrant parents came here with $5 in their pocket and a backpack. That was my parents, well they actually had $15, but they came to this country completely sight unseen and they left their culture and the comforts of their own home and hopped across the globe to start a better future for their prospective family.

Every time I hear about their decision to do something so wild and other immigrants that are in the same position, I think, that is so much fortitude, right. That is so much intrepidness and that boldness of that decision making always stuck really close to me throughout my life. 

So my family really wanted me to stay close to Chicago for college, but I came across Marquette while browsing what was called the World Wide Web at the time and I saw that they had this renowned PT program and that piqued my interest.

So I blindly applied not even knowing were the university was located or what the campus even looked like. But there was something in my gut that felt like there was something at that school for me. It's a feeling to this day that I can't describe. But I was compelled to throw my hat in the ring and apply to the university. 

And despite my parents hesitation of me being you know "so far away", now that I reflect on it, it was likely this subconscious influence of their decision making many years ago as immigrants when they did the same exact thing across the world and not just 90 minutes up I-94.

So a few months later I checked the mail and I saw this beautiful blue and gold envelope and that same feeling in my gut came back. I knew that that was an acceptance to Marquette and without even knowing what the campus looked like or anything, I had to go there. I felt like I had to go there. It was one of the first times that I felt so confident about something, but here is the caveat. My parents were not really fully supportive because I've gotten into all the Chicago schools and they wanted me to stay close by. So Marquette was kind of off the table.

So what does one do with this conundrum of wanting to do something so big and go to the school that my parents did not agree with? Well, truthfully I tricked my dad into signing a deposit check for something else and I sent it to Marquette to secure my spot with admission. 

They were livid! But then again that gut feeling kept me from feeling guilty that I did something like that and I knew that at some day they would be okay with it and honestly that day is probably today as I'm standing up here.

So the very first time I stepped on campus was my freshmen orientation. Which may seem so insane to most of you, but I had zero hesitations because I simply followed my gut and knew that this was the right choice for me. So that decision led to a series of events which got me to meet the right people to find out who I truly am and the impact I get to do with my team on a daily basis.

I've always followed that instinct because time and time again it proves that it's the right direction to go in. Now it led me to meet the other co-founders of Global Brigades which is Steven Atamian and Duffy Casey and the incredible team I get to work with across countries on a daily basis. It also led me to find my most supportive and loving husband Pallav. And we have the joy of raising three incredible and hilarious children, Ria, Ari and Kellen.

It also led me to meet the deeper Marquette community who so generously support what we do within vulnerable populations. Okay, so Marquette graduates let me dive into my first piece of advice that I want to share with you. You know that feeling in your gut, that instinct, that inner compass that guides you through life's twists and turns. That is your ticket to greatness. Trust it, nurture it and never, ever settle for anything else.

Now I understand this might sound like typical commencement speech spiel to you, but here is the kicker, it is the absolute truth. In a world full of distraction and noise, your gut is your most reliable navigator. You have to ignore the naysayers, ignore the doubters and the noise and the static that's around you because that's just background noise compared to the symphony of your inner voice.

Your inner voice is a conglomeration of your parents, your friends, your mentors, your teachers, your most trusted inner circle. It is like a colander of all the things that are important to you that stays and the rest of the distracting things filter out.

So why should you listen to it? Because your inner voice knows you better than anyone else ever will. It is like having your own personal GPS leading you straight to your fullest potential. So when those moments come, those heart pounding, gut wrenching moments and opportunity knocks, listen up. Embrace them and that's your inner voice whispering this is it, this is your moment.

So trust me, when you heed that call and let your true self shine, that's when the magic happens and that's when you become unstoppable. So as you embark on this journey called life, remember this, follow your gut.

And to reiterate this advice, one of my most cherished mentors and dear friend Dr. Bill Cullinan once said, if your gut doesn't feel right, don't go through with it. And if it still doesn't feel right, maybe eliminate cheese from your diet. And we all know in Wisconsin eliminating cheese is off of the table.

Okay, this second story focuses on such a remarkable lesson that I've learned over the years that brings all of the successes and celebrations within the work that my team and I do.

So I was a junior and had just come back from my first trip to Honduras with health care professionals and we were providing medical relief and care to some of the most poorest and vulnerable parts of Central America. We came back from that experience just brimming with ideas on how to keep this good work going and not just be a 7 day memory. So I wanted to go back and do more.

Now I researched if there were organizations that focused on undergraduate students being part of medical volunteering, but back in 2003 there wasn't much out there. There was Doctors Without Borders, but you had to be a licensed professional. There was Peace Core, but you had to dedicate time which was not ideal for me as an undergraduate PT student.

But I was like a dog with a bone and I could not let it go. I remember it vividly, I was sitting in Schroeder Hall Complex 345, probably should have been paying more attention, when I thought of taking this massive leap of faith and thought what if we just started an organization where students just like me can take the time to ethically volunteer and better lives in severely under resourced areas.

It doesn't exist so I'm just going to do this.

Now keep in mind I was a biomedical sciences major. I had zero experience in starting any sort of an organization let alone a non-profit focused on doing meaningful and impactful work abroad. And honestly, getting to an 8 a.m. class was hard enough, so how was I even going to do this?

But the gut feeling said you have to do this. And as I shared earlier, it was a lesson that I already knew to follow.

So where does one even start? Well, maybe I can ask some business faculty some questions during office hours, Maybe I can look up some articles on this so called thing called the Internet. Maybe I can just start doing a slew of things and figure it out as I go.

I got so overwhelmed. This was a lot harder and larger than I thought. But I knew one thing. I needed to stop over thinking every single decision and just get out there and do it.

So little by little, step by step, we took the time to launch our own organization. We took calls between classes, we answered e-mails during lectures. We spent the evenings and weekends on our so called "free time" figuring it out.

Now there were days were we were just focused on the very mundane and sometimes boring tasks such as getting the organization set up. Like trying to figure out what the IRS actually did or how do you open an international bank account without any sort of credit or references. Or how to actually learn how to use Microsoft Excel, which is not really fun and sorry accounting graduates but it's really hard. But that's the truth, right.

But then there were some tasks that felt like it was this electric, empowering lighting bolt that just hit and we were on to something huge. 

Now one thing was for sure. Not every task or every activity was going to give us a dopamine hit. There were some things that just needed to get done to move that needle forward. 

Those so called boring reps were important and it always led to the next step, something bigger and those reps were critical to get in front of those empowered lighting bolts. 

Which leads me to my second piece of advice. Take the steps and put in the reps.

You have to go through the tedious and unexciting things to reach growth. That's just simply a part of it. It's not always about those flashy Instagram worthy moments. No it is kind of about the grind and the hustle and the relentless pursuit of improvement. Now that is when the real magic happens.

I think about those boring and unnecessary reps and those needed to happen to get those lightning bolt moments and those mundane reps is when you are actually experiencing active self-discovery. You are learning what makes you tick. You are learning what drives you and you are learning what truly matters.

It took those moments to learn about myself, my values, my belief and my drive. And these are the things that just shape how you approach life and what decisions you make in the future.

It is no surprise that we suffer every day from analysis paralysis, right. We are constantly second guessing ourselves, we are over thinking every move and we are in the middle of all that trying to strive for perfection.

But what if you took all of that out of the picture and just do it. What if we flip that script. Now take it from me. I was a junior just starting to get into graduate school. I was not an international health care expert. I was not a clean water engineer, but I was driven and I was capable to eventually remove all of that analysis paralysis and push past the doubts, the hesitations and made things happen.

Alongside with my team we tackled challenges head on and we brought hope to under resourced communities world wide, to truly rise them out of poverty. 

Now I'm not going to sugar coat it, there were set backs, there were failures and there were moments of doubt. But every single stumble brought us closer to our goals. And that is the thing. You have to stay flexible, you have to stay present and limit forecasting and believe in your own capabilities. And that's graduates when you fully realize yourself and you don't feel stuck, small and afraid.

The final story I'd like to share is such a special one. When we started Global Brigades 21 years ago, there was one thing that we were dead set on and that was making some sort of sustainable generational change for those in need.

So this particular story I'd like to share is when our incredible team completed our first successful water project in a community named Zurzalar in rural Honduras. We visited that community in 2006 and we saw such deep poverty. Most children were severely unhealthy and there was no clean drinking water. And honestly there was just a general lack of any basic resources that a human should have. So while we were bringing medical care to the community we needed to address the root of the problem, which was the lack of clean drinking water. 

So with ambitious volunteers and brillant engineering experts, local community leaders, we set out to build a water system and piping into every single home that would bring clean drinking water to over 500 people into this somewhat forgotten community that was tucked away in the mountains. 

Over the course of two years, pipe by pipe, digging ditches inches at a time, brick by brick, our team was able to build a system that would source clean drinking water into every single household. There were so many challenges along the way and mishaps that happened every so often. But we had to fulfill the commitments to the community along with the community to get this clean water solution so that generations could be healthy and thrive for years to come.

So the day finally came. It was February 12th, 2010 when we completed this massive water project. And the community, alongside the Global Brigades team hosted an inauguration of the new water system which was once this unrealizable dream for every single member of the community. So we drove up to the community center and every single member of the community were dressed in their best clothes, not one hair out of place and they had made these bright decorations along the tree line dirt road and there was this overwhelming feeling of joy and jubilation that to this day I can still feel.

It was the first day of their happier and healthier and more hopeful lives and we were all there together to celebrate this incredible moment together. That together we were able to do something so huge and imperative that not just one person can do individually, right. Through collaboration, through empowerment, guding through the hurdles we were able to come together and make this type of impact for many generations that deserve it.

So we followed our gut, we did the reps, we spent that entire afternoon in tears of elation, celebrating that we did this and we can do this and most importantly we need to do more.   

So I have this old piece of terracotta that's in my pocket right here to acknowledge that that was one of the beginning moments and we ceremoniously broke that piece of terracotta at the inauguration and it was one of the beginning moments that we were on to something grand and with an incredible team we were going to make this world a better place.

We saw stark disparity in which people were merely born into and we wanted to bridge that gap any way that we could. So we took small steps and even larger ones over the years to raise awareness, develop solutions, educate others and most importantly invest in others regardless of where they were from.

We used our platform to engage with as many people as possible who can provide much needed insights about what would work and what might not work within a particular community. Every conversation, every interaction, every project made an impact.

So my final piece of advice that I'm leaving with you as you all sit here today and you're ready for your next chapter of life. Whether it be graduate school, whether it's your dream job that's starting Monday morning at 9 a.m., a questionable internship that you don't know quite why you landed or maybe nothing at all and that's okay too.

You need to know one thing, whatever it is that you set out to do, you being there is making an impact. You sitting here with all your hopes and dreams as graduates are making and will make an impact. Whatever path you choose and whatever endeavors lie ahead, never doubt the impact that you can make. And I challenge you graduates to elevate that impact in any way that you can.

You see, regardless of your background, your beliefs, your circumstances, you have the power to change and make a change in the world.

It might seem daunting, especially in these turbulent times, but even the smallest actions can spark monumental change. Small impacts lead to big change and a big change leads to a more equitable, sustainable and compassionate future and world we can all leave behind for future generations. 

That is a power that you have today and for all the days moving forward. Don't diminish your ability to make an impact and do acknowledge and inspire yourself and others to come together. Take a moment each day to envision the person you want to become and the world you want to live in and the steps you can take to get there.

And sitting here you already have a good sense of where to go and what steps you want to take so that you're ready when you receive that unsuspecting e-mail 23 years from now from Dr. Lovell asking you to be the 2047 commencement speaker and share all that you've learned during your time at Marquette and onward.

So the world is counting on you to step up, stand out and make your impact.

Before I conclude I just want to thank the entire Marquette community and leadership for this incredible opportunity to share my advice and allow a platform to hopefully empower all of these wonderful and accomplished graduates.

And I have to mention one thing, there are close to 50 graduating seniors here today that have been a part of Global Brigades at Marquette and I thank you for making your impact across the world.

So to the Marquette graduating class of 2024, I leave you with my final words.

Seize the opportunity before you, listen to your inner voice, take the steps, embrace your potential, ignite your passion and together let's make an impact and create a tomorrow that's worth believing in.

Your journey starts right now, so make it count.
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