“Hey, Class of 2021, I am extremely proud to be your graduation speaker.
Thanks, Morty [Schapiro] for inviting me, and because of the board and Lanny Martin, its chairman, for permitting me to talk, although you guys know me for my six years of service on this board, and that this invitation is a tiny bit dangerous.
However it’s an honor to observe in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s steps. Final yr she introduced gravitas to this occasion, whereas she honored George Floyd and implored graduates to take part in our democracy.
It is a particular yr to do the Northwestern College graduation. That is my 35th anniversary of my Northwestern College undergraduate graduation, and most significantly, Stephen Colbert, who additionally graduated from NU – or virtually did – in 1986, did this speech precisely 10 years in the past, and he predicted that the speaker for 2021 can be, and I quote, ‘a zoo parrot with a mortar board that has been skilled to say congratulations.’ So right here I’m, Gwynne Shotwell, your zoo parrot, for the category of ’21; congratulations to you.
Class of ’21, you will have achieved one thing essential. All graduations deserve a celebration however you, this class of 2021, have a fair larger achievement: You not solely survived however succeeded all through the madness of 2020 and into this yr. You have been in a position to focus and put money into your future throughout a interval of immense struggling.
However most of the points that we face going ahead will likely be completely different. I feel extremely dynamic social, political and financial conditions are the brand new regular, and also you at the moment are higher ready to achieve them. You may have lived it and never simply survived, however succeeded. Be ok with that and carry that new talent with you; I feel you’ll use it.
Okay, earlier than I share a number of jewels of my life classes realized, there are some things it’s best to learn about me to assist put my remarks in context. I’m a mom, a spouse, a mechanical engineer, and nerd. We aren’t all nerds, however I am proud to be one. I am a longtime SpaceX worker and chief, an lively listener, a rancher, in fact a wildcat, and an aspiring winemaker. I really like my nation, although it’s flawed and I am dedicated to serving to resolve its social injustices. And I’m determined to be a grandmother, however my youngsters aren’t cooperating in my imaginative and prescient, at the least but.
My highway to Northwestern began in Libertyville, Illinois, which is a small city north of the college – that is the place I grew up. I did very nicely in elementary and highschool lecturers, and I additionally labored extremely arduous at having a full social life. I made a decision to be a mechanical engineer, after my mom took me to a Society of Ladies Engineers occasion once I was solely 15 or 16. I utilized solely to Northwestern College Faculty of Engineering. However it wasn’t as a result of it was the very best engineering college – I utilized due to Northwestern’s richness in different fields. It was ranked among the many prime, or was the highest at the moment. This was essential to me as a result of as a teenage lady within the late ’70s – yep, I am that outdated – I used to be terrified as being tagged as a nerd. Now I am tremendous proud to be one.
I used to be accepted by Northwestern – I am undecided I’d be at present, so I feel I timed that correctly – and I accomplished two levels from this superb establishment, a bachelor’s diploma in mechanical engineering and a grasp’s diploma in utilized math. Although I criticize my engineering schooling as too theoretical. I feel the very best engineers are these that may put the theoretical to observe, and I received virtually no observe as an undergrad. Northwestern highlighted the criticality of broad-based pondering. Simply being good in math and science won’t drive success. It is whole-brain pondering delivered to observe that does. I am grateful that Dean Ottino has introduced a powerful focus of this idea and utilized it so nicely right here to Northwestern engineering.
As I used to be constructing my very own basis in engineering, I additionally discovered time to construct a household. I gave delivery to and raised two extraordinary youngsters who’re higher folks than I, and may very well be president of the universe, moderately than simply being president of SpaceX. One is a double alum in mechanical engineering from Northwestern and one will likely be a double alum from Stanford, each in mechanical engineering and enterprise. As a mom giving recommendation to potential future mother and father: By no means inform your youngsters what they need to be after they develop up – they are going to in actual fact do the other. However you generally is a good position mannequin, or present them good position fashions, as my mom did for me – she was an artist.
For the final almost 19 years I’ve labored for one among, if not the, most interesting physicist and engineer, Elon Musk. He gave me the chance to assist him develop SpaceX from 10 folks to almost 10,000 folks, and from zero income to billions yearly. I’ve helped carry the industrial launch enterprise again to this nation, together with the tens of 1000’s of jobs that include it. The one accomplishment that we’ve that I’m most pleased with helps to get our nation flying astronauts once more on American-made rockets and spaceships. We at the moment are positioned to fly astronauts from all around the world on our Dragon spaceship and later this yr we’ll fly the primary all-civilian mission, the place common on a regular basis folks will journey to house on a multi-day journey round Earth. And that is just the start.
I hope that I’ve helped create a path that permits people to reside on Earth, the moon or Mars, whichever their selection. I hope for a future the place folks can reside even additional out, amongst different star techniques and galaxies. I usually joke about wanting to fulfill different folks and see otherworldly vogue. I do know I will not see that in my lifetime, however I hope that my work serves as a basis or a small starting to attain that.
Okay, so now that you already know extra about me, it is time to share some recommendation. I will identify three after which I will return and speak about them. Set and attempt to obtain completely absurd objectives, and do not be afraid of failing, if you cannot obtain them. Work arduous, actually arduous, and be useful. Be variety, however at minimal, be respectful. Do not be afraid to confess that should you fail, you have been flawed and take a unique path – or higher but, do not even contemplate making an attempt one thing and never getting the end result that you really want as failure. Contemplate it development.
Once I was contemplating becoming a member of SpaceX again in 2002 I used to be fighting a choice and drawing it out for weeks. It appeared so dangerous for me personally to affix this little start-up, in an trade the place none had ever succeeded. On the time I used to be a part-time single mom, and this was simply too far out of my consolation zone. I used to be driving on the freeway right here in L.A. when it lastly hit me: I used to be being a complete fool. Who cares if I attempted this job and both I failed or the corporate failed? What I acknowledged at that second was that it was the making an attempt half that was crucial. Attempt that dangerous factor, be part of one thing thrilling. I do not wish to think about what my life and profession can be like had I stated no. I am positive I’d have been superb however I’d not have been part of this superb firm, working alongside such extraordinary folks. Not taking that job would have been the fail.
On a enterprise stage, SpaceX took huge reputational dangers, mastering the know-how and operations related to touchdown a rocket. In actual fact we have been regularly criticized by our opponents and the media for these failures. I regarded on these failures as a supply of pleasure. Our very first try to land the rocket on a drone ship, we hit it. We did not land on it, however we hit the drone ship – that tiny goal was a whole lot of miles away from the launch web site in an unlimited ocean. After a few dozen makes an attempt we lastly succeeded in touchdown that rocket and touchdown rockets has grow to be virtually routine for us. Nonetheless tough, however it’s virtually routine. And that know-how has been enormously useful to our enterprise and is crucial to establishing a settlement on Mars. If you cannot land the rocket, you’ll be able to’t get folks to the floor.
Working arduous and being useful. I used to be employed as vice chairman of enterprise growth – which means head of gross sales. Effectively I did my job and we received prospects, however then their missions wanted to be managed and we wanted an accounting and finance operate as a result of we truly have been bringing in cash, we wanted to work intently with the launch ranges and get permission to have the ability to launch from them, so I took that on as nicely. And, as we demonstrated success, we wanted a authorities affairs operate to play protection for us in D.C., as our competitor began combating us. I keep in mind even vacuuming the carpets earlier than an enormous buyer occasion. In 2008, after we gained our greatest contract so far – a virtually $2 billion effort from NASA to take science experiments and cargo to-and-from the Worldwide Area Station – Elon wanted a associate, and he requested me to do it. I feel it was largely as a result of I had stored rising my scope, being useful in different areas to the corporate, all making an attempt to do an important job.
Being variety, however at minimal, you should be respectful. Observe that nearly everybody that you just work together with daily is battling some demon or making an attempt to get via some situation. Please contemplate this as you battle your approach to work on the subway, as you are hurrying via the strains on the grocery retailer, or as you get annoyed with somebody in a gathering at work.
At SpaceX we’ve a ‘no a——‘ coverage. These varieties of individuals – a—— – interrupt others, they shut down or co-opt dialog, they usually create a hostile atmosphere the place nobody desires to contribute. This isn’t a approach to promote sharing good, revolutionary, and even outrageous concepts which might be required to resolve arduous issues. Briefly, one of the simplest ways to search out options to arduous issues is to hear more durable, not speak louder. Embrace the concepts of your fellow employees, particularly after they differ vastly from yours.
Stuff that I am not sharing classes on however that I feel are actually essential, particularly to speak about in a graduation speech in 2021. I am apprehensive about a variety of issues, however I am not educated sufficient in this stuff to have any helpful recommendation for you, at the least not but. Nonetheless, I can’t in a graduation speech in 2021 fail to say the issues that I fear about realizing, that many are issues I wish to assist deal with sooner or later.
I am apprehensive about our nation’s youngsters. We aren’t giving all of our youngsters an schooling that may form them into resourceful and productive those who our nation wants to stay related. Each youngster is a useful resource to raised our future, and our future will likely be pushed by know-how. That’s the reason I’m so involved concerning the science and math check scores that we’ve on this nation. China scores first. Eire – I simply carry this up as a result of it is what my heritage is, my ancestors are from Eire – scores 12th, and the USA ranks 25th.
Worse than that, if there’s a worse than scoring 25th in math and science in addition to studying, is that the hole between our lowest scoring college students and our highest scoring college students is widening. We aren’t making ready our youngsters for his or her future.
I really like this nation and I am apprehensive concerning the widening, financial, social and racial divide which was amplified in the course of the pandemic. Not addressing schooling for our youth just isn’t serving to that. We aren’t treating our neighbors with the respect that they deserve. We aren’t listening arduous to one another and respectfully engaged on the actually essential points that we face as a rustic and as a human race.
I have never helped our nation work on these points but – I whine loads about it – and it is time, most likely within the very close to time period, for me to commit and assist repair them. Possibly we are able to work on this stuff collectively.
So I’ve given you some precise expertise that taught me that extra will be completed when loopy concepts are revered, listened to and evaluated. That being useful and hardworking pays off; it did for me. And that losing sources, particularly human capital, is a ethical and moral sin. And {that a} small group of individuals, like these of us right here at SpaceX, can change an trade, and by extension may also help change the world.
Rising up and even early in my profession, my associates, colleagues and I targeted on getting forward with an apart or perhaps even an afterthought that perhaps we must always do one thing good for the world. However as I accumulate extra life’s classes, it is clear {that a} far richer life outcomes from switching that up, discovering a profession the place your pursuit of a greater world results in your getting forward. And all of you will have in you proper now all that it’s essential to begin your pursuit of a greater world. Congratulations, and Godspeed.”