‘We are connected’ – Class Day at Yale
‘It’s about us’
Ardern, who served as New Zealand’s prime minister from 2017 to 2023, told the Yale College graduates that traits often perceived as weaknesses — including self-doubt and sensitivity — can actually be secret strengths that inform and inspire leadership.
“That sensitivity you walk through life with, the thing that moves you to tears when you see the pain of others. It can also be what drives you to action,” she said. “The reason you seek to make change. The thing that motivates you to keep going in difficult or trying circumstances.
“In fact, all those traits that you might have believed your whole life, were weaknesses — questioning yourself, the doubt that brings humility, or sensitivity that comes with empathy — may just be what the world needs more of.”
But why, Adern asked, should today’s graduates, who step into an unknown world and leading through doubt and fear, listen to “platitudes about self-confidence” from her?
“Fair question,” she said. “And my answer: Because it’s not just about you. It’s about us.”
Ardern said the world faces a host of difficult challenges with global consequences. Nobody, she said, has the luxury of ignoring them.
“We are connected. Always have been,” Ardern said. “History has taught us that time and time again, and now our current challenges and crises are reminding us. Not just that we need cooperation to overcome what lies before us, but that we also need the strength of shared values.”
The world, she said, needs the “power” of their imposter syndrome.
“Because it is also your curiosity and humility,” she said. “We need your sensitivity, because it’s also your kindness and your empathy. And most of all, we need your sense of duty to your home, and to others. We need all of that, because it’s about you. And it’s about us.”
For Bethel Asomaning, a cognitive science major and resident of Berkeley College, Ardern’s focus on the connections binding different groups of people and nations were especially resonant. “I thought it was impactful how she focused on community,” she said. “It’s not really about us, it’s about uplifting each other.”
