Melinda French Gates 2024 Stanford University Commencement Speech

Summary

In her Stanford University commencement speech, philanthropist Melinda French Gates shares her journey and insights on navigating life's transitions. She emphasizes the importance of radical open-heartedness, finding one's 'small wave' for perspective, and building a 'web of deserved trust'. Melinda encourages graduates to embrace uncertainty, adapt their plans, and contribute to a society based on mutual trust and support.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Melinda French Gates is a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls, with a focus on empowering them and advancing equality.
• 🏆 As co-chair of the Gates Foundation, Melinda has played a pivotal role in shaping the organization's strategies and overall direction, aiming for a world where everyone has a chance to lead a healthy and productive life.
• 💪 In 2015, Melinda founded Pivotal, an organization that works to accelerate progress by bridging philanthropy, venture capital, policy, and advocacy, with a goal to increase women's economic and political participation.
• 📚 She is the author of the bestseller 'The Moment of Lift,' sharing her journey as an advocate for women and girls and introducing inspiring women she has met.
• 🔍 Melinda's approach to philanthropy is data-driven and prioritizes flexibility, seeking out new ideas and perspectives to drive change.
• 🤝 She co-founded the Giving Pledge with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, inviting the wealthiest to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.
• 💰 Melinda recently committed to giving $1 billion over the next two years to support people and organizations working for women and families globally, including in the United States.
• 🎓 She emphasized the importance of optimism and conviction in making things better, stating that no matter how bad suffering is, there is always hope if we don't lose sight of our goals.
• 🌊 Melinda shared a story about two waves to illustrate the idea of transitions, suggesting that we are not just transient waves but the enduring water, capable of taking on new forms.
• 🤝 She advised graduates to enter transitions with radical open-heartedness, embracing uncertainty and being willing to let new experiences shape their future.
• 🕸️ The concept of a 'web of deserved trust' was highlighted, encouraging the building of strong, reliable relationships that form the foundation of a progressive society.

Q & A

Who is the keynote speaker introduced in the script?

The keynote speaker is Melinda French Gates, a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls.

What is Melinda Gates' primary focus in her philanthropic work?

Melinda Gates focuses on fighting poverty and advancing equality, particularly for those with the highest barriers to equality, and empowering women and girls.

What is the Gates Foundation's mission?

The Gates Foundation is dedicated to creating a world where every person has the chance to lead a healthy and productive life.

What is the role of Pivotal, the organization Melinda Gates founded in 2015?

Pivotal works to accelerate progress by bridging philanthropy, venture capital, policy, and advocacy, with an aim to increase women's economic and political participation.

What is the title of Melinda Gates' bestselling book, and what does it cover?

The book is titled 'The Moment of Lift,' where Melinda shares her journey to becoming an advocate for women and girls and introduces inspiring women she has met.

What is the purpose of the Giving Pledge, co-founded by Melinda Gates, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett?

The Giving Pledge is an invitation for the wealthiest individuals to publicly commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.

How does Melinda Gates describe her approach to philanthropy?

Melinda Gates' approach to philanthropy is data-driven and prioritizes flexibility over ideology, with an emphasis on seeking out new ideas and perspectives.

What significant commitment did Melinda Gates announce regarding her philanthropic work?

Melinda Gates announced a commitment of $1 billion over the next two years to support people and organizations working on behalf of women and families globally.

What is the story Melinda Gates shared about the two waves, and what is its message?

The story of the two waves illustrates the idea that during transitions, one can either rush through or embrace the change with open-heartedness. The small wave teaches the big wave that they are not just waves but water, symbolizing the ability to adapt and transform.

What advice does Melinda Gates offer to the graduates regarding transitions in life?

Melinda Gates advises graduates to approach transitions with radical open-heartedness, to find their 'small wave' for perspective, and to build a web of deserved trust.

What is the significance of the phrase 'seamless web of deserved trust' mentioned by Melinda Gates?

The phrase 'seamless web of deserved trust' represents the ideal of a society where people are reliable and trust each other correctly, creating a strong and reciprocal bond.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Introduction of Melinda French Gates

The speaker introduces Melinda French Gates, a renowned philanthropist, businesswoman, and advocate for women and girls. Highlighting her role as a co-chair of the Gates Foundation, the speaker emphasizes Melinda's dedication to fighting poverty and advancing equality, particularly for those facing the highest barriers. The introduction also mentions Pivotal, an organization founded by Melinda to accelerate progress in women's economic and political participation, and her work as a bestselling author and publisher with Moment of Lift Books. The speaker concludes by acknowledging Melinda's commitment to philanthropy and her optimistic approach to creating a better world.

05:01

🎓 Commencement Address and Life Transitions

Melinda French Gates addresses the graduating class of Stanford University, acknowledging the challenges they faced during their studies, such as the pandemic and global conflicts. She reflects on the concept of transitions, using the metaphor of two waves in the ocean to illustrate the idea of maintaining one's core identity during significant life changes. Melinda shares personal experiences, including her career at Microsoft, her philanthropic work, and her recent major life transitions. She offers three lessons based on her experiences: embracing uncertainty, finding a 'small wave' perspective, and building a web of deserved trust. The commencement speech is a call to action for the graduates to step into their future with open hearts and a commitment to social progress.

10:01

🌱 Embracing Uncertainty and Finding Direction

In this paragraph, Melinda discusses the importance of embracing uncertainty during life transitions. She shares her own journey into philanthropy, where she initially focused on vaccine access but was redirected by the women she met to focus on contraceptives and women's autonomy. This shift in focus led her to her life's work. Melinda encourages the graduates to be open to change and to allow new experiences to shape their understanding of their purpose. She emphasizes the value of being open to new possibilities and not being confined to a single path or career.

15:03

🤝 The Power of Supportive Relationships

Melinda highlights the significance of having a 'small wave' in one's life—a person who provides a fresh perspective and helps navigate through transitions. She recounts her early career at Microsoft, where a colleague named Charlotte helped her see a path forward despite the challenging corporate culture. Melinda encourages the graduates to recognize the value of such relationships and to be both a 'small wave' for others and open to receiving support. She concludes by emphasizing the importance of building a society based on a 'seamless web of deserved trust,' where people rely on and support one another.

Keywords

💡Philanthropist

A philanthropist is someone who seeks to promote the welfare of others, typically through the generous donation of money to good causes. In the video, Melinda French Gates is introduced as a philanthropist, indicating her dedication to charitable activities and her significant contributions to society, particularly in the areas of poverty alleviation and gender equality.

💡Advocacy

Advocacy refers to the act of supporting or promoting a cause, idea, or policy. Melinda Gates is described as a global advocate for women and girls, emphasizing her efforts to empower these groups and to transform societal structures to be more equitable. The script mentions her work in bridging different sectors to accelerate progress towards gender equality.

💡Pivotal

Pivotal is an organization founded by Melinda Gates that aims to speed up progress by connecting philanthropy, venture capital, policy, and advocacy. The term is used in the script to highlight the initiative's goal of increasing women's economic and political participation and closing the wage gap, which is pivotal to achieving gender equality.

💡Wage Gap

The wage gap refers to the disparity in earnings between different groups, often used to describe the difference in average earnings between men and women. In the script, Melinda Gates discusses the efforts of Pivotal to close the wage gap, which is a significant issue in the pursuit of gender equality and women's empowerment.

💡Caregivers

Caregivers are individuals who provide care or support to those in need, often within a familial context. The script mentions the need for better policies and solutions for caregivers, indicating the importance of recognizing and supporting the often-unpaid and undervalued work done by caregivers, which is predominantly done by women.

💡Philanthropy

Philanthropy is the desire and action to promote the welfare of others, typically through the donation of time, skills, or money. Melinda Gates's approach to philanthropy, as described in the script, is data-driven and flexible, focusing on identifying and supporting innovative ideas to address societal challenges.

💡Commencement Speech

A commencement speech is a formal address delivered at a graduation ceremony. Melinda Gates's 2014 commencement speech at Stanford is referenced in the script, where she shared her optimistic conviction that we can make things better, emphasizing the importance of hope and action in the face of suffering.

💡Transition

A transition refers to a change from one state or condition to another. The script discusses Melinda Gates's personal experiences with various transitions, including her career at Microsoft, the end of a long-term marriage, and her shift in focus within philanthropy. These transitions are used to illustrate the importance of adaptability and resilience.

💡Optimism

Optimism is a positive attitude reflecting a belief that good things will happen or that a desired outcome will be achieved. Melinda Gates defines optimism in her commencement speech as an active conviction that we can improve the world, rather than a passive hope for better times, which is central to her message of empowerment and action.

💡Web of Deserved Trust

The phrase 'web of deserved trust' is used to describe a society where individuals are reliably trustworthy and trust each other correctly. It is mentioned in the script as a concept by Charlie Munger and is related to the idea of building strong, reciprocal relationships that are essential for societal progress and support.

Highlights

Introduction of Melinda French Gates as a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls.

Melinda's commitment to fighting poverty and advancing equality, particularly for those facing the highest barriers.

Her role as co-chair of the Gates Foundation, one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations.

The establishment of Pivotal, an organization focused on increasing women's economic and political participation.

Melinda's authorship of the best-selling book 'The Moment of Lift' and her journey as an advocate for women and girls.

Creation of the Moment of Lift Books imprint, dedicated to publishing non-fiction by visionaries working for equality.

Co-founding the Giving Pledge with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, encouraging the wealthy to commit to philanthropy.

Melinda's data-driven approach to philanthropy, prioritizing flexibility and seeking new ideas and perspectives.

Her recent commitment of $1 billion over two years to support people and organizations working for women and families globally.

Melinda's 2014 commencement speech at Stanford, emphasizing optimism and the conviction to make things better.

The significance of Stanford University to Melinda's family, including her father's education and her children's degrees.

Acknowledgment of the class of 2024's accomplishments and adaptability during challenging times, including the pandemic.

The importance of transitions in personal and professional life, and the value of radical open-heartedness during these periods.

Advice to graduates to embrace uncertainty and allow for plans to change, learning from new experiences and directions.

The concept of finding your 'small wave' – a person who provides perspective and helps navigate transitions.

The idea of building a 'web of deserved trust' as a foundation for societal progress and individual relationships.

Encouragement for graduates to step forward into the future with courage, confidence, and a commitment to community.

Transcripts

and now it's my honor to introduce

today's keynote speaker philanthropist

businesswoman Global advocate for women

and girls and Stanford parent Melinda

French

gates for more than two decades Melinda

has committed her time and her energy to

fighting poverty and advancing equality

with a focus on the People For Whom the

barriers to equality are the highest

she's worked tirelessly to empower women

and girls and transform the health and

prosperity of families communities and

societies one of the largest

philanthropic organizations in the world

the Gates Foundation is dedicated to a

world in which every person has the

chance to lead a healthy and productive

life as co-chair Melinda helped shape

the foundation strategies and set the

organization's overall

direction in 2015 Melinda founded

pivotal an organization that works to

accelerate the pace of progress by

Bridging the worlds of philanthropy

Venture Capital policy and

advocacy pivotal seeks to increase

women's economic and political

participation through efforts such as

closing the wage Gap supporting better

policies and solutions for caregivers

and helping women build their politic

itical power Melinda is also the

bestselling author of the moment of LT

in which she shares her journey to

becoming an advocate for women and girls

and introduces readers to inspiring

women she has

met in 2023 she created the publishing

imprint moment of lift books dedicated

to publishing original non-fiction by

Visionaries working for a more equal

World Melinda also co-founded the giving

pledge alongside Bill Gates and Warren

Buffett

The Pledge serves as an invitation to

the wealthiest people to publicly commit

to giving the majority of their wealth

to

philanthropy Melinda's own approach to

philanthropy is datadriven and

prioritizes flexibility over ideology

she makes a point of seeking out new

ideas and

perspectives as she enters a new chapter

in her philanthropy Melinda recently

announced that she's committing $1

billion over the next two years to

people and organizations working on

behalf of women and families around the

world including here in the United

States in her 2014 commencement speech

here Melinda said quote optimism for me

Isn't a passive expectation that things

will get better it's a conviction that

we can make things better that whatever

suffering we see no matter how bad it is

we can help people if we don't lose hope

and we don't look

away Melinda Gates is a wonderful

example of a person who has used her

talents and her platform to make things

better to advance Equity opportunity and

social progress around the world so

please join me in welcoming Melinda

French

[Applause]

Gates thank you president saler and good

morning class of

2024 it is such an honor to be here with

you and your families on this truly

happy occasion today is the day you

graduate from Stanford University and

that is an amazing

accomplishment Stanford has always held

a special place in my family's heart my

dad Ray French received a scholarship to

study mechanical engineer ing here in

1960 and while he worked on his master's

degree my mother Elaine French supported

them with her job at a bottled water

company and on nights and weekends she

was my dad's lab assistant there's an

old photo I love of my mom pregnant with

my sister standing next to the wind

tunnel in the engineering lab with a

clipboard and a

stopwatch today my mom and dad are back

on campus for a very special occasion to

watch their granddaughter Phoebe

graduate from the University that

changed my Dad's

life and Phoebe's not the only one to

follow in his footsteps my older

daughter Jen and my son-in-law Niel

earned degrees here too so happy

Father's Day Dad and to all the dads

here and Mom thanks for making this

story

possible I know there are many many many

other parents grandparents and loved

ones who are here and as proud to be

here as my family and I are graduates

you have given us a lot to celebrate and

also a lot to admire you arrived on this

campus already accomplished an ambitious

young people and during your time here

you've also proven how adaptable you are

and what powerful Advocates you are for

the causes you believe

in Stanford is a demanding University

and your time here was made even more

challenging by what was happening in the

world all around you from a once- in a

century pandemic that changed the way

you lived and learned to mult multiple

Wars that I know this campus is feeling

very very

deeply there is no question you are

graduating into a different world than

the one you matriculated into but you

are also leaving this campus prepared to

be the leaders that we all need and

today marks an important milstone in

that Journey shortly after I sit down

you will be invited to rise if you are

able you will hear that call as a

Stanford

student you will answer that call as a

Stanford

Graduate and with that a major

transition in your life will

begin I've been thinking a lot lately

about

transitions the spiritual leader R Doss

had a wonderful teaching about two waves

traveling through the ocean one big and

one small and as the waves get closer to

the land the big wave sees what's about

to happen they see all the waves ahead

of them are just crashing onto the shore

and devastated the big wave says to the

small wave he warns them the end is near

and the small wave just smil and says

don't worry we'll be fine you don't

understand the big wave insists we're

done for and the smaller wave is just

totally calm and says no we're not and I

can explain why in just six

words you're not a wave you're

water I love that

story it Capt is what it's like to

experience an enormous transition

without losing the core of who you are I

turned 60 this year and you don't get to

be my age without navigating all kinds

of

transitions some you embraced and some

you never

expected some you hoped for and some you

fought as hard as you could for me those

included starting my career at Microsoft

s losing one of my very best friends to

cancer falling in love having

children starting my work on behalf of

women and girls and ending a marriage

and Partnership of almost 30 years and

very recently making a major career

shift in each case there was a moment

that I felt like that big wave terrified

that life as I knew it was about to be

over but I always made it to the next

day and so will you and I've learned

that the next day is when the real work

begins because what we do the next day

is what makes us who we are so in

addition to honoring all of your

accomplishments today I also want to

offer you something to think about when

you wake up

tomorrow three lessons I've learned from

my own experience with

transitions the first piece of advice is

to enter these moments with radical

open-heartedness most of the time we

walk around through life in the thicket

of our everyday routine but during a

transition we step out of our familiar

surroundings into a big wide open space

where everything is new and there are

two ways to encounter these spaces you

can keep your head down and focus on the

finding the shortest distance possible

from one familiar thing to the next or

you can find the courage to linger in

that lional space and see what it has to

tell

you that to me is practicing

open-heartedness I have to admit as a

young person I managed transitions in

the first way I had a list of goals I

wanted to accomplish and as soon as I

checked one off the list I raced across

the clearing to the next one because

frankly it was a lot less scary that way

but as I've gotten older I've learned

the value of embracing

uncertainty I'll give you one example of

what this has looked like in my life

when I entered philanthropy more than 25

years ago it was completely unfamiliar

Terrain I didn't have any experience in

global health or development yet so I

had a lot to learn and I knew I'd need

to pay attention now initially we

thought the foundation's work was going

to focus on vaccine access but when I

started traveling around the world to

see the work in action the women I met

kep changing the subject they'd say what

about the shots I used to get they'd ask

me and they were talking about

contraceptives so I sto stopped and I

listened to what they had to say and

soon I was talking about contraceptives

on almost all my trips and continuing

those conversations back home with my

team and those conversations led to

others I learned how much Society

benefits when women are able to make

their own

decisions control their own resources

and direct their own futures

and I began to focus my efforts there

instead I think back now to those early

trips with such gratitude because the

women I met took me in a New Direction

and they led me to my life's

work now you are Stanford students so I

imagine most of you are graduating today

with big plans for your eles higher

degrees to earn causes to advance

companies to start Industries to

disrupt those big bold plans are

wonderful and the world needs

you but my advice is to leave some room

for those plans to

change resist the idea that anything

you've done here at Stanford has already

locked you into one path or any one kind

of career

be excited about the fact that you will

encounter possibilities you haven't even

imagined and be willing to let what you

learn shift your thinking about what

you're here on this Earth to do remember

that once the wave learns to call Itself

by a different name once it realizes

it's not just a wave but it is water it

becomes free to take on new forms arms

and the same is true for

you that brings me to my second piece of

advice and it's quite short find your

small wave in the story about the waves

the smaller wave is the hero because it

helps the big wave see things another

way in fact the small wave isn't small

at all it has the perspective on the big

wave that the big wave doesn't have on

itself graduates no matter who you are

or where you are in life a small wave is

an incredibly valuable thing to have

different people will play that role for

you at different times in life in the

early days of my career that person was

a colleague named Charlotte from the

moment I got to Microsoft I absolutely

love the work we were doing but as time

went on I realized I didn't love the

culture it was Brash and aggressive and

that wasn't me I was the only woman in

my hiring class of NBAs and I felt a lot

of pressure to emulate the men around me

eventually I reached a point when I

thought maybe I would leave the company

and like the big wave I thought things

were coming to an end for me but

Charlotte helped me see things

differently she was a little older and

had a little bit more experience and

she'd already figured out how to

navigate the culture there there without

losing her own identity having Charlotte

in my life made it possible for me to

imagine a future at Microsoft

also so graduates I promise you that

here in this Stadium today there is

someone who is going to play that small

wave role for you someone who can help

you imagine yourself as the person you

want to become come and just as

important there is someone here who

needs you to serve that role for them in

return and that leads me to my final

piece of advice

today build a web of deserved

trust that beautiful phrase comes from

the legendary businessman Charlie Munger

who changed this campus's landscape with

the incredible student housing his

generosity made

possible Charlie famously said that the

highest form which civilization can

reach is a seamless web of deserved

trust totally reliable people correctly

trusting each

other a web of deserved

trust what a thing to Aspire

to as a society we aren't always set up

to feel responsibility for the person

who's next to us or the person who's on

the other side of a divide or a debate

especially not right now but we need

each other no matter who you are there

will be moments in your journey when you

need to be carried or when someone else

will need you to carry

them when my good friend John died at

age 37 I was one of a small group of

people who tried to carry his wife Emmy

to the other side of her

grief three years ago when my marriage

ended she was one of the people who

carried me to the other side of

mine that bond between us is incredibly

profound but of course what Charlie was

talking about was much bigger than that

a whole society based on that kind of

relationship a bond so strong and

reciprocal but multiplied millions and

billions of times

over during your time here as a student

you've born witness to many painful

reminders of how the world is still

falling short of that Vision but you

have also demonstrated just how ready

you are to be the force for Progress the

world

needs yes you are graduating into a

broken world but it is community that

rebuilds things you've already started

building that Community here and

together is how you'll make the broken

things whole

again but first you need to graduate and

in a few minutes when you and your

classmates are invited to rise I hope

you will hear in that invitation a call

to action I hope you'll think of

everyone who helped you reach this

Milestone today and vow to pay forward

the Investments they made in

you most of all I hope you will step

forward into the future with a radical

open-heartedness emboldened by the

wisdom and perspective of the smaller

wiser waves that travel with you

committed to expanding the Seamless Web

of deserved trust you have already begun

to weave around you and when you wake up

tomorrow no longer the person you are

today and not yet the person you will

become next I hope you will draw Courage

and confidence knowing that you

graduates are water the force that

shapes the shore

what a powerful force you are thank you

[Applause]