| Danielle, it's getting to be graduation season, and I'm very happy that I'll get to help honor some terrific students this year by giving a couple of commencement speeches. As a former teacher and professor, I love commencement traditions. Students, parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, educators and loved ones all come together to celebrate tremendous achievements. And with hearts full of hope, graduates prepare to start their next chapter. It seems like every year we start with the obvious, and it's true: This year's class is graduating during a time of tremendous crisis. And with that I usually like to offer some simple advice for their next chapter: Focus on what you believe in, then fight like hell for it. But as I prepare to give these speeches, I'm curious, Danielle: What advice would you give to this year's graduating class? Please share your thoughts with me here. I believe that every new generation in this country deserves more opportunity than the last — because I know the value of opportunity first-hand. From the time I was in second grade, I wanted to be a teacher (thanks to Mrs. Lee for telling me I could do it and changing my whole world). But for me to be a teacher, I needed to go to college. Back in Oklahoma, my daddy was a janitor, and my mom worked the phones at Sears. There was no money for college. Besides, my mother already had a plan for her only daughter. In fact, two plans: find a husband; raise some kids. I, on the other hand, had a different plan. I was a high school debater and I parlayed that into a full scholarship at George Washington University. But I didn't follow the textbook on what to do with that opportunity. After two years, I dropped out, got married, and moved to Texas. Still, I never gave up on my dream of becoming a teacher. And thanks to a public college in Texas that cost $50 a semester (go Cougars!), I got my college degree and got to live my dream of becoming a public school teacher. My story has a lot more twists and turns: Moving. Babies. Law School. Divorce. Second marriage. But here's the bottom line: my education opened a zillion doors for me. That's why I'm fighting for today's students to be able to go to school without breaking the bank. I'm deeply grateful for the opportunities I had, and for the chance to help this year's class of graduates kick off their next chapters. How about we put our heads together on this? Do you have any advice or messages you'd like to share for this year's graduating class? Please share your advice with me here — I'd love to know what you think. Thanks for being a part of this, Elizabeth | 
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