Matt Damon's Commencement address
Below is the prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by actor and filmmaker Matt Damon for the Institute’s 2016 Commencement, held June 3, 2016. Thank you. Thank you, President Reif — and thank you, Class of 2016! It’s an honor to be part of this day — an honor to be here with you, with your friends, your professors, and your parents. But let’s be honest — It’s an honor I didn’t earn. Let’s just put that out there. I mean, I’ve seen the list of previous commencement speakers: Nobel Prize winners. The UN Secretary General. President of the World Bank. President of the United States. And who did you get? The guy who did the voice for a cartoon horse. If you’re wondering which cartoon horse: that’s “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.” Definitely one of my best performances ... as a cartoon horse. Look, I don’t even have a college degree. As you might have heard,...