Talk about high standards for a keynote speaker! At this year’s winter commencement, the guest of honor joined the festivities from orbit.

At the winter commencement ceremony, held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic, NASA astronaut and Cal Poly alumnus Victor Glover presented a brief keynote address in a video recorded aboard the International Space Station.

Following his remarks, Glover exited the screen by floating away in the station’s zero-gravity environment.

Read Glover’s remarks and watch the video below.

 

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Thank you, President Armstrong, for that great introduction. And congratulations to the graduating Class of 2020!

As President Armstrong mentioned, I am in fact currently living and working in space aboard the International Space Station.

I traveled here on the first operational mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which was the second crewed flight for that vehicle and for the Falcon 9 rocket. What a ride!

I’ll be living here for approximately six months, and have the great privilege to conduct research, spacewalks, robotics, and to address the graduates of the 2020 graduating class of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

I want to encourage you to continue to Learn by Doing. That doesn’t stop after you graduate — it sure hasn’t for me.

Over the last several years, my crewmates and I have worked with the NASA and SpaceX team to test new spacecraft systems which will provide transportation to the International Space Station, launching American and international partner astronauts into space from U.S. soil.

But the question I have for you is, what are YOU going to do? Whatever it is, the world needs you, and your talents and your civility, especially now.

Also, be resilient. We named our spacecraft Resilience in honor of the amazing characteristics we see all over the world every day, making it possible to explore space safely and together. We also hope that our spacecraft’s name will remind and inspire us all to be resilient.

There are of course going to be days when you face challenges. But remember, that’s completely normal — especially when you’re trying to change the world for the better.

So take the time to meditate, pray, exercise, or whatever it is that keeps you going.

And when you’re having a good day, remember to pay it forward. That’s right, take care of each other. Grow the relationships that you’ve made at Cal Poly and with Cal Poly, and they will enrich your life.

In closing, 2020 graduates, as cliché as it may sound, I want to encourage you to dream big, and to be patient and enjoy the journey.

Congratulations to you and your families on this momentous occasion. It has been a tough year, but you have proven that you are all much tougher.

So long for now. Keep shining, graduates! From up here, your futures look very bright. I expect to see big things from this graduating class.

And hey, Ride High, Mustangs!