Thank you
谢谢
I'm honore to be with you toay for a commencement from one of the finest universities in the worl.
我非常荣幸能够和各位参加今天的毕业典礼。这里是世界上最顶尖的大学之一。
Truth be tol, I never grauate from college an this is the closest I've ever gotten the college grauation.
说实话，我不曾从大学毕业。今天是我最贴近大学毕业典礼的经验。
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Toay, I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it: No big ieal, just three stories.
今天，我将和你分享我人生中的三个故事。不是什么大不了的事情，就只是三个故事罢了。
The first story is about connecting the ots.
第一个故事是关于如何把生命中的点点滴滴串联起来。
I roppe out of Ree College after the first 6 months, but then staye aroun as the rop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit.
我在里德学院读了六个月就退学了。不过在那之后，我还经常去学校旁听。过了18个月后，才真正离开。
So why i I rop out?
我为什么要退学呢？
It stare before I was born.
故事要从我还没出生前说起。
My biological mother was a young, unwe grauate stuent, an she ecie it to put me up for aoption.
我的亲生母亲是一个年轻的未婚女研究生，她决定让别人领养我。
She felt very strongly that I shoul be aopte by college grauates,
她坚持认为领养我的人必须是大学毕业生，
so everything was all set for me to be aopte at birth by a lawyer an his wife..
所以提前安排好了一切，让我一出世就能被一位律师和他的太太领养。
Except that when I poppe out they ecie at the last minute that they really wante a girl.
然而，我刚出生，他们就改了主意，说想要个女孩
So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the mile of the night asking:
我的养父母当时正在等候名单上。有一天，他们突然在半夜接到电话：
"We've gotten an unexpecte baby boy; o you want him?" They sai: "Of course."
“我们这儿有一个计划外的男婴，你们想要领养他吗？”他们回答道：“当然！”
My biological foun out later that my mother ha never grauate from college an that my father ha never grauate from high school.
但是我亲生母亲随后发现，我的养母从来没有上过大学，我的养父甚至连高中文凭都没有。
She refuse to sign the final aoption papers.
于是她拒绝在领养文件上签字。
She only relente a few months later when my parents promise that I woul go to college. This was the start in my life.
直到几个月以后，我的养父母承诺将来一定会让我读大学，她才勉强同意。
An 17 years later I i go to the college. But I naively chose the college that was almost as expencise as Stanfor,
十七年后，我的确上了大学。但是我很愚蠢地选择了一间学费几乎和你们斯坦福大学一样贵的学校。
an all of my working-class parents saving were being spent on my college tuition.
我的养父母都是蓝领，他们把所有积蓄都花在了我的学费上面。
After 6 months, I couln't see the value in it.
过了六个月后，我发现这一切毫无意义。
I have no iea what I wante to o with my life an no iea how college was going to help me figure it out.
我不知道我真正想要做什么，我也不知道大学教育怎样能够帮助我找到答案。
An here I was spening all the money my parents ha save their entire life.
但是，我却在这里，快要把父母一辈子的积蓄给花光。
So I ecie to rop out an trust that it woul all work out OK.
所以我决定退学，并告诉自己一切都会水到渠成。
It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was a one of the best ecisions I have mae.
我当时确实非常的害怕，但是现在回头看，那是我这一生中做过最棒的一个决定。
The minute I roppe out I coul stop taking the require classes that in't interest me.
从我退学后的那一刻起，我终于可以不去读那些令我提不起丝毫兴趣的课程了。
an begin ropping in on the ones that looke far more interesting.
我开始到那些让我感兴趣的课旁听。
It wasn't all romantic. I in't have a orm room, so I slept on the floor in frien's rooms. I returne coke bottles for the 5垄 eposits to buy foo with.
那段日子一点儿也不浪漫。我不能住在宿舍里，只好在朋友房间的地板上睡觉。我收集可乐瓶子去换押金，每个5美分，以此果腹。
An I woul walk the 7 miles across town every Sunay night to get one goo meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple
每周日的晚上，我需要步行七英里，穿过整个城镇到克利须那神庙去吃每周一次的大餐，
I love it.
我喜欢那里的饭菜。
