What Doug Baldwin told Seattle University graduates in commencement address

Community activist and former Seattle Seahawk star Doug Baldwin delivered the commencement address at Seattle University’s graduation ceremony on Monday.

At the start of his speech, Baldwin noted that while he doesn’t normally give speeches, he saw it as an opportunity for graduates to “be present and realize how good and special this moment really is.”

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He then reflected on his own family and three daughters.

“When I think about what you all as graduates would want to hear from me, I can’t help but think about my daughters,” he said. “I couldn’t help but think about what they would want to hear from a speaker when they’re sitting in your seats.”

Thinking through that lens, he spoke of three “core values” he wanted Seattle University’s graduate to go out into the world with.

“Number one, I need you to be honest,” he described. “Not necessarily with the person next to you, but also with yourself. Honesty, that’s just a posture of respect.”

“Number two: Be curious,” Baldwin continued. “Never stop learning — curiosity is just a posture of humility. None of us have all the answers.”

He closed by highlighting what he said was the third and most important of his core values.

“Be forgiving,” Baldwin said. “We’re on a planet, a little rock in the galaxy in this universe. We’re tiny. And on this rock that’s spinning around the sun, all of us … you’re just a human being on this planet just trying to survive and thrive. And when we’re doing that, we’re going to make mistakes. But we’re human, we’re all trying to figure it out.”

“Now, all of this can be summed up into one word,” he added. “Love. Be honest, be curious, be forgiving — all of that is just really love.”

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