A Wow Moment to Top Them All
At SCAD, we design what we call “Wow!” moments — punctuated bursts of delight for guests and students during SCAD festivals and signature university events. We want everyone to remember their SCAD experience with clarity and fondness, and neuroscience confirms that elements of surprise focus the mind and sharpen the senses. SCAD students and their families surely remember the fall orientation a few years ago when hip-hop sensation Silentó dazzled the audience with a perfectly unexpected performance.
This year’s SCAD commencement ceremonies in Savannah, Atlanta, and Hong Kong featured their own special wow moments, including LED dancers, the SCAD drumline, and a performance by, among others, SCAD performing arts student and American Idol winner Candice Glover. Our SCAD Atlanta ceremony, in particular, proved even more wow than anybody expected, with a surprise speaker that left voices hoarse from cheering. None other than Oprah herself.
The entire ceremony, from start to finish, was one long and unforgettable wow, which began when Oprah joined the procession of the stage party down the center aisle of the Georgia Ballroom (at the Georgia World Congress Center, next to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta). I’d never seen so many uplifted iPhones in all my days! Mothers, fathers, children, graduates, everyone turned. The room was charged with energy.
After I welcomed the graduates and their families, we heard thoughtful remarks by three SCAD Bees, starting with graphic design alumnus José Reyes, founder of Metaleap Creative, who reminded us to remember and be grateful:
Your friends, siblings, parents, your elementary and high school art teachers — these people believed in you before you took your first drawing class. Take a moment to remember the people in this room and in your life who spoke to that decision. Remember all the “well dones” you heard from them, because each kind word was a step toward this moment.
Next, SCAD Atlanta Valedictorian Alexis Houpt (B.F.A., fashion, 2018) told us the story of how she landed her dream job at Abercrombie & Fitch:
We’ve worked hard to arrive at this stage, ready to take the next leap in our careers. I, for one, know that when I was stretched to my limit this past fall, this day felt so far away. And yet, that’s exactly when I interviewed and landed a position I’d dreamed of. The high expectations we set for ourselves — and were held to by our classmates, professors, and advisors — that’s what led us to SCAD.
SCAD Atlanta Excelsus Laureate Alexandra Badiu (M.F.A., illustration, 2018) then recounted how her many SCAD experiences shaped her emotional life:
These collaborative projects resulted in friendships and partnerships that led me to more enjoyable work — creating backgrounds for senior films, working as a multimedia editor of SCAD Connector and SCAN magazine. The cover illustration I made for SCAN’s 2017 spring issue won first place in Columbia Scholastic Press Gold Circle Awards, but to see the excitement in the eyes of my peers when they saw the cover, and feel the way we empower each other through our art was the best reward.
Next came the keynote address of Juliet Blake, the queen of contemporary content curation. As head of television at TED, Juliet produces stirring and important series that examine American education, the relationship of art to war, and so much more. She oversaw the iconic Muppets franchise, and at the National Geographic Channel, she worked on series including the Emmy Award-winning Explorer and the critically acclaimed Border Wars. Her work continues to spark imaginations and conversations — and my favorite part of all, she’s a proud parent and mother-in-law of SCAD graduates. Juliet touched our hearts almost instantly with a story about her family:
I am a daughter of German-Jewish immigrants, and my parents had a really tough time. My mother’s parents died in Auschwitz, and I think my oldest sister and I were both driven to be successful so that our parents’ suffering would not be in vain. They valued education, and of course, only wanted what was the best for us, but here’s a dirty little secret about the two Blake sisters: we did not do well academically in high school! And yet, my sister Yvonne went on to become an Oscar-winning costume designer and head of the Spanish Film Academy. And, look, I’m here today!
She also taught us the value of the highly understated punchline:
Last night, I called Lily, my girl, who graduated from SCAD in 2013. I asked her, “What was the best thing about SCAD for you?” And she replied immediately, “SCAD gave me the freedom to explore who I was as a creative person, and I always felt as if I was a member of this really supportive community. SCAD allowed me to try different things to find myself as a citizen of the planet. Oh, and I also met my husband.”
She closed her remarks by connecting her own path with that of our other honorary doctorate recipient, Ms. Winfrey:
Eight years ago, I read a book and fell in love with it. I could see it strangely as a film: It was a story about an immigrant family from India who moved to France and experienced terrible racism. But to me, it was not just a book about that family. It was a book about my family, too. And even though I’d never made a movie before, and I had no idea what I was doing, I optioned that book and spent a long time trying to get it made. When the film was green-lit, it was announced in The Hollywood Reporter, and I saw my name alongside the names of Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. And I cried. And I cried. And I cried! Because all I wanted was for my parents to be alive for me to make them proud.
We cried, too, and laughed, and felt all the feelings while hearing the gripping story of her professional journey. Following this powerful moment, the wowonly grew more intense, for nobody expected what came next. Juliet introduced Oprah Winfrey — who had come to honor a SCAD Atlanta graduate, Gloria, who had studied at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was graduating from SCAD with a B.F.A. in fashion marketing and management. Oprah was to receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters from SCAD, but knowing her tremendously busy schedule and prior commitments, we had not asked her to deliver any remarks. Juliet’s soaring speech had already elevated the moment into the sublime.
And yet, this miraculous woman — winner of 18 Daytime Emmys, 12 NAACP Image Awards, a Peabody, a Tony, a Golden Globe, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom — showed all of us why and how she is one of the greatest agents of cultural change in American history. Just as she was about to return to her seat, she paused, and turned, and walked to the podium. We held our breath. Could she? Would she? Would we be treated to a message from one of the most gifted and empathetic speakers in modern history?
She told us a story about Gloria, and how at SCAD, her daughter had found her “people,” and she told us about the quarter-century she spent on television, hosting, not a talk show, but “a listening show.” She shared what she learned from that historic experience: When the cameras were off, during commercial breaks, every guest, no matter who they were — victim or criminal, celebrity or everyman — asked her one question: “Am I doing okay?” President Obama asked it. Beyoncé asked, too. Everybody wanted to be heard, and wanted to know they were doing well — because, as Oprah said on the SCAD stage, all of us want to become our best selves. She closed with this:
I love SCAD because it is in alignment with the highest order that we’re all seeking. We’re all seeking to be the truest, purest, highest expression of ourselves as human beings. And so, you’ve been able to do that here at this university. Express yourself fully, artfully, collaboratively with each other, with yourself. And now, go out and get paid for it!
It is difficult to express in mere words the joy that erupted in that moment. The roof lifted off the room and the sky opened up. We cheered. We roared. Candice Glover sang. The graduates marched. The drumline drummed. The dancers danced. Confetti rained. The wow started and never stopped. My ears are still ringing from the exclamations of gratitude and love. Congratulations, graduates! May your wow moments that began at SCAD carry on throughout your lives and careers, and may each of you continue to find your happiest, truest, purest, highest expression of yourself.
