The University of Vermont Grossman School of Business celebrated almost 200 undergraduate students on Sunday, May 21, 2017 at the annual commencement ceremony before a packed Flynn Theater in Burlington.  

This year the ceremony was graced with the presence of Jodi Goldstein (’89), who is the Managing Director of the Harvard Innovation Labs, which includes the Harvard i-lab, the Harvard Launch Lab for alumni, and the new Harvard Life Lab for life-sciences ventures.

The Harvard Innovation Labs Ecosystem is the largest university-based entrepreneurship center in the world and is recognized as a global leader.

As the keynote speaker Jodi reflected on her time at UVM and subsequent business journey. 

She noted that even with the growing influence of automation and robots on the business world, graduates can use their talent and creativity to take advantage of the opportunities these new technologies will unlock.

Jodi offered four pieces of advice.

1 - Put yourself in situations where you might fail, go outside of your comfort zone. "Because this is where you learn more and discover your best-self." Something she discovered working within corporate America. 

2 - Trust your intuition. By trusting intuition and navigating ambiguity, one learns to recognize opportunities that present themselves, and we begin to make decisions based on our instincts. "It allows us to become comfortable with the idea that life doesn't follow a straight line, there is no road map, and by following our heart, opportunities will open up that we might otherwise miss."

3 - Have the humility to seek out people who are different to you. People who hold different views and people who know more than you. "This opens up and brings different perspectives and learnings that you don't already know; consequently, new discoveries are more likely to happen."

4 - Passion is what fuels our ability to have an impact. "It allows us to find something fulfilling that unlocks an energy in our work that propels us forward and increases our chances for success and the impact we can make. Passion plus impact equals a virtuous cycle. Life is too short, so do something you love."

Kayla Baczewski, who was the recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Senior Award for Academic Excellence and Overall Achievement, addressed the graduating class about reaching this special day, ready now, to succeed in the real world.