We tracked down four former Commencement speakers to find out what they’ve been doing since they graduated and to reflect on their moments in the spotlight.

Al Fatale III, B.A. art history, senior speaker, '04

What have you been doing since you graduated?
I am continuing my education at Cornell Law School in Ithaca, N.Y. Law school has been an amazing experience. I have some of the best law professors and I am enjoying the subject. The biggest change has been living so far from New York City, but I traded in subways and skyscrapers for gothic architecture and waterfalls. I am going to be a summer associate at the law firm of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll in Voorhees, and am planning to spend my weekends with old friends around MSU. I have become involved in student activities at Cornell. After four years in the MSU Student Government Association and two years on the University Board of Trustees my life was incomplete without representing students. I have helped found the Cornell Law School Business Law Society and I was just elected to serve as the law school's delegate to the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (Cornell's Student Government).

Do you remember what it felt like to give your speech that day?
I was a bit nervous not because I was talking in front of thousands of people, but rather because I wanted get the message across to my fellow graduates. My goal was to give a speech that included everyone's experience at MSU and showcased some of the most important aspects of college education. I wanted everyone to know that they learned not only in the classroom but outside, and that every person had grown into a leader.

Looking back on it now, would you have changed anything about your speech?
I don't think so. My memories of MSU, graduation and the speech are perfect and priceless just the way they are.

In your speech you said, "We did not become just students; each one of us has become a leader..." Do you still believe that?
Teamwork is the key to many things in life but another important aspect is being a leader. When I say leader I do not necessarily mean a head of state or captain of the football team. I believe that every day every person does things that make him/her a leader because they affect other people's lives. I am only a leader so much as I am a follower. Anything that I do to help someone or pass along to someone else, I learned from a leader who passed that gift along to me.

Now that you've been out for a year, what advice would you offer graduates today?
Look to do something with the rest of your life that makes you happy; do not be afraid to change your mind; do not worry about failing and most importantly the fun ends only when you want it to end.

Ann Funicelli, B.A. communication sciences and disorders, senior speaker, '98

What have you been doing since you graduated?
After graduating from MSU, I have been an active member of the MSU Alumni Executive Board for the past nine years. I became assistant tax collector in Paramus and am now retired. Presently I am involved in my husband's and my business, PMMI, which manufactures orthopedic implants. My husband and I travel more frequently, and I totally enjoy my quality time with our children, grandchildren and friends.

Do you remember what it was like giving your speech that day?
Giving my Commencement speech was, and always will be, one of the greatest highlights of my life.  I remember that day as if it was yesterday.  The pride, excitement and emotional high that I felt was incredible. I am still in awe of that special day. It was an honor and a privilege to have been chosen to deliver the Commencement speech. If my speech and/or I made a difference to just one person, I will have accomplished what I had set out to do.

Looking back on it now, would you have changed anything about your speech?
I believe my speech conveyed everything it possibly could have, and I wouldn’t alter it in any way.

In your speech you said, "Attending MSU has changed my life forever, and I will be eternally grateful for that." Can you elaborate?
MSU fulfilled the dream that I thought was impossible. The experience and education I received from MSU helped me to become the person that I am today.

Now that you have been out for seven years, what advice would you offer graduates today?
My advice to all the graduates would be, first, have a positive attitude in life.  Second, believe in yourself and your goals. Last, but certainly not least, have passion for whatever it is in life you do. As I said in my speech, which seems to have summed it all up, "We all have some 'should haves' and 'would haves' in our lives that seem to be impossible dreams, but we can all make our impossible dreams possible.” Just do it!

Christopher Phillips, M.Ed. Philosophy for Children, graduate speaker, '97

What have you been doing since you graduated?
I wrote three best selling books—two for adults and one for children. I founded a non-profit group, the Society for Philosophical Inquiry, devoted to supporting philosophical inquirers of all ages and walks of life as they become more empathetic and autonomous thinkers who take an active part in creating a more deliberative democracy. My wife Cecelia ('97 M.A.) and I travel all over the world in all types of venues where we facilitate and form communities of philosophical inquiry. We have about 50 schools participating and 275 groups for adults, from Afghanistan to the U.S. to Mexico. I will be leading a "Dialogue for Democracy" on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 4.

Do you remember what it was like giving your speech that day?
I came back to Montclair State to get an M.A. in my mid-'30s. MSU gave me the chance to reinvent myself and embark on my new calling. The school was a wonderful laboratory to sculpt a completely new life for myself. I talked about MSU having so many people—from administrators to faculty members—who took my dream for their own and helped me every step of the way.

Looking back on it now, would you have changed anything about your speech?
No, not at all. It’s funny because I spoke about how we're all works in progress. Little did I realize how true that was to my own life. It's been this serendipitous journey. Everything I do now is a result of the wonderful 12 months I spent in graduate school.

In your speech you said, "I think I speak for all graduate students when I say to MSU—If you ever need to ask anything of me, and I hope you do, I will be more than happy to respond in kind." Has that happened?
I have come back to to speak at MSU and given a workshop and had a dialogue in the Student Center. They're very keen on maintaining ties with me. I even receive e-mails from students asking about my work, and I always respond.

Now that you've been out for eight years, what advice would you offer graduates today?
I would tell them in a time when it seems like money is the primary motive, they should think about a creative life and feeding the soul. Find your unique path in life, but don't make it all about the money because the beauty of an education is to inspire you to become a lifelong thinker, creator and doer.

Kevin Hancock, B.A. political science, senior speaker, '01

What have you been doing since you graduated?      
After graduating from MSU I worked for a year in publishing at Pearson Education in Upper Saddle River. I then started at Seton Hall Law School in the fall of 2002 and just graduated. After taking the Bar Exam this July, I will work for one year as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Maryanne Trump Barry of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Newark, and then I will move on to work as a litigation associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell in Manhattan. 

What was it like giving your speech that day?
I was scared to death. Speaking in front of 10,000 people is petrifying, particularly if you have not done a lot of public speaking. Waiting to speak was the worst part. I was the last speaker, so I sat on stage for an hour staring at this enormous crowd, trying to reassure myself that I knew my speech inside and out, and at the same time, I was trying to enjoy and listen to the other speakers. It was an incredible honor, and I was excited to share what I thought was an important message with my classmates. Revealing something as personal as a struggle with a psychological disorder (anxiety/panic disorder) to even just one person is difficult. Sharing it with 10,000 people was very hard, but that difficulty was the central point of the speech: if a challenge invokes fear, taking on that challenge is exactly what one must do.  It was the ultimate form of self-therapy, and I'm stronger for having done it.

Looking back on it now, would you have changed anything about your speech?   
Not a thing. Those words still mean as much to me today as they did four years ago. 

Now that you've been out for four years, what advice would you offer graduates today?
Don’t settle.  If you find yourself in a job you are not happy with—get out. If you really wish you could go to graduate school but are hesitating because of timing, money, or doubts about whether you are good enough—just go for it.  Believing that you cannot do something becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Half of doing anything is believing that you can in the first place.

During your speech you said, "Before us lie the blank pages of the chapters of our lives that have yet to be written.  If your story is to be a successful one, you must see past your fears."  What did you mean? 
It is important to not let the tendency to avoid your fears dictate the direction your life takes. Instead, fears should be used as a guide that points in the direction one should be going. Overcoming a challenge that initially invokes a lot of fear invariably turns out to be a great accomplishment and breaks down those fears.