If I gave the commencement speech at my graduation, this is how I would start:
“Despite the many hardships, the monumental challenges, the numerous distractions — you’ve made it. You have the degree. But now what? There is no better way to think about the future than to think about the future. So think about this: you are giving a speech before the entire IU graduating class at commencement. Your theme is the future of the graduating class after graduation. What would you say?”