Eugene Daniels departed Colorado State University in 2012 with a dream—and a B.A. in journalism. 13 years later, he’s returning to his alma mater to address its graduating Class of 2025 as the co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend, one of the centerpieces of the network’s revamped programming schedule.
In between those tentpole life events, Daniels had a run at Politico and also served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, emceeing its annual dinner this year. The long, challenging road to his current perch was one of the subjects that he addressed in his commencement speech.
After exclusively revealing the news of Daniels’ CSU return in March, TVNewser provides a first look at some of his prepared remarks, which were delivered to 5,500 graduating students on May 16 inside the the university’s Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colo. The Weekend co-host spoke about how graduates who hope to change the world need to also take care that the world doesn’t change them first.
Additionally, Daniels addressed the importance of navigating around the roadblock of imposter syndrome, using his own experience regularly showing up in the halls of power within Washington, D.C. as an example.
Read exclusive excerpts from Daniels’ commencement speech below:
This month, I became the co-host of a national show at MSNBC.
What I learned was that not everyone is going to get you. And that is okay. Because you all have come through the mean streets of FoCo, baby. You all have been tested and tested and you have come out on the other side rocking robes and tassels.
The world is going to try and change you. People and institutions are going to try and bend you to their purpose and their expectations of you should be. They will challenge who you know you are, the person you’ve spent all this time discovering and excavating.
But you have to remember that you, as is, belong in that meeting, in that research facility, in that doctor’s chair, in whatever room you find yourself in…
Now I’m not saying it’s easy. Because trust me it is not. Imposter Syndrome is real and that little monster is always ready to rear his nasty little head.
[…]
See when you accept every piece of yourself, when you accept all of your sharp edges and weird quirks, and you walk up into that room as your full self, you not only push past that fear, but you change the very nature and feel of that room.
Because y’all, I am here to tell you: the rooms I’m referring to ain’t that special. When you start spending time with leaders or decision makers or just really smart people, you will expect the conversation to be above your head. You will expect it to be beyond your reach but it’s not.
