Following are excerpts of my remarks to the Needham High School Class of '25 delivered on June 1, 2025.
Class of ‘25: Keep it simple.
A recent visit to the Needham Schools by fellow Needham High School Class of 1983 alum, Sunita (Suni) Williams, reminded me how our lives can take unexpected turns and that this world can be a complicated place. Sometimes we just need to pause, step back and take a deep breath - to keep it simple. Suni Williams, who sat right where you are 42 years ago, inspired me to remember to slow down, enjoy the ride, and appreciate the people around me.
Suni visited three schools, and in each school visit, Suni explained what it was like on the International Space Station and what it meant to be its commander. Rather than being “stranded” she described her nine month journey as being an "extended business trip.” She has a gracious and positive outlook on life! Suni discussed science experiments, rocket mechanics, microgravity, and her spacewalks.
After explaining all the science and her remarkable travels to fourth graders, middle schoolers, high school students, and teachers from all levels, she took questions. The question she was asked the most?
“How did you go to the bathroom?”
Here we had a graduate of the Naval Academy, a decorated Navy pilot and astronaut who holds the spacewalking record for a woman (over 62 hours!), who commanded an international team, had her eight-day mission extended by nine months. Yet, the thing we all needed to know was: “How did you go to the bathroom?”
If you think about it, this question kind of makes sense… pretty basic stuff, really. Pretty simple. This international celebrity, scientist, and Navy pilot has spent 600 days in space. Most of us have little in common with her, but the one thing we do share, the one thing we can relate to, is, well, we all gotta go.
When it comes down to it, we often try to understand the world and other people by what we have in common. Sometimes we must look beyond obvious differences for connection. It’s a basic human need to relate with those around us, despite our differences. Sometimes we have to roll back the facades, layers and barriers to get to a simple understanding in order to make meaning, to build community.
As Suni talked to students that day I appreciated two simple ideas she shared.
The first is this: Our world is a beautiful and special place, and we need to take care of it. Suni told students to take time to enjoy the world around us. She recalled her father driving the family around New England in autumn to see the vibrant fall foliage. “How beautiful this is!” he gushed, as Suni and her siblings rolled their eyes and just wanted to go home and play. Now, in her adult life, Suni appreciates the simple joy of looking at the fall colors. From her perch on the ISS, she could look out at planet Earth, watching enormous storms form in the Atlantic or snow blanket the Rockies; they traveled through auroras and witnessed amazing lights all the time marveling at the simple yet powerful beauty of our planet.
She also watched wildfires burn out of control and smoke cover parts of the Northern Hemisphere; they could witness explosions and missiles hitting targets in the Middle East and Ukraine. Her message was simple and clear: We have a beautiful yet fragile planet; we need to take care of it and one another.
The second message Suni shared was this: People are fundamentally good. It’s a powerful message, and it’s simple and true. Despite our many differences, divided politics, anxieties, fears, racism, and inequality—human beings are basically good, fair, just, and kind-hearted.
Perhaps this simple notion is at odds with the world today, but Suni and the ISS crew, which includes Russian cosmonauts, worked, ate, and lived together in a tiny space, overcoming language barriers, customs, and international politics. They depended on each other; they broke bread together, laughed and celebrated birthdays and holidays. Suni has come to realize that despite our differences, humans are fundamentally caring and loving—it is with humility and curiosity we must find goodness in others.
Class of ‘25, congratulations on all you have accomplished to get here. We are all proud of you and wish you well as you venture out beyond Needham into a beautiful but fragile world that requires you to seek connections with those who are different and to see the beauty and humanity within those you encounter.
When your lives become hectic, when the work is punishing, when you are lonely, when everything seems overwhelming and insurmountable—step back, take a deep breath, lean on a friend and keep it simple.
As Suni reminds us: Our world is a beautiful place, and people are fundamentally good.
Beauty and goodness. Keep it simple.
After all, it’s not rocket science.
