University officials, professors, family members, friends, and classmates, good morning to you all.
First of all, I would like to express my special gratitude for being selected to be here today and to address you on behalf of this generation of fellow architects, to whom I extend my congratulations and respect for this achievement.
I hope to represent you as you deserve at this moment when we are wrapping up our first year of college.
Today we are making public what we have long kept to ourselves.
This is the best result of the joint efforts of our family, teachers, friends, and above all, our own.
Let’s enjoy this moment that we deserve and keep it in our hearts to renew our resolve whenever it begins to waver.
To our parents and relatives: thank you for putting up with our home being turned into a workshop, for letting the whole house be flooded with cardboard, glue, and posters. Thank you for putting up with people coming over at all hours, for letting us use the computer for nothing but AutoCAD, and for all the countless sacrifices you made for us, your children, and our classmates.
To our friends: Thank you for sharing this longing with us and understanding that our many absences were justified.
To the teachers: Thank you for your tireless dedication, your patience, your high standards and respect, and for the freedom you gave us to create and grow.
I don’t expect you to remember the message I want to convey to you forever, but I do hope you enjoy it while I’m telling it to you; it sums up the essence of what I’ve learned over the years.
And one thing I've learned is that we must constantly seek ways to stay passionate about what we do.
We live in an age of complexity, diversity, and immediacy; we belong to the generation of information technology and telecommunications, and globalization is now an inseparable part of our reality.
This allows us to instantly access a wealth of information on a wide variety of topics and interests.
But the essence needed to help a friend or family member through a difficult time, or to bring an architectural dream to life—what it takes to marvel at a creation brought to fruition with passion, to innovate in projects to which one is committed—that can’t be found anywhere, nor can it be downloaded from any website.
We can’t simply “download” intelligence, passion, creativity, and commitment; these qualities must be forged the “old-fashioned way”—by observing, listening, traveling, and reflecting—just as we have done throughout our academic careers.
Finding our identity and our own path can be difficult, but it is certainly not impossible.
Throughout our studies, we have explored the history of humankind and its architecture; we have examined technological development, political and social organizations, forms of production and trade, and humanity’s quest to transcend its limitations.
We must be able to reflect on our own experiences and those of others, and find the inner peace that allows for deep reflection—leading us to conclude just how much there is still to discover, to learn, and to pass on to future generations!
We have reached a point where we must take on the responsibility of scrutinizing everything we take for granted. There is always a new perspective to explore; even regarding topics that have been discussed at length, there is still much to discover in our architecture.
I propose a challenge to my new colleagues: "Let’s set aside dogma; let’s not accept as valid any trend, paradigm, or external standard of evaluation that we do not recognize as our own. Let’s give free rein to our creativity and passion; let’s explore and investigate—always mindful of our responsibility to know that we can transform the world around us for better or for worse."
Let us create architecture that touches the soul and embodies beauty, yet does not harm the environment that sustains us. Let us infuse our creations with spirit, no matter how small they may be.
How beautiful and how useful our profession is, architects! We can bring together art, science, and technology. Let’s not be afraid or ashamed to set high goals; let’s be die-hard dreamers, and let’s pursue those dreams and aspirations because we have all the tools we need to succeed.
I’d like to quote Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios, from a speech he gave at Stanford University—one that many of you are probably familiar with and with which I strongly identify:
"If you don't have a thirst for knowledge, you won't find success. And that's what I've always wanted for myself. And now, as you graduate and start from scratch, that's what I want for you..."
That eagerness must be grounded in certain principles that are of great importance to me, and which we have reinforced throughout our education: tolerance, respect for others’ ideas, acknowledging others’ successes, cultivating patience and responsibility, learning to defend one’s own ideas, and never believing oneself to be the sole possessor of the truth.
To all of you who experience both the joys and challenges of our creations, I propose another challenge: question us, push us, and help us give you our very best. Believe me, we’re ready for it.
A stone on its own is a beautiful creation of nature; a stone set among others in a cathedral is a beautiful creation of both man and nature. Let us work together to achieve sublime creations; whatever we do, let us love it and strive for perfection within a framework of freedom, healthy competition, and mutual respect.
We all have our own inner light; the challenge is to seek it out and pursue it so that we can let it shine.
Good luck to everyone, and thanks again.