Georgetown College Commencement Address

Returning to my alma mater, Georgetown College, to deliver the commencement address was an incredible honor.

Commencement Address by Knox Thames ('96)

A couple of years ago, I found myself standing in the ruins of an ancient citadel in Bukhara. One of the great Silk Road cities of antiquity, it’s now part of Uzbekistan.  Historical figures like Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan all marched through Bukhara. As I looked over the city, I paused to reflect on how this boy from Central Kentucky found himself in Central Asia. 

When I last stood here almost 30 years ago, I could not have imagined the life and career I’ve been blessed to have. So on this graduation day, I’m going to share about my background and my career to help you think about what’s possible. I hope you can connect my journey with your story. And I’ll offer some thoughts on how you can live a life of meaning.

Discovering my Interests

I grew up down the road in Richmond, the son of two wonderful parents.  I wasn’t planning to attend Georgetown until two high school buddies recruited me to join them on a campus visit with the lure of missing a day of school. After the tour, I knew Georgetown would be the place for me. I loved Georgetown. It was a life-shaping four years.

Mentors like the late, great Doc Birdwhistell helped me and so many other young people sort through the questions of life, belonging, and meaning. Through the countless days I spent at the Baptist Student Union, he challenged me to think of things beyond myself, of serving others, missions, and charitable efforts. His saying of “Shine On” is remembered by so many.

And it was through Doc during my senior year that I learned of an AmeriCorps program in Atlanta helping resettle refugees with World Relief.

I had been developing an interest in international affairs thanks to Dr. Talent, as well as Dr. Heizer, who encouraged me to study in Krakow, Poland, during the summer before my senior year. It was 1995, and the Iron Curtain had just fallen. Many adventures were had learning to navigate a foreign land and a language I didn’t know without a cell phone. (That meant my parents dropped me off at the airport and hoped they’d someday see me again.)

But it sparked an interest in international affairs that refugee resettlement would further grow and develop towards human rights.

The two years in Atlanta challenged my faith. For the first time in my life, I had friends from other countries who had suffered incredibly because they were from the wrong tribe or religion. Wrestling with the question of suffering was hard, but it led me to conclude that as Christians, we are called to help the less fortunate. We should speak up for anyone facing persecution, regardless of faith or nationality. And as an American, blessed with incredible liberties and prosperity, to assist others in times of crisis.

Atlanta was also wonderful because I met my wife at World Relief. She had attended another Baptist school you might have heard of, Baylor University, and has a similar providential story of how events led her to move from Texas to Atlanta.

From Atlanta, I wanted to equip myself to be an advocate, so I moved to Washington, DC, for law school. I didn’t know a soul when I arrived in 1998 for what I thought would be for just three years. Now, 27 years later, married with two high school boys, clearly there was a different plan.

Religious Freedom for Everyone Everywhere

My diplomatic career in Washington has focused on advancing religious freedom for everyone everywhere. For decades, it’s been a bipartisan policy that the United States should advance human rights and religious freedom around the world. It’s a diplomatic distinctive of our country from all others.

We’ve done this as a nation as a reflection of our values, because its who we are as a people. I was always proud to sit behind a placard that read “United States”—whether in a foreign capital or at the United Nations—standing up for our values and pressing other governments to respect human rights.

And I’ve seen how engaging the world as a force for good is in our long-term strategic interests.

We can do this while pursuing our interests on the global stage, as our interests must be informed by our values. Otherwise, we are chasing the wind.

When we help people have access to basic needs like food, water, and medical care, when we advocate for those persecuted for their beliefs, they remember the United States helped them. They are less likely to be recruited by extremists or terrorists, thus increasing our national security.

Helping other nations improve broken or corrupt legal systems can stop the push factors that lead people to walk thousands of miles through deserts and jungles to our southern border. Our work abroad can also enhance our prosperity at home by creating stable business environments for American (and Kentucky) companies to export or invest.

And in this competition with China, our commitment to human rights and religious freedom is a competitive advantage. Societies know that we believe in human dignity, self-determination, and freedom of conscience, while the Chinese Communist Party does not. They are opposed.

America’s power makes us strong. But there have been many strong countries in history. It is our values, and how we use our power and influence to carry them forward, that makes us exceptional.

I’ve been incredibly blessed to do work that aligns with my deepest beliefs and American values. Over my career, I’ve enjoyed career successes and experienced setbacks. I’ve met heads of state and written books, and I’ve dealt with the grief of friends suffering in other countries for their beliefs, even to the point of death.

Stepping Forward to Help Others

When I last stood here, the life I’ve lived was unimaginable. I hope my story encourages you to dream big, to step forward in faith, and to pursue a calling with purpose. It will make your life exceptional.

God created us with a purpose in mind. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Despite our different ages, backgrounds, and circumstances, no one is here by chance. We are made with a purpose, designed by the creator of all things as his handiwork, a masterpiece. He has been planning for you to do good things at this time.

However, much of American culture focuses on comfort, ease, and enjoyment. These are not bad things, if not taken as ultimate things. But for many, the supreme goal of life is to retire from it. What a shame.

You have been blessed beyond measure to live in the United States in the 21st century. I know. I have visited many of the broken places of the world. While we have our challenges here and partisanship is at fever pitch, a bad day in America still beats a good day in most other countries.

I recently met an older gentleman who immigrated here decades ago as a young man. Now naturalized, he shared how, when he first arrived, he thought the American dream was to earn money and buy a washing machine. Comforts. But with the benefits of age, he now understands the American dream is the right to pursue your dreams.

Countries like China and Russia are afraid to let their people dream. We have the opportunity to dream dreams of a better world.

So listen to those quiet dreams in your heart. God put them there. That nagging concern about a broken part of your world. There may be divine potential with that idea. God placed us here in this moment of history for a reason.

Realizing Potential

Realizing our potential takes effort. One of my favorite statues in Washington, DC, helps us understand what it takes. Sitting near the Lincoln Memorial, positioned on a small roundabout, it commemorates the Swedish engineer, John Ericsson. Now largely forgotten, he ignited a revolution in naval design after he immigrated to America, creating the modern propeller and designing the USS Monitor, the ship that ensured Union naval supremacy during the Civil War.

His statue shows him sitting, deep in thought. Three avatars stand over him. (These aren’t the blue creatures from the movie or the characters from the Nickelodeon cartoon.) These figures embody three virtues – Vision, Labor, and Adventure. Ericsson lived these, using his imagination to envision new designs into being, using his skills to labor towards outcomes deemed impossible, and having the adventurous spirit to travel the world. Vision, Labor, and Adventure were the keys to his success.

But we needn’t look much further from here to be inspired. Have you heard about the two brothers across the river in Ohio? The bicycle mechanics called the Wright Brothers? They had vision. They labored hard. They had a spirit of adventure. And they changed the world. (Imagine what else they could have accomplished with a Georgetown College education?)

Take advantage of where you are – 21st-century America. Our world needs points of light. We need bridge builders willing to extend a hand of friendship across lines of faith, politics, and race. We don’t have to agree on everything. But Left, Right, and Center can agree to disagree agreeably. And to stand together in neighborly solidarity in defense of these rights.

If you give yourself to worthy things, you’ll run counter to popular culture. Many choose material gain as the principal goal of life. But we all instinctively know that such a life would be boring, a movie no one would watch.

Live an Exciting, Purposeful Life

Great movies are often far from reality, but they correctly reflect reality in one way – there is conflict the central character must overcome. How they choose to do that is what makes it interesting and compelling.

You’re the star of the story of your life. Will you have the courage to be the hero? Or an NPC standing in the background of others?

Every great movie has a hero who cares for others. Who steps forward. Who lives sacrificially. Who works on issues larger than themselves. Who is foolish enough to believe they can make a difference. Who invests in causes without the promise of success. Who takes risks and risks much.

And with risk comes failure. Failure is a part of every story, especially for those reaching high. But to quote a once popular philosopher, it’s not winning or losing, it’s winning or learning. May John Calipari rest in peace in Fayetteville.

When failure comes, and it will, will you be overcome with disappointment or overcome the challenge? Don’t choose passivity and retreat. Will it be hard? Absolutely. But lean in. Make your movie exciting.

There is a practical side to this, too. Purpose brings contentment, despite inviting disappointment. The Global Flourishing Study, a multi-year research initiative involving Baylor University, Harvard University, and Gallup, recently announced its survey findings from over 200,000 participants across 22 countries.

What is nearly universal is how individual flourishing is strongly associated with a purpose in life to promote the common good in all circumstances, and attending a faith community.

In other words, we all need to scroll less, myself included. When we look beyond ourselves, we find deeper happiness. We will flourish if we look up from our phones and set our gaze on higher things. Things that can guide and inspire—and we can also make a difference in the lives of others.

We’ve seen powerful examples of that kind of commitment right here at Georgetown. Dr. Allen’s faithful and selfless leadership in helping retire Georgetown’s debt was extraordinary. Her generosity inspired others to step up and give as well. Thank you.

No one succeeds alone. While you’ve put in the hard work to graduate, you’ve benefited from a loving GC community – faculty and staff, maintenance, cooks, and janitors – who made your experience. And of course, your parents, grandparents, and family are here today to support you in this journey to adulthood. Let’s thank them all.

Dream Big and Shine On

Now your movie is about to start. The opening music has begun. The star, you, will soon come to this stage. We will all wonder as you look out towards family and friends: Where will you go? What will you do? The curtain is rising on the movie of your life. Only you can make it a great story.

What you do with your life matters. You can make a difference whether you end up living in the capital of Kentucky or the capital of the United States, London England or London Kentucky, or Paris or Paris, Athens or Athens, Versailles or Versailles, Beijing or Beaver Dam, Salt Lake or Paint Lick.

God wants to do big things through you, whether it’s to save the world or save the world around you in your neighborhood.

Very soon, we will all be fellow graduates. As you walk across this stage, may you step forward with courage, guided by the values instilled in you here. Have an expansive vision of your life and a better world. Labor hard in the service of others. Have an adventure, putting one foot in front of the other in a daily act of faith. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances.

May those values echo throughout your life, shaping not only your story but the stories of those around you.

Bring hope where it is needed. Be the light in the darkness.

God bless you all, congratulations, and Shine On!