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Kermit the Frog delivers the commencement speech at the 2025 University of Maryland graduation. This is the school where Jim Henson attended and graduated from in 1960. More about this special day can be found here: https://dapsmagic.com/2025/05/kermit-the-frog-delivers-commencement-address-to-class-of-2025-at-university-of-maryland/
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0:09
hi
0:12
everybody hello i mean wow look at this
0:15
crowd look at all these graduation caps
0:18
with their decorations
0:20
wow wow
0:22
what a thrill it is to be back here at
0:25
the University of Maryland and celebrate
0:27
the class of
0:33
2025 and don't forget the summer class
0:36
of
0:39
2024 and the winter class of
0:43
2024
0:45
yeah uh did I leave anybody out no great
0:50
good you are all here you're all here to
0:55
listen to a frog in a very tiny cap and
0:59
gown give a commencement speech on uh
1:02
well what's actually turned out to be a
1:04
pretty beautiful evening
1:08
yeah either way I can guarantee you the
1:12
forecast calls for a 100% chance of
1:16
frog so here I am
1:20
president
1:21
Pines Provost Rice esteemed professors
1:26
proud parents families friends fighting
1:29
turpps and fellow amphibians thank you
1:33
for having me let's hear it again for
1:36
the
1:39
graduates
1:42
yeah now as I look out at you students I
1:45
can tell that you have all worked your
1:48
tails off
1:49
and as a former Chad pole believe me
1:52
losing your tail is a pretty big deal so
1:55
go
2:01
Turpps now I I realize that today is one
2:04
of the most important days of your lives
2:06
so I am honored to share some words of
2:09
wisdom about three things that are close
2:12
to my heart
2:14
finding your people taking the leap and
2:18
making
2:19
connections yeah now you and I share
2:23
someone very special University of
2:25
Maryland and I am talking of course
2:26
about my friend Jim
2:31
Henson yeah jim in the early days he had
2:35
a hand in literally everything I
2:39
did yeah jim and his wife Jane were
2:41
proud students right here at UMD when
2:45
the food at the stamp was
2:50
good back then they even had mosquito
2:53
sprinkles for your ice cream i miss
2:57
that and as I'm sure you know there's a
3:00
statue of Jim and me on campus and uh it
3:03
is not far from another campus legend
3:06
Tudo the Turtle
3:10
uh I I hear by the way that we are
3:12
distant
3:13
cousins and uh although I know you rub
3:17
his nose for good luck please do not rub
3:19
my nose um unless you're a fly in which
3:24
case I'd say lunch is
3:27
served but uh but it was Jim who taught
3:31
me about finding your people jim was a
3:35
collector he loved collecting actors and
3:38
artists and musicians anyone with talent
3:42
you know Jim shared with me that when he
3:45
was first coming up with the idea for
3:47
the Muppet Show nobody knew what they
3:50
had but Jim knew who he had yeah he knew
3:55
that there was a show there and he
3:56
wanted to show the world and that was
3:59
Jim he could always see the spark in
4:02
someone he saw the potential and he
4:06
saw what was unique in each person and
4:10
he taught me what's unique about you
4:13
should always be
4:15
shared and that really stuck with me
4:18
which is why you'll see me hanging out
4:20
with a
4:21
bear and a pig and a penguin and a prawn
4:26
and uh whatever Gonzo
4:29
is uh seriously if anybody knows please
4:32
see me after the
4:35
ceremony but Jim believed that everyone
4:38
had a
4:39
place jim thought of that and he made us
4:43
believe it and so my whole life I tried
4:47
to appreciate people for exactly who
4:49
they are uh even if they are a pig who
4:53
hogs the spotlight oh I'm probably going
4:57
to get in trouble for that one
4:59
but truly there's a spot for everyone in
5:03
the show isn't that right Arts and
5:05
Humanities
5:07
majors that's right i see
5:10
you that's
5:12
right yeah i I also see you biology
5:17
majors yeah but uh you're not going to
5:19
get me to step foot inside your lab no
5:21
way forget
5:23
it but congratulations anyway look now
5:27
there is no guarantee that the show is
5:30
always good or that it'll go off without
5:32
a hitch or it doesn't have its uh
5:36
hecklers
5:38
yeah but the show must go on and if
5:42
you're with your people and you won't
5:44
have to do it alone because life is not
5:49
a solo act no it's not it's a big messy
5:52
delightful ensemble piece especially
5:56
when you're with your
5:58
people you know in fact look around
6:02
seriously go ahead look around you're
6:05
probably sitting next to some of your
6:07
people right
6:08
now these are friends that you might
6:11
have for your whole life and there will
6:14
be many others to collect along the way
6:15
so always keep your eyes open like I do
6:21
actually I can't really close my eyes
6:23
but um always be on the lookout for old
6:26
friends you've just
6:29
met also can you be on the lookout for
6:32
animal i hear he hit a few graduation
6:35
parties last night and we haven't seen
6:36
him
6:38
since okay so once you have found your
6:42
people you're ready for what comes next
6:44
taking the leap and leaping uh is kind
6:48
of something we forarchs know a thing or
6:49
two about and uh judging by the number
6:52
of you who've left him to the Mc Mckelen
6:54
fountain at 2 o'clock in the morning so
6:56
do
6:57
you so do you yeah you know when I was
7:01
uh just a little bit younger than all of
7:03
you I used to have a fun in the swamp
7:05
playing
7:06
Leaprog it was our favorite game or kind
7:10
of our only game but uh we loved it
7:13
except for my cousin
7:14
Albert he never actually left he just
7:18
stepped on your back and used your head
7:19
like a lily pad
7:22
sure he got ahead but it was only by
7:24
stepping on you we've been told that
7:27
that's how you succeed and some choose
7:30
to believe it but I know they're
7:33
wrong so as you prepare to take this big
7:36
leap into real life here's a little
7:39
advice if you're willing to listen to a
7:41
frog
7:43
rather than jumping over someone to get
7:45
what you want consider reaching out your
7:49
hand and taking the leap side by side
7:52
because life is better when we leap
7:57
together and that brings me to my final
8:00
point making
8:02
connections now right now many of you
8:05
are trying to make career connections
8:07
and networking connections and are
8:09
applying for jobs and grad schools and
8:11
quietly panicking about rent and loans
8:14
and the price of eggs good
8:17
grief i know the past four years have
8:20
brought more challenges than anyone
8:22
expected sometimes it can feel like the
8:25
challenges just keep coming but but look
8:27
at you i know that you're going to be
8:30
okay because you're here you did it and
8:34
I think that deserves another round of
8:36
applause
8:47
right now you're all dressed in your
8:49
caps and gowns all grown up but your
8:53
family is probably looking at you still
8:56
seeing you as that little preschooler
8:57
sitting crisscross applesauce maybe
9:00
learning the alphabet from my friend Big
9:02
Bird on Sesame Street and for you that
9:06
was a lifetime ago but for them probably
9:10
feels like
9:11
yesterday which brings me to one really
9:14
important connection that I got to
9:15
mention
9:16
and that's the one that you share with
9:18
your parents or your family or the
9:21
special people who helped you get here
9:23
today and you all know who they
9:26
are a lot of them they're probably here
9:29
right now and some of them they might
9:33
not be but trust me you're still
9:37
connected to them you really are and
9:40
that's the thing about love it sticks
9:43
with you even when you're apart so let's
9:47
give all of those connections a round of
9:50
applause
9:54
too because if I know a thing it's
9:57
important to stay connected to your
9:59
loved ones stay connected to your
10:01
friends and most of all stay connected
10:04
to your dreams no matter how big no
10:08
matter how impossible they seem the
10:11
truth is dreams are how we figure out
10:14
where we want to go and life is how we
10:18
get
10:19
there so
10:21
graduates I see you i see you out there
10:26
and I know that you will find your
10:29
people i know that you're going to take
10:31
big leaps and I know that even though
10:34
you're about to throw your caps in the
10:35
air good luck finding them again i know
10:40
that you will stay
10:41
connected to your families your friends
10:45
and your dreams because life's like a
10:50
movie write your own ending keep
10:53
believing keep
10:55
pretending you've all done just what you
10:59
set out to do and you are just getting
11:10
started oh now the music's getting
11:12
started too which means my speech is
11:15
coming to an end but before I go maybe I
11:19
could get you all to sing along with
11:21
me here we
11:23
go why are there so many songs about
11:29
rainbows
11:30
and what's on the other
11:36
side rainbows are visions but only
11:42
illusions and rainbows have nothing to
11:48
hide so we've been told and some choose
11:53
to believe it i know they're wrong wait
11:58
and
12:01
see someday we'll find it the rainbow
12:07
connection the lovers the dreamers and
12:13
me thank you thank you University of
12:16
Maryland thank you for having me and
12:19
congratulations to the class of
12:21
2025
12:24
yay
12:43
yay kermit kermit kermit
12:51
kermit kermit kermit
12:58
kermit wow kermit thank you so much for
13:02
those inspirational words that song at
13:06
the end and being here today i know this
13:09
is the moment that our students will
13:11
never forget let's hear it again for
13:14
Curve at the Frog
13:23
now
13:23
Kermit on behalf of the entire
13:27
University of Maryland community and
13:29
family I want to also wish you a happy
13:34
70th birthday you
13:39
don't you don't even look like you've
13:41
aged at all over the 70 years thank you
13:44
very much i appreciate that
13:48
i now have the distinct privilege and
13:51
honor to read a citation from Governor
13:55
West Moore which reads as
13:59
follows be it
14:01
known because of your
14:03
demonstration of high
14:06
integrity and
14:07
ability meriting our great trust and
14:12
respect we are most pleased to award you
14:16
the governor's citation in appreciation
14:19
of out 10 outstanding services to the
14:22
citizens of the state of Maryland
14:48
let's hear it for Kermit
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