Mark Ruffalo to Grads Buck the System
I didn't graduate from college, so I'm in awe of every one of you. So thank you  I'm really grateful and honored to be here today. Thank you, Sam and Julie. And thank you, President Roseman. I want to accept the Sam Rose and Julie Walters Prize on behalf of the leadership and staff of Water Defense. All that money is going to go to the nonprofit organization Water Defense, so thank you. I was going to talk a little bit about Water Defense, but I would rather talk about you. And you can look up Water Defense on the website. I'm here to tell you that activist is not a dirty word. And I'm here to tell your parents that, as well. I didn't expect to be an activist  I sort of stumbled up on it because in the words of Larry Kramer, one of the AIDS activists and a mentor of mine, you have to fight for what you love. And you guys, in particular, are facing a lot of fights, I think. And I am happy to say that your generation is well-armed to take them up. We have climate change, we have a mass sort of imbalanced corporatization, these lead to environmental degradation and also social justice issues. And we're sort of coming to a head  they're all coming to a head. There's really no chance of ducking it or not having to deal with it. And I'm thrilled to be here you young people today who have so much knowledge and so much ability to communicate on such a grand level and a global level. And so I'm asking each of you, at some point, to act up  be misbehaved. Buck the system. Fight for what you believe in. This is the time to do it. You're the ones to do it. Your world, like no other generation, you actually get to create the world that you can imagine. And never in the history of mankind has it been so available to so many people to do that thing. And I am so excited to be here with you today and I am excited to see you go out and do wonderful things that I know you've learned to do. And don't be afraid of anything. Thank you very much  it's a great honor. Read more 2015 commencement speeches, , Alan Alda to Grads Everything in Life Takes Time, Bernard Harris to Grads You Are an Infinite Being With Infinite Possibilities, Bill Nye to Grads Change the World, Chris Matthews to Grads Make Them Say No. Never Say No to Yourself', Colin Powell to Grads Learn to Lead, Ed Helms to Grads Define Yourselves, Eric Schmidt to Grads You Can Write the Code for All of Us, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel to Grads This Is the World We Were Born Into, and We Are Responsible for It', Gwen Ifill to Grads If You See Something, Do Something, GE CEO Jeff Immelt to Grads Become a Force for Change, Ian McEwan to Grads Defend Free Speech, Joe Plumeri to Grads Go Out and Play in Traffic, Jon Bon Jovi to Grads Lead By Example, Jorge Ramos' Message for Journalists Take a Stand, Joyce Carol Oates to Grads Be Stubborn and Optimistic, Katie Couric to Grads Get Yourself Noticed, Ken Burns to Grads Set Things Right Again, Kenneth Cole to Grads Find Your Voice, Madeleine Albright to Grads The World Needs You, Mark Ruffalo to Grads Buck the System, Matthew McConaughey to Grads Always Play Like an Underdog, Maya Rudolph to Grads Create Your Own Destiny, Mellody Hobson to Grads Set Your Sights High, Meredith Vieira to Grads Be the Left Shark, Michelle Obama to Grads Shape the Revolution, Mitt Romney to Grads America Needs You to Serve, Natalie Portman to Grads Carve Your Own Path, President Obama to Grads We Should Invest in People Like You, President Obama to Cadets Lead the Way on Fighting Climate Change, Salman Rushdie to Grads Try to Be Larger Than Life, Samantha Power to Grads Start Changing the World By Acting As If', Stephen Colbert to Grads You Are Your Own Professor Now