1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,680 Speaker 1: Hey, guys, how are your feelingist Angela Yee from the 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: Breakfast Club, and I just want to say I'm excited 3 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: to participate in this commencement speeches for the Class of 4 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: twenty twenty podcast event. I know a lot of us 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: right now are going through a lot of things. So 6 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: for me to be able to talk to you and 7 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,119 Speaker 1: just communicate what I've been through and any kind of 8 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: advice that I can give, I'm honored to be able 9 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 1: to do that. Before I do say anything, I want 10 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:27,319 Speaker 1: to tell you that you did it. You made it 11 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: across the finish line, and right now, you guys are 12 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 1: under the most unique circumstances that I believe I've ever seen. 13 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,520 Speaker 1: Whenever you think about your twenty twenty graduation, you're definitely 14 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: going to have some of the most interesting stories to tell. 15 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: And that's what I want to focus on today. Right 16 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: as you figure out the next stop on your journey 17 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: of life, some of you are going to continue on 18 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: with formal education, some of you will join the workforce 19 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: right away, some of you will take a break as 20 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: you ponder what's next in life, and some of you 21 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: will start to own businesses. Some of you, guys will 22 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 1: just straight up hustle. I've done all of those things 23 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 1: throughout the course of my career, and what I want 24 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:13,680 Speaker 1: to talk about today is just being flexible, also controlling 25 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 1: your reactions to things that you can't control, and being proactive. 26 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: And I'm going to quote Kanye West when I talk 27 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: about that, being proactive, which is not something I normally do, 28 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: so you know it's important now. When I first graduated, 29 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: I went right back to my parents' house. They live 30 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: in South Thurren's, New Jersey, and I wanted to stay there, 31 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:35,400 Speaker 1: but they got tired of me being in the house. 32 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: I was broke, I was in debt. They had paid 33 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,039 Speaker 1: for me to go to college. I also had taken 34 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,479 Speaker 1: out a lot of student loans. So after less than 35 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: a month, they were like, you have to get a 36 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: job and you have to get a place to live. 37 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: So the first thing I did was in my head, 38 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: I said, I'm going to get a job working at 39 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: a temp agency. I wanted to be able to pursue 40 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: my career as a writer. Since I was in kindergarten, 41 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: I just knew I would be a writer. I didn't 42 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: even survive three days doing this temp agency job. I 43 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: was opening envelopes in a quote data entry position. It 44 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: was awful. I decided, let me just tap in and 45 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: follow up on these internships I had done in college. Fortunately, 46 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 1: when I was in school, I went to Wesleyan University 47 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: and I did use the Career Resource Center and it 48 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: was great for me to be able to link up 49 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: a different people who graduated from Wesleyan who were able 50 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: to get me internships. Now, one internship I did did 51 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: not necessarily have to do with my college. It was 52 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: through a colleague of mine and I ended up getting 53 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:35,959 Speaker 1: a job working for the Wu Tang Clan, the legendary 54 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: Woutang Clan. After several years of working in the music 55 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: industry and also making sure that I networked, I made 56 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: sure that I went out, I formed my own relationships 57 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: with people. I also developed my skills in marketing and NPR. 58 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: I decided that I want to be a freelancer, and 59 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: I did want to have multiple streams of income, but 60 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: I also wanted to have my freedom to be able 61 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: to travel if I needed to, not have to be 62 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: in an office every day, and that was pretty good 63 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: for me. It wasn't until I was twenty eight years 64 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: old that I actually stumbled and for real stumbled into 65 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: my career in radio, and that was thanks to my 66 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:15,960 Speaker 1: relationship with Paul Rosenberg. Paul is M and m's manager, 67 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: and he had just started the station Shade forty five 68 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: on serious satellite radio. I had actually worked with him 69 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: on Eminem's clothing line, and because he saw how hard 70 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: I worked and just the relationships I managed to forage 71 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: and continue to keep, he said, Okay, let's try you 72 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,079 Speaker 1: on the radio. And it did end up working out. 73 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: At first, I had to work there and not get paid. 74 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: It was kind of an unpaid probation period. But because 75 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: I was working like I was getting paid, and I 76 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: was putting in that extra time, in those extra hours, 77 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: and really humbling myself because you have to think I 78 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: had already been working for almost eight years and getting 79 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: paid a pretty decent amount of money to being paid nothing. 80 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: It was really a humbling experience for me. But I 81 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: think in the end it all worked. Now I've been 82 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: doing radio for sixteen years and I still haven't focused 83 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 1: on what I set out to do, or originally that 84 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: was to be a writer. Remember, Now, life will do 85 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: that to you. Sometimes you have a plan and there's 86 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: all these detours, there's all these dead ends, and then 87 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: you have to take a whole new route. And sometimes 88 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 1: things happen quickly, and sometimes they happen easily, and sometimes 89 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: it takes years or it doesn't materialize the way that 90 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: you envision that it would. You'll have to make some 91 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: really important decisions. And I'm a really huge believer that 92 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: whatever you chose to do, you have to represent you 93 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,919 Speaker 1: in the strongest way possible. Maybe you'll be doing an 94 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: unpaid internship or like I did that probationary period for free. 95 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,039 Speaker 1: Maybe it's a low paying job that you accepted, and 96 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: I did have that job as a low paying job, 97 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 1: I've had a lot of those. But if you did 98 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: agree to certain terms, then you have to make sure 99 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 1: that you show up, make sure you show out, because 100 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 1: you never know what that position might lead to. Now, 101 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: maybe you have a job that you hate, but you're 102 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: making six or seven figures. I know people like that, 103 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,159 Speaker 1: and you still have to perform your responsibilit be on time. 104 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: You still have to make sure that you do everything 105 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: to the best of your ability, make sure you treat 106 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 1: people well, because again, people don't know what you're going through, 107 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: and you also never know what that position might lead to. 108 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: Make sure, you don't let circumstances and negative people influence 109 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: the greatness that you have. You cannot control other people's actions, 110 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: but what you can control is your own reaction. One 111 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: thing that really has helped me, and I don't know 112 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 1: if everyone can do this, but I believe in the 113 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: power of writing, and so what I do is I 114 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: write things down when people do really effed up things 115 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,839 Speaker 1: to me, And somehow the story becomes funnier when I 116 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: write it down, and I can even change it the 117 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: way I want to change it, just to make it 118 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,280 Speaker 1: a comedy. Now, some people do this, and I know 119 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 1: writers who have a kill list, and that's people that 120 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 1: they want to get revenge on later and maybe you'll 121 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 1: read about those in my book one day. But in 122 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: the meantime, it's very therapeutic for me. You can always 123 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: learn something even when things are really tragic. So when 124 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 1: something unfortunate happens, I like to do something positive for 125 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:01,800 Speaker 1: another person. That's another way that I also shift the 126 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: energy that's around me. The last thing I want to 127 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 1: leave you with is a quote. And I told y'all 128 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 1: I was going to quote Kanye West. That's not something 129 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: I do very often, but this was during his glow 130 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: on the Dark Tour, they gave out these little booklets 131 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:17,600 Speaker 1: of kanyeisms, and one thing that always has stuck out 132 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: in my head to use is necessary. And if you 133 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: can't be used, then you're useless. And I know we've 134 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: heard that so many times and songs and quotes, and 135 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: I've always been hesitant to ask for favors, and sometimes 136 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: I'm even hesitant to just offer my own services. It's 137 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: kind of a pride thing when you feel like you 138 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 1: have to be independent and do everything and not need 139 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: anyone's help. What I've learned is that is a waste 140 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:43,159 Speaker 1: of time and energy. Right now you're graduating, make sure 141 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,839 Speaker 1: you use those relationships that you made, or make sure 142 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:48,719 Speaker 1: you tap into that alumni network when you have a 143 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:51,719 Speaker 1: great pitch, when you need employment, when you're looking for 144 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 1: an employee, when you need a mentor, or even if 145 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: you just want to acknowledge that somebody has done something 146 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: great and you want to shout them out. I've gotten 147 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: a lot of opportunit unities from the people I came 148 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:03,479 Speaker 1: up with, and I've also helped other people get into 149 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: great positions. The best thing I discovered in business is 150 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: I don't have to do things alone, I can partner 151 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: with other people. That's how I ended up being a 152 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: co owner in the Juice bar Juices for Life, BK 153 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,679 Speaker 1: with styles P, who's a legendary rapper from the Locks 154 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: that you should know, and djm V. I knew styles 155 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: P already opened three juice bars. I knew my chance 156 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: of success would be higher with somebody who already went 157 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,559 Speaker 1: through those mistakes that I knew I would have made. 158 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: And if I try to open that juice bar alone, 159 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: I might not be celebrating four years of owning a 160 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,600 Speaker 1: juice bar this year. When it comes to handling my business, 161 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: there's no way that I could do everything I do. 162 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: You know the Breakfast Club Morning Show. I also have 163 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: my podcast lip Service, I have all my bookings, I 164 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: do a lot of charity events. I'm on the board 165 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: for different organizations, and I still do have a life 166 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: outside of work. And the way I'm able to maintain 167 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: that is I have people who are in positions where 168 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: they can help me. So link up with people. Make 169 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: sure you show that same love back to You can't 170 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 1: just always take and not give. And remember that you 171 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: guys are the visionaries of twenty twenty and In the 172 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: times that we're in, you guys are definitely the ones 173 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: who are leading the way. Twenty twenty might be one 174 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: of the most important years that I've ever experienced, from 175 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: this coronavirus pandemic to the upcoming elections and everything else 176 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: in between. So right now, you guys, all eyes are 177 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: on you, and I know y'all are up for the challenge. 178 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: So congratulations again to the class of twenty twenty.