Families beamed and friends cheered as the sea of black-robed graduates swarmed Ryan Field for Northwestern’s all-school commencement June 20.

“That’s my grandbaby!” one woman yelled amid camera clicks and shouts from the stands.

Students from NU’s six undergraduate schools and the Graduate School gathered at the convocation ceremony to soak in some last-minute lessons from university administrators, fellow graduates and keynote speaker Wendy Chamberlin, former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan and an NU alumna.

Chamberlin told graduates that much has changed in the world since she graduated but that she hoped to share wisdom she had gained since she left NU.

“My generation used to say never trust anybody from the government,” she said. “Or for that matter, never trust anyone over 30. So for the next 15 minutes, I’m asking you to listen to the advice of somebody from the government who is old enough to think that 30 is way young.”

Chamberlin reassured graduates that even if they could not see their future paths from their current positions, their past work would help them start on the road to accomplishment.

“Your direction in life may not be totally clear, but you’ve already begun,” said Chamberlin, Weinberg ’70.

She told graduates they would be leaving NU “with thrilling prospects of adventuring into a world of boundless possibilities,” just as graduates did when NU was founded.

Chamberlin offered the audience 10 pieces of advice, which she termed “Wendy’s Words of Wisdom Dot Com.” She told graduates to relax, work together and explore their options.

“The ultimate success in life may be an entirely different approach than you took to get to this event,” Chamberlin said. “After all, Buddha didn’t find enlightenment until he sat under that tree and stopped working so darn hard.”

She also advised graduates to be passionate in all of their work.

“Spend your energies on what truly excites you,” she said. “If it’s not fun, don’t do it — or at least don’t do it for long.”

Being an ambassador to Pakistan taught Chamberlin much about partnering with others and exhibiting compassion, she said. While in the country after Sept. 11, 2001, Chamberlin fasted during the holy month of Ramadan and tried to listen to the concerns of Pakistani citizens.

“In life, as in diplomacy, hearing often gets you further than talking,” Chamberlin said.

She urged graduates to move beyond listening to others to serving those around them.

“Turn your passion into a way to help people,” she said. “You will find your greatest happiness in life when you serve someone other than yourself, something bigger than yourself.”

Fatimah Simmons said although she liked that Chamberlin told graduates to serve others, she was not too impressed by the speech.

“It sounded like a lot of stuff people say to graduates,” said Simmons, Communication ’03. “I thought graduation speakers were supposed to be famous. I wanted Bill Cosby to come so bad!”

At commencement NU officials recognized people who might not be famous but still have made an impact in the students’ lives throughout the years. NU President Henry Bienen recognized 27 newly appointed emeritus faculty members and then conferred seven honorary degrees, including a doctor of laws degree to Chamberlin.

Graduates also recognized people who made a difference in their lives and their careers at NU. Tina Valkanoff, the appointed student speaker, reminded graduates of the importance of mentors.

“They were with us for every victory and defeat and refrained from saying, ‘I told you so,'” said Valkanoff, Weinberg ’03 and co-chairwoman of the senior class council.

Jennifer Highsmith, Weinberg ’03, said she appreciated Valkanoff’s description of the timeline of college.

“My favorite part was when Tina got up there, went through the last four years,” Highsmith said. “When they called us individually by school, that’s when it hit us.”

Graduates stood with their schools to be recognized, with each section trying to beat the others for sound and enthusiasm.

“I present to you these loud, even deafening candidates for degrees in journalism,” said Loren Ghiglione, Medill School of Journalism dean.

“We may be small, but we’re as loud as the rest of them,” joked Penelope Peterson, dean of the School of Education and Social Policy as her graduates erupted in cheers.

Some graduates stood out among their sections for the unique touches they added to their traditional academic dress. At the beginning of the ceremony many had on sunglasses and stood chewing gum and chatting on their cell phones while waiting for the action to start. Others spruced up their outfits with accessories such as feather boas, tiaras or leis — even one made of money. Graduates also carried on the tradition of displaying funny phrases on their mortarboards, including “Hire Me!” and “Will Work For Food.”

But some onlookers in the bleachers had a tough time even making it to the commencement ceremony. Jonathan Finley took two El trains from the airport and walked with three suitcases from the Central Street station to the stadium to watch his girlfriend, Angela Bagnetto, Music ’03, graduate.

“I flew out after half a day of work today, ” Finley said.

For others audience members, it was difficult to collect their graduates at the end of the ceremony. One woman in the stands climbed onto a bench and called her graduate from a cell phone.

“I’m right here, next to Daddy,” she said, peering across the crowd. “Don’t you see me? I’m waving!”

After the ceremony Marj Kuperman pushed her way through the sea of graduates and their families outside Ryan Field, looking for her son, Ethan Kuperman, McCormick ’03.

“I was thinking, do we have to find ours or can we just take one?” she said.

The Summer Northwestern’s Torea Frey and Elaine Helm contributed to this report.