She got a standing ovation, from her classmates at least. "I was particularly impressed with the skill, with the articulateness that she demonstrated."Īnd when it was over, others were impressed too. "She was able to go from one to the other without pausing at all," Schechter said. Schechter, her adviser, was surprised and impressed with how Rodham ad-libbed and then seamlessly moved back into her prepared remarks. And it's the part that wasn't planned that drew all the attention. Not for my approval, but to get my reaction to it," Schechter said, "and I thought it was a perfect example of youthful idealism at the time, where young people were dissatisfied with what was happening in our society." The Day Of The Speechīut the speech Rodham read to Schechter is only part of what she delivered at the commencement ceremony. "Hillary had read the speech to me beforehand. Her professor and adviser at the time, Alan Schechter, says he remembers it clearly. She wrote that classmates came by offering her ideas and often conflicting advice. Hillary Clinton wrote in her book Living History that she fretted over the remarks, worrying about how she could fit their tumultuous four years into a single speech. But she was the student body president and was well-known by students and faculty alike. Hurley/Boston Globe via Getty ImagesĪcheson doesn't remember how it came to be that Rodham was chosen to give the speech. Edward Brooke's speech received national attention. Clinton was the first student to deliver a commencement speech at Wellesley College in 1969.
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