There is a good reason they call these ceremonies "commencement exercises." Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning.

The remark plays on the literal meaning of “commencement” to reframe graduation as a threshold rather than a finish line. By calling attention to the phrase “commencement exercises,” Hatch emphasizes that education culminates in responsibility: the skills, habits, and values developed in school are meant to be exercised in the wider world. The line also functions as encouragement, especially in a commencement setting, to view uncertainty after graduation as opportunity. Its broader civic subtext—common in political speeches—is that personal advancement should translate into service, work, and contribution beyond the campus.