If there鈥檚 ever a time to ask yourself the big questions鈥攖he questions that go beyond an autofill or a quick internet search鈥攊t鈥檚 while sitting at the edge of college graduation and on the precipice of possibility.
At Graduates Day, thousands of soon-to-be Vanderbilt alumni gathered in Memorial Gymnasium with their families to celebrate this momentous occasion.
Arthur C. Brooks, award-winning author, professor, and scholar of what it means to live a meaningful life, challenged students to think about this quest for happiness during his keynote address.
鈥淚n college, you鈥檙e largely concerned with how to do things and what you want to do after you finish college,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淢aybe you鈥檙e still looking. You鈥檒l figure out the 鈥榟ow鈥� and the 鈥榳hat,鈥� but the truth of the matter is, there鈥檚 a more important question lurking, which is the 鈥榳hy鈥� of your life. Your mission, your purpose, your calling.鈥�
Searching for the “why,” that鈥檚 the journey that will take students across the decades. And not yet knowing the answers is where Brooks encouraged them to start.
But how do you begin to even consider something that on its face can seem so abstract?
By asking yourself these two fundamental questions: Why are you alive, and what would you give your life to right now happily?
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 find answers to 鈥榳hy am I alive鈥� and 鈥榯o what would I give my life鈥� in the traditional places we see today online,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淵ou have to be fully alive in real life in your deepest self.鈥�
Brooks challenged the Class of 2026 to put down their phones and allow themselves space to think big, ask deep questions and form meaningful connections. It鈥檚 not easy. By burying ourselves in technology, humans are fighting an uphill battle, quite literally forcing our brains to function only in one half鈥攖he left side that deals with facts and information, the 鈥渉ow-tos.鈥�
To answer the 鈥渨hy鈥檚,鈥� to access the right side of the brain that traffics in intuition and wonder and love and mysticism, Brooks said we must dare to choose boredom.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to be bored; we don鈥檛 like it. Mother Nature doesn鈥檛 care. It wants you to be bored, because when you鈥檙e undistracted, your brain uses the default mode to let your mind wander, flights of fancy, consider meaning.鈥�
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR LIFE
The homework assignment is simple, Brooks said.
Stop being managed. Be disciplined, stand up to the machine, and put your phones down for meaningful segments of your day.
Live the old fashioned way. Ask the big questions that don鈥檛 have answers. Those are the human questions. That means conversations, without devices, about God, death and love.
Give your heart away. Fall in love, the biggest risk of all.
And seek transcendence in life through faith and service to others, especially those with whom you have nothing in common or who can鈥檛 give you anything in return.
鈥淟ook for something outside yourself, stand in awe,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淭his will illuminate the meaning of life like nothing else 鈥� love others in a spirit of transcending yourself across ideological differences.鈥�
Searching for meaning, contemplating what this looks like in your own life, is not a linear journey, Brooks said, who shared the story of his middle son, Carlos, serving in the United States Armed Forces and becoming a father.
鈥淵ou have to find your own path and beliefs and values and that鈥檚 the thrill, that鈥檚 where it begins,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the fun in life, that鈥檚 the journey that awaits.鈥�
PASSION AND PURPOSE
Jane Bruns, a Class of 2026 child studies major, has the 鈥渨hat next鈥� figured out. She will teach special education next year before pursuing a degree in clinical counseling at Boston College. It鈥檚 the 鈥樷�渨hy鈥� question that she says she鈥檒l leave thinking about.
鈥淚 thought it was an amazing topic for the end of our careers at Vanderbilt,鈥� Bruns said. 鈥淭his is the time in our life when we are asking ourselves a lot of those big questions, and I think this helped us think about what is our passion and purpose moving forward.鈥�
For Kate Fischer, the biggest takeaway was around disconnecting to connect. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to look at the phone all day, but going beyond that and really connecting with people all around us and the amazing people we鈥檝e met here is what matters.鈥�
Fischer is a Class of 2026 computer science, math and economics major preparing to move to Washington, D.C., and work in national security.
Brooks no doubt left an imprint on students readying themselves to start the next big chapter of their lives, and his impact will extend far beyond his Graduates Day remarks. Beginning in July, Brooks will join the Vanderbilt faculty as an endowed professor in the Department of Medicine, Health and Society in the College of Arts and Science. To celebrate, Vanderbilt is providing each graduating student with a complimentary copy of Brooks鈥� newest book.
NICHOLS-CHANCELLOR鈥橲 MEDAL
Brooks is this year鈥檚 recipient of the . It is one of the university鈥檚 highest honors and is awarded to individuals who exemplify the best qualities of the human spirit. It was created and endowed by Vanderbilt Law School graduate Ed Nichols and his wife, Janice, in honor of Edward Carmack and Lucile Hamby Nichols.
Other recent recipients of the 聽include Gary Sinese, David Brooks, Maria Ressa and Reid Hoffman.
FOUNDER鈥橲 MEDALISTS HONORED
During the Graduates Day celebration, , provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, honored the Class of 2026 Founder鈥檚 Medalists for their outstanding achievements and academic excellence.
Since 1877, the university has awarded a gold medal to the student graduating with top honors from each of the university鈥檚 . The award honors the university鈥檚 founder, , who endowed the award in its first year.
- Read more about the Class of 2026 Founder鈥檚 Medalists
Founders Medalist recipients at the Graduates Day 2026 celebration in Memorial Gym
(Vanderbilt University)
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES!
Immediately after the Graduates Day address, students and their loved ones were welcomed into a beautifully reimagined space in the David Williams II Recreation and Wellness Center indoor practice facility for food, music and dancing.
- See all the latest stories from Commencement and the Class of 2026
- Share your Commencement photos and tag #VU2026
