{"id":213822,"date":"2024-05-06T11:40:10","date_gmt":"2024-05-06T15:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=213822"},"modified":"2024-05-06T11:40:10","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T15:40:10","slug":"change-happens-when-one-person-makes-a-bold-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2024\/05\/change-happens-when-one-person-makes-a-bold-move\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Change Happens When One Person Makes a Bold Move\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alumna Medina Jett<\/strong> \u201908 EMBA delivered a commencement speech to the Class of 2024 that emphasized something she knows well: the importance of being brave and thoughtful in the face of change, whether celebrated or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stand before you not only as a fellow Husky, but as someone who understands the challenges and triumphs that come with the journey of life,\u2019\u2019 Jett told some 700 enthusiastic undergraduates, their families, and friends on Saturday afternoon in Gampel Pavilion. <\/p>\n

Jett, who owns a real-estate development company in Atlanta, has had multiple, successful careers. She has worked as an attorney, as a corporate executive for three different Fortune 500 companies, as a serial business owner, and, most recently, as an author. <\/p>\n

She urged the soon-to-be graduates to be bold and contemplative.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout my life, I have chased the challenging assignments that lead to exciting new roles. I have followed my passions and enjoyed some phenomenal professional experiences,\u2019\u2019 she said.
\nShe has also taken time to reflect on her life, where she wanted to be, and how to get there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am determined to pursue my passions and my purposes, so that when my time is up, this life will owe me nothing\u2026nor will I owe it,!\u2019\u2019 she continued.<\/p>\n

Personal Challenges Can Turn Life Upside Down<\/h3>\n

But Jett also warned the undergraduates that life will not always be easy, and those challenges can generate some of the greatest achievements. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs with most people, my life has not been a crystal stair. I\u2019ve had my fair share of tacks and splinters,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cI lost my sister to ovarian cancer almost three years ago. Losing her so early forced me to pause and reflect, and that reflection reinforced for me the need to live as much of this life as I possibly can.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Jett experienced another jolt five years ago, when her son, then a junior at Bowdoin College, was diagnosed with bipolar schizoaffective disorder, a complex mental health condition.
\n\u201cAnd in an instant, my life was turned upside down,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cWatching my son disconnect from the person I knew him to be was heart-breaking.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I learned more about the mental healthcare system, and its flaws, and spoke to other mothers whose children were suffering similarly, I faced the two paths before me,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cI could get lost in the overwhelm of the situation, or I could see the bright side: the opportunity for me to empower countless other families through my bold and relentless advocacy.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Change, she said, happens when one person makes a bold move, and others are inspired to join them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that to create change, I needed to boldly tell my story and empower other families to share theirs,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

Jett wrote a book titled \u2018Peace Be Still: Navigating My Son\u2019s Bipolar Disorder<\/em>,\u2019 which told the raw truth about the sudden onset of her son\u2019s illness. Her goal is to ignite a national conversation on mental illness, and raise awareness about the mental-health crisis impacting young adults.<\/p>\n

Navigating the complexities of mental health can be a daunting task, especially during times of transition, she told the audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you\u2019re trying to land that big job, you feel like you\u2019re not keeping up with your peers, or you just can\u2019t seem to figure out what path you should be on, know we\u2019ve all <\/em>been there. You are not alone,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cLean into your parents or your friend circles for support or talk to a professional. Therapy can be a game-changer. And there is strength in recognizing when you are not OK, and taking action to get better.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Navigate Carefully, Pick Your Path<\/h3>\n

She urged the students to be bold as they discover their purpose, whether food insecurity, homelessness, climate change, or ending the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of you possesses a unique set of talents, passions and aspirations that will shape the trajectory of your lives,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cNavigate carefully and chose the paths that appear to be the best choice for you.\u2019\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever path you choose, and whatever its outcomes, embrace the journey with courage, resilience, and unwavering commitment to your well-being. It is in the challenging moments that we discover our greatest strengths.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

True joy comes not from social media popularity but from taking the time to understand who you are as an individual, what brings you joy, and leaving your unique and indelible mark on the world, Jett said.<\/p>\n

\"School
School of Business students lining up outside Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT during Commencement 2024. (Nathan Oldham \/ UConn School of Business)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Commencement speaker Medina Jett Urges Grads to Find Their Purpose, Remain Fearless, Celebrate the Journey of Life <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":213828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1862],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2105],"class_list":["post-213822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-busn"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-17 19:55:26","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213822"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":213833,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213822\/revisions\/213833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/213828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213822"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=213822"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=213822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}