A strategy firm founded by former Bill Clinton speechwriters has recognized a recent graduate from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business for “giving one of the best undergraduate student commencement speeches of 2016.” Rachel George, who completed dual marketing and English degrees in spring 2016, won second prize in the West Wing Writers inaugural Mortarboard Awards.
George, also a QUEST Honors student, received the honor for her speech, “Because We Were Here,” delivered to the UMD class of 2016 on May 18, 2016, in the Xfinity Center on campus. George, according to a notification from the West Wing Writers, “made a compelling case for uncomfortable action” as her speech explored how easy it is to "become comfortable with comfort."
According to its website, the D.C.-based firm created the Mortarboard Awards because "celebrity commencement speeches often steal the spotlight, but it’s the student speeches — written by the leaders of tomorrow — that often display the most heart."
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About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in business education and cutting-edge research. The school’s world-class faculty facilitate experiential learning opportunities rooted in the real world. Smith students learn to think like entrepreneurs, prepared to drive positive impact. The school offers undergraduate, online and on-campus business master's, full-time, part-time, online and executive MBA, plus PhD and DBA degree programs, and non-degree and executive education programs. Where Smith leads, the future follows.