Spencer Tait, a freshman in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, is a Hatchet opinions writer.
As a student who’s just completed his first year at GW, taking an interest in University-wide Commencement is only natural. I think back to past ceremonies on the National Mall. How genuine – and how scripted – were those speeches from household names?
Some of our greatest hits so far, people like Michelle Obama and Michael Bloomberg, surely receive countless invitations every year from schools across the country. But it’s not unreasonable to wonder if sometimes these personalities use commencement speeches to advance a political goal or promote themselves.
But this year, instead of a beltway-beloved public figure, chef and former GW professor José Andrés will send off the graduating class.
This announcement, unfortunately, was less-than-well-received on campus. With a Facebook protest demanding Kevin Spacey instead and an endless swath of bitter posts on Twitter about the announcement, it seemed as if almost no one was impressed with the decision to have the Spanish-American entrepreneur speak to the Class of 2014.
Once his life story is told, however, Andrés should be recognized as nothing less than ideal as our Commencement speaker.
He might not be the CEO of a successful software company, an A-list actor or a political giant. Rather, he is a chef – and one of the best in the world. He has the ability to talk about achieving mastery in a skill and give a glimpse at what it’s like to be one of the most respected leaders in an industry.
His expertise goes beyond cooking, too: In his class at GW, he taught students to understand the socio-economic implications of food in places across the globe. He owns some of the most coveted restaurants in the District and is credited with introducing tapas dining to the U.S. largely on his own.
The James Beard award-winner is also known for his philanthropic efforts, a quality that the GW community strongly emphasizes among Greek organizations and other student groups. Andrés has smartly articulated his thoughts on important civic issues like immigration – a process he himself has had to wade through over the last several years.
For all these reasons – not necessarily his ability to cook an absurdly large paella – it is no wonder Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of 2012.
Andrés has said he arrived in the U.S. with just $50 and a set of cooking knives. He’s the quintessential self-made man, the perfect example of an entrepreneur who paved his own way doing something he loved. His hard work and creativity has allowed him to reap all of his success, and also gives him the mandate to speak to seniors on Sunday.
This post was updated May 14, 2014 to reflect the following correction:
The Hatchet incorrectly reported that José Andrés was a Michelin star winner. He is actually a James Beard award-winner. We regret the error.
