As another graduation season comes to a close, thousands of the nation’s bright young graduates have already forgotten what was said and, in some cases, who even spoke.

Who can blame them? Afterall, how many ways are there to say, “Go forth and prosper! Be the change you want to see in the world!” It’s a dilemma faced by even the most accomplished and experienced speakers and many admit to caving under the pressure.

But a few stand out each year as particularly funny, candid, inspirational or—if students are really lucky—all of the above. For the most part, this year’s class of speakers didn’t disappoint.

Spelman College’s Class of 2011 is never going to forget the moment First Lady Michelle Obama stepped up to the podium—especially after they waited four years to snag her. And high school graduation will be tough to top for the students of Memphis’ Booker T. Washington High, many of whom were overcome by emotion when President Obama appeared to congratulate them on winning the nation’s Race to the Top competition.

Writer Toni Morrison, who was reportedly paid a highly controversial $30,000 to address Rutgers graduates, compared crafting a great novel to creating a worthwhile life. According to most bloggers in attendance, her speech was worth every penny.

But in the unexpected gems category, the clear winner is Denzel Washington, who, after being awarded an honorary doctorate, delivered the speech of the day at his son Malcolm’s school, the University of Pennsylvania.

Stepping up to the microphone to face UPenn’s 5,000 graduates and their guests, Washington was clearly nervous. He admitted as much, as he pulled his speech from between the pages of a magazine and reshuffled its pages. Then, he put on his glasses, took a deep breath, and began.

The star of stage and screen rambled a bit and faltered at times, confessing his discomfort with speaking live in front of thousands in Philly versus appearing on film before millions worldwide. But he soon won the hearts of his audience by making insider jokes as a UPenn parent and being bracingly candid about his own failings as a college student, and as a young actor feeling his way toward success.

Washington reflected on how he started out pre-med at Fordham University, but switched to pre-law and then journalism before, barely passing, he was “asked to take some time off” to consider his future. “I had a 1.8 GPA one semester,” he admitted to the Class of 2011. “I was 20 years old and at my lowest point.”

Washington also recalled on working in his mother’s Mt. Vernon beauty shop for a few months before returning to Fordham, where he finally claimed his calling to the theater and changed his major for the last time. He insisted that the great lessons of his winding academic road—to identify your particular gifts and to persevere in honing them no matter what—were never lost on him.

“I’m sure people have told you to make sure you have something to fall back on,” Washington told the graduates. “I never understood that concept…I don’t want to fall back on anything except my faith. If I’m going to fall, I want to fall forward.”

Sharing a story about how Thomas Edison persevered through 1,000 failed inventions before nailing the light bulb, the Oscar and Tony award winner implored students to take risks and embrace failure, continually and without shame.

“You will fail,” he said. “Accept it. You will lose. You will embarrass yourself. You will suck at something. I should know. In the acting business, you fail all the time. If you don’t fail, you’re not even trying. So you got to get out there and give it your all.”

Taking risks, he said, is about being open to life, to people, to foreign ideas and new frontiers. He insisted that while that might be frightening at first, “it will also be rewarding. Because the chances you take, the people you meet, the people you love, and the faith that you have, that’s what’s going to define you.”

In the end, he charged the Class of 2011 with a universally inspiring mission: “Never be discouraged. Never hold back. Give it everything you’ve got. And when you fall, fall forward.” The crowd was on its feet before his final words were out of his mouth. A decade earlier, Washington received a standing ovation when he became only the second black male to win an Academy Award in the Best Actor category. I’m guessing this moment was just as meaningful.

I am a woman entering the field of information technology and I feel I’m not taken seriously. Do you have any advice on how I can be viewed equally and as dedicated as the men in my field?

—C.J.
New York

Women are underrepresented in IT as well as in other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. For you to maneuver successfully through this industry and withstand possible gender bias or discrimination, continue to sharpen your skills, increase your knowledge, and stay current on the industry’s trends and news. To further gain an upper hand, visit our website and read “Where the Jobs Are: Information Technology” (March 2010). Add to your efforts a determined mindset, and avoiding pitfalls (and negative people) shouldn’t be too difficult.

Remember, you can’t control the behavior of others, but you can control your own. Wall Street veteran Carla Harris, one of BE’s 75 Most Powerful Women in Business,  writes in her book, Expect to Win (Hudson Street Press; $24.95), “I am not saying that ‘they’ don’t have some part in your career not going the way that you might like, but remember that you are responsible for your career success.”

As you activate your plan, maintain a confident demeanor to keep naysayers at bay. In the article “Dare-Dreaming” (Motivation, March 2007), we provide strategies for overcoming negativity, including developing a thick skin, staying the course, and fueling the flame. Chérie Carter-Scott, author of If Success Is a Game, These Are the Rules: 10 Rules for a Fulfilling Life (Broadway Books; $15), is quoted in the piece: “If you give others the power to dictate your path, you are merely a passive participant in your own life. There are two choices: being the driver or being the passenger.”

This Q&A appears in the September 2010 issue in Motivation.

Reduce the Complexity

Look at your IT budget. Chances are that roughly 60% of it is allocated to service, as opposed to hardware or software purchases. “It’s not the product that’s expensive,” explains Matt Friedman, vice president of marketing for IBM in Armonk, N.Y. “It’s the cost associated with installing and integrating all of the complicated equipment.”

With that in mind, Friedman says firms looking to lower or control their IT spending should focus on reducing those complexities. That means seeking out simpler solutions such as those offered via subscription on the Web in an Application Service Provider (ASP) environment, and that don’t require complex installations and full software purchases.

“Look for solutions that deliver the capabilities that you want in a pre-packaged format that’s ready to use, and that doesn’t require any IT skills to set up, install and run,” Friedman says.

Consider Refurbished Equipment

Every technology manufacturer has a division dedicated to refurbishing and selling equipment. There’s no time like the present to take advantage of this low-cost way to buy technology, says Ronnie Parisella, chief technology officer at Primary Support Solutions, a New York-based computer network design and support firm. The equipment can be purchased at a significant discount (compared with new) and typically comes with a full warranty and support.

“Why buy a workstation at full price when you can get the exact one, refurbished, for 20% or more off of the list price?” Parisella says. “Many times the equipment hasn’t even been used – or has just been briefly tested – making it a great bargain for companies looking to cut back on their tech spending.”

Upgrade Existing Machines

If new computer workstations aren’t in your budget right now, you can speed up those existing computers by simply upgrading the machines’ random access memory (RAM). “Many people don’t realize that they can extend the lives of their older computers by 6-12 months with a simple RAM upgrade,” Parisella says.

Expect to pay just under $100 for a 1G (one gigabyte) upgrade, says Parisella. In return, your computers will run faster and remain a viable part of your business operations, despite the fact that they may not be the newest models available. “This is a great, cost-effective way to maximize your technology investment,” Parisella says.

Keep Maintenance Records

Much like a company would maintain service records for the automobiles that it leases or owns, all firms should be keeping the purchase, service and repair documentation associated with their technology purchases.

Not knowing when a particular machine’s warranty expires, for example, can mean the difference between a free service call (when the problem is caught in time for the warranty to cover it) or a hefty repair bill (if the problem is ignored). “Improper documentation can be a real thorn in the side of a struggling business,” says Parisella, “that spends money unnecessarily because it doesn’t know what equipment it owns and how those investments are being maintained.”

As companies continue to find ways to lower their costs of doing business, Friedman says those looking at their IT budgets must do so in a way that doesn’t find firms “cutting off their noses to spite their faces.” Consider, for example, whether the decreases will truly help reduce cost structure, or whether they will hamper performance and profitability. “Look carefully at your business,” says Friedman, “and figure out ways to reduce IT expenses that don’t hurt your company in the long run.”