WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. (AP) – New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman told graduates of Williams College on Sunday that working with “joy and passion and optimism” is a key to professional success.
“If I have had any success as a journalist since I was sitting down there where you are 30 years ago, it’s because I found a way to enjoy the journey as much as the destination,” said Friedman, the school’s main commencement speaker.
Friedman said he fell in love with journalism as a 10th grader in Minnesota. He said the first article he wrote, for his high school newspaper in 1969, was based on an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, then a general in the Israeli army.
“Little did I know how many times our paths would cross in the years to come,” said Friedman, who has won the Pulitzer Prize three times, twice for his coverage of Israel and Lebanon.
Williams awarded degrees to 504 undergraduates, 14 graduate students and 29 fellows from the Center for Development Economics.
Honorary degrees were awarded to Friedman, civil rights leader Julian Bond, Grammy Award-winning musician Evelyn Glennie and others.
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