I was actually a bit surprised when Marlboro College President Ellen McCulloch-Lovell asked me to deliver a commencement address. I do not have a graduate degree, much less have earned one as many graduates have - while holding a full-time job, paying a mortgage, and raising a family.
So I asked Ellen straight out why she was inviting me to speak.
She said, “Because, Matt, you are an optimist.”
I found that moniker flattering. But I have to be honest: my optimism recently has been challenged.