Award-Winning Journalist Urges Endicott Grads To Make A 'Messy World' A Better Place

BEVERLY, MA — Journalist Soledad O'Brien used Endicott College's commencement in Beverly to give the Class of 2026 a pointed message about work, change and responsibility.

Speaking to graduates shaped by experiential learning during their time at the college, O'Brien tied their next steps to the rapid changes expected in the job market.

"The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report predicts that by 2030, AI will displace 92 million jobs globally," she said. "They also say it will create 170 million new jobs, a net gain of 78 million roles. Who gets these jobs? The people who know how to adapt, who learn not just a skill but how to learn, who can think critically, communicate clearly, and show up in the room."

O'Brien framed that challenge as part of a broader call for graduates entering what she described as a "messy world." She told the class that change will require more than technical skills.

"The people who changed things were not the ones who waited around for permission," she said. "They were young people who stepped out into a messy world and decided to make things better than when they found it."

The 40-year journalism veteran also drew on her family's history as she spoke about resilience and civic responsibility.

She described her parents' marriage and the racism they faced at a time when interracial marriage was illegal in Maryland and 16 other states.

"My mom was Black and from Cuba, my dad was white and from Australia," she said. "They met in Baltimore in the late 1950s, where interracial marriage was illegal in Maryland and in 16 other states, so they drove to Washington, D.C. to get married, then drove back to Baltimore, where they lived together illegally as a married couple.

"People told them, whatever you do, don't have children — biracial children will not fit in this world. I'm number five of six. My parents were terrible listeners. When I asked my mom what that time was like, she described people spitting on her and my father as they walked down the streets together, and I said, 'Oh my god, what did you do?' And she said, 'Lovey, we knew America was better than that.'

"No opting out, no despair, no waiting for someone else to fix it. Just a clear-eyed, unshakable belief that this country was capable of being better than it was showing itself to be."

O'Brien closed by returning to the role she sees for new graduates.

"The people who changed things were not the ones who waited around for permission," she said. "They were young people who stepped out into a messy world and decided to make things better than when they found it.

"That now officially is your job."