Astro Teller inspires the Class of 2025 to embrace their creativity with courage and approach life with a deep sense of gratitude

Rochester, New York – With bright futures ahead and mortarboards firmly in place, more than 4,800 graduates at Rochester Institute of Technology stepped into the next phase of their lives on May 9 with an unusual but powerful message: be foolish—and grateful.

Delivering the keynote speech at RIT’s Academic Convocation, Astro Teller, the scientist, entrepreneur, and innovation leader best known as the “Captain of Moonshots” at X (formerly Google X), captivated the Class of 2025 with stories of exploration, creativity, and the beauty of beginning again. With his voice calm but electric with conviction, Teller challenged the graduates to redefine what success looks like and to approach life with open hearts, curious minds, and a willingness to step off the metaphorical cliff.

“The only thing on the door of my office is a poster of the tarot card ‘The Fool,’” said Teller. “The Fool is setting out on an adventure, looking up as he steps off of a literal cliff into the figurative unknown. The essence of The Fool is potential. Just like each of you in this moment.”

For many in the crowd, it was an unexpected metaphor—but a fitting one. Teller compared graduation to finishing the “tutorial level” of life. It’s the point at which players—or, in this case, graduates—have finally figured out how to work the controls. Now, they are being released into the open world, with no clear path, no perfect map, and endless options.

And that, according to Teller, is where the real magic lies.

Instead of urging students to chase perfection or follow a rigid blueprint for success, Teller spoke of the power of the “beginner’s mindset”—a frame of mind that values naivety over expertise and playfulness over precision.

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“Take advantage of your naïveté and switch fields, if necessary, to get this freshness back,” he said. “The beginner’s mindset is what unlocks creativity. Having a daily reminder to stay open, curious, lighthearted, and silly in my approach to even serious things keeps my beginner’s mind active and that does show up in how I brainstorm.”

This advice came from someone who’s made a career out of moonshots—those bold, ambitious projects that aim to solve the world’s biggest problems. As the head of X, Google’s experimental lab, Teller has overseen everything from self-driving cars to smart contact lenses. But during his speech, he didn’t dwell on the successes. Instead, he emphasized the value of risk, uncertainty, and even failure.

“I challenge you to judge every unknown for its expected utility, not its risk, and take as many high, expected utility adventures as you can, no matter how risky they are,” he told the graduates. “If you want to help the world be meaningfully better and not just more of the same, you’ll need to take these same kinds of uncomfortable bets.”

Graduation marked a symbolic moment not just for the students, but also for RIT President David Munson, who is preparing to retire at the end of June after eight years of leadership. His farewell remarks were filled with gratitude, pride, and a heartfelt call for graduates to keep their values close as they venture into the world.

“What an honor it has been for me to serve as your president as we celebrate your achievements today,” Munson said. “I am amazed by your creativity and your devotion to your studies. I am touched by your kindness and care for one another. And I am thankful for the leadership and service you have offered to make our community a better place.”

He acknowledged that the times ahead—both for the nation and for higher education—are filled with uncertainty. But even as he prepares to step away from his role, Munson assured graduates that RIT would continue standing firm in its commitment to freedom of expression, community engagement, and innovation.

“It is my hope that you will serve the greater good because, from my vantage point, the world needs more RIT Tigers,” he added. “Success is not measured by material wealth or prestige. It is my hope that you wake up tomorrow not solely focused on how to earn a living. Rather, that you go out and do your best to enrich the world.”

The class of 2025 represents a wide-reaching global community, with students graduating from RIT’s campuses in Croatia, Dubai, Kosovo, and China. Their stories are as varied as their locations—from launching startups and accepting offers from leading global companies to committing to military and nonprofit work. Some 56 Ph.D. candidates were honored in a separate hooding ceremony following convocation, further underscoring the university’s growing research footprint.

The celebration also included the awarding of four honorary degrees and a nod toward the future leadership of the institution. Starting July 1, Bill Sanders, currently the dean of Carnegie Mellon’s College of Engineering, will take over as RIT’s new president.

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Still, the spotlight remained firmly on the graduates—the individuals who navigated a college journey shaped by global disruption, hybrid learning, and profound change. Student Government President Alex Shuron, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, took the stage to share a personal and poignant message.

“It is your decision whether or not to carry out these requests,” Shuron said. “As a close friend has said to me many times, ‘Words don’t mean anything, actions prove intent.’ Continue to prove to the world your intent through actions, and you will be the change that you want to see.”

The convocation’s dominant theme—resilience, creativity, and connection—echoed throughout every speech and moment. It was less about closing a chapter and more about stepping into a story yet to be written. And while the event brimmed with celebratory energy, Teller’s reminder not to merely live but to create life served as a compelling coda.

“Don’t just go live your life. Go create it.”

From the symbolic leap of “The Fool” to the grounded wisdom of seasoned educators, RIT’s Class of 2025 was sent off not with detailed instructions, but with the encouragement to stay messy, be kind, think boldly, and above all—stay curious.

As the tassels turned and the graduates looked out into a world full of uncertainty, they were reminded that uncertainty isn’t something to fear. It’s something to embrace. Because at the edge of the unknown, there’s not just risk. There’s also endless possibility.