TwinXL.com

Commencement speeches have evolved considerably over the years. It used to be that if you had heard one, you had heard them all. People were congratulated on getting through their years of hard work and then encouraged to go on and do great things with their life. It was boring and through the sea of caps and gowns, there were inevitably yawns and people nodding off. There are now commencement speeches that are exciting, enlightening, and actually causing people to laugh while they listen to not only the introductory speech by someone notable but also by the valedictorian. Various trends have been seen after a close analysis of speeches given over the past 10 years. These trends can show anyone and everyone not only how to write a great speech so as not to put people to sleep but also what to expect prior to walking across the stage to grab the hard-earned diploma. Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech in 2005 “Truth be told, I never graduated from college…I w...

It's no secret that the cost of higher education has skyrocketed in recent years, and there seems to be no relief in sight for low and middle income families who want to provide their children with college educations. Nonetheless, a report recently published by Sallie Mae shows that as many as two-thirds of low-income families do not have college education funds in place for their children. Instead, many of them are counting on federal and state financial aid, scholarships, and student loans to pay for tuition, books, and living expenses when their children enter college. The study claims that only 34 percent of low-income families are not regularly putting aside money for college. In other economic groups, 51 percent of middle-income families have a designated college fund, and 73 percent of high-income families are saving for school. The main factor cited by low-income families for not saving for college is that they simply can't afford to save. Many of th...