Thank you, guys. Wow. Thank you. Spartans! Woo, woo, woo, woo! Wow, thank you so much, Chancellor Gilliam. It is - I’m just gonna go off-script, whatthe hell. It really is an honor and a privilege to behere at home, in Greensboro North Carolina, where I grew up. And I am honestly honored to be here at UNCGjust to celebrate the Spartan class of 2019.
It is genuinely an honor for me to even behere. Thank you so very much. Thanks to the trustees, to the administration,and, as Chancellor Gilliam said, I’m from here. I’ve never actually spoken here at the GreensboroColiseum. I was just telling Chancellor Gilliam, myfirst concert I ever went to as a kid was righthere at the Greensboro Coliseum, 1984, Prince and the Revolution. "Purple Rain." So it’s just crazy to be here. I think my dad took me to see a Ric Flairmatch, too.
So, little bit of wrestling, little bit ofrevolution. And by the way, a shout-out to my parents. My parents, Dr. DK Jeong, my mother, Mrs.Young Jeong. They were getting day drunk in the greenroomso they’re saucy and happy. And a shout-out to Samaya. Literally, the best speech I have ever heard. Thank you so much. I was so moved. Chancellor Gilliam was heckling me like, “Followthat.” I’m like, “Wow, okay, you know…” I have so many ties to Greensboro. It’s what Chancellor Gilliam said. I mean, not only Page, I went to junior highat Aycock.
I went to elementary school at Bessemer andCone. And what a lot of people don’t know is thatI do have ties to UNCG as well. My sister actually got her Master’s of Libraryand Information Studies right here at UNCG. And what a lot of people also don’t knowis, in between my freshman and sophomore years at Duke, I came back home, I stayed in Greensboro. I actually, because I was kind of fallingbehind in my pre-med studies, I actually took organic chemistry at summer school here atUNCG. And I studied at Jackson Library, like thewhole summer, and if it wasn’t for that I don’t think I would have gotten into medschool at Carolina. And you know, because of Duke, pre-med, medschool, Carolina. And because I went to med school at Carolina,I became a comedian. I honestly have one simple message, and it’ssomething that you guys already know. The only thing I have to offer in life ismy passion.
I think that’s the only thing that keepsme going, is passion in life, is passion in what I do professionally. I’m just looking at every single studenthere. Find your passion. And if you’ve found your passion, as yougraduate, let that evolve. If you forget anything I say right now... Find your passion. Because it took me a long road to find myown passion. And it’s funny. They say that college is the best. It’s free! You can just do whatever you want! You can fart whenever you want; no one’sgonna understand; no one will care. A lot of people forget college is stressful,if you take it seriously, as you all do. There’s timelines, you have to declare amajor by the end of your sophomore year. For me, in college I always kind of felt Iwas behind the 8-ball.
And I always felt that I had to keep up withmy fellow students. And I’m just talking about me. I kind of lost my way. By trying to keep up I was not finding myown passion. What I mean by that, a lot of people here,and my parents included... Look, a lot of people think I'm the modelminority, you know. I'm a doctor. I'm an actor. I'm an Instagram model. I can do all these things. And what a lot of people don't know, and whatI didn't know in college, was I had a passion for acting. I had a passion for comedy. And for me.. I'm 49 years old.
I know I look good. I didn't start doing this until I was 38. So, I found my passion later in life. And I swear it is an honor for me to acknowledgemy own parents in supporting my passion, because without them and allowing me to transitionmy passions, I wouldn't be here today. I also have to thank my Ho. My Ho is amazing. First name Tran, last name Ho. She's also a physician. We met at work. We're both physicians in California. And she knew that she married a comedian atheart. I was actually afraid to quit my day job. I really wanted to play it safe.
I had a passion. I had an aptitude for comedy and for performance. If it wasn't for my wife, I would not be heretoday. And then, when I told my parents I wantedto quit my day job, I was really expecting myparents to be upset, because as a kid I was Korean'd into being pre-med, you know whatI mean? You know, and I talk about this even on myNetflix special: When I was a kid, literally I was always afraidof what my dad would say. I was afraid he would say, if I quit my job,"You bring great shame to Jeong family!" And then after "The Hangover," “We are soproud! Give me a dollar!” And I know I'm picking on my dad a lot.
By the way, my dad just saw my Netflix speciala couple of months ago, and literally he's a little bit confused, because he's such agentle man. He goes, "I don't know, Ken, whyyou throw so much shade at me. I don't know why. I support everything you say." But the real of it is this. I had a "come to Jesus" talk with my parents,telling them that I wanted to quit my day job and pursue this unstable business of actingand entertainment full-time. And I was very worried about what he wouldsay. And he said, "You have to make important decisionswith the support of your family.
Tran is your family. If you have her support, you have my unconditionalsupport." So, I would not be here if it wasn't for myparents. Thank you for trusting me. What really makes UNCG special to me, andreally the reason why I'm here... Where are all the first-generation studentsat? [Cheering]UNCG has done an... 38% of the student body are first-generationstudents. That is unheard of, to have that support. To be the first student, college graduatein your family. I think I understand, because I look at myself,I feel like I'm an outsider in Hollywood. I feel like I'm an outsider in business. I am a first-generation entertainer.
I'm the first person in my family to go intocomedy, and to me I always felt you always have to think outside the box. It's weird, but I look at my own self, asI was pulling down a medical job to support my other passion. People here, student bodies here, are pullingdown jobs to support their passion, to get an education, to get a college degree, andyou're already outside-the-box thinkers. And sometimes when you hire someone like meto deliver a keynote address to motivate you... You don't have to motivate first-generationstudents. We are just here to celebrate you, and encourageyou to keep doing what you do.
So to all the first-generation students, wesalute you. And you guys are all at the start of yourstory, of your film. And you guys are finishing up act one of yourfilm, and your story. Just asking you guys an open ended question:What is your act two? And everyone here has a different timeline. Everyone here has a unique story. Figure out what your act two is, and embracethe change. Embrace the twists and the unexpected turns. There will be good, and there will be bad,but embrace that because you never know what happens. Because I was a shy kid at Page High Schoolthat never even dreamed to be an actor, and then now I'm doing things that are beyondmy dreams right now.
I'm living a life that I never thought wouldbe possible, if it wasn't for the support of my family. If it wasn't for my educational background... My educational background has kept me groundedthrough all the fickleness and the phoniness of show-business. There's always downsides to every journey,but because of my education I have this core stability that makes me unshakable, no matterwhat happens, and I'm also able to take the good with the bad. I'm able to not get too high after a victoryor not too low after a perceived setback. But I'm asking you: What is your story? What is your act two? What is your twists and turns? They say everything happens for a reason. I don't know if that's true, but I do knoweverything happens. And it's up to you to maximize the realityof your situation - of what everything is aboutto happen to you.
I’m saying, I’m known for a guy... I thrive, I have a career based on the goodwillof my fans and the public, and people have said very kind things about me... that I'mmulti-talented, I can do a lot of different things. But you know what my biggest talent is? It's persistence. I do not give up. I do not give up anything. If I'm passionate about it, I do not giveup. I will stay until the very end to see somethinghappen. After my show got canceled, I stuck it out.
After good things happen, I stick it out. I keep moving no matter what, and I encourageyou, good times and bad, keep moving, keep finding your passion, and I honestly say toevery single soul in this coliseum: If I can do this, and if I can do what I want,so can you. And you guys, you have the light,and the future, and the universe ahead of you. And, honestly, your persistence and your passionis the most important talent to have. Thank you guys for having me! And congratulations to the Class of 2019. Thank you, guys. Where’s my private jet? Where’s my private jet? Can I get...? Oh...
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