Seahawks' Shaquill, Shaquem Griffin Give Speech at UCF's Virtual Graduation
May 2, 2020
Twin brothers Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin virtually returned to their alma mater on Saturday to provide some words of inspiration.
The University of Central Florida alums participated in an online graduation ceremony, giving an eight-minute commencement speech to the nearly 8,500 seniors who received their degrees this weekend.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Seattle Seahawks defensive stars chose to focus on overcoming adversity and working toward achieving future goals.
JJ Watt @JJWattThat’s one commencement speech I’ll definitely tune in to watch. Not only because I’m a big fan @ShaquillG @Shaquemgriffin But also because my brothers and I would end up arguing within the first 30 seconds if we tried to give a speech together 😂 so I wanna see how you do it! https://t.co/jMHwPkXsmw
"You've got to know your worth, know the sacrifices you made to get here today to graduate," Shaquill said (h/t ESPN). "You all earned it. You all deserve it. ... Now, it's time to just find your purpose. What's the reason why you did all this? What's the reason why you sacrificed so much time -- so much time away from family -- to be able to get this next exam done, to make sure you have the best grades so you can achieve whatever you want to achieve?
"So find your purpose. Find what makes you happy. Find what you love and take full advantage of it."
Added Shaquem:
"Adversity made me who I am today. Don't let adversity dictate who you are going to be. ... We know what to do when it comes. You beat it. You fight it. You attack it every single day it comes at you to become a better person, a better you.
"I got you. Knight Nation got you. We all got each other. So always remember that. ... Help somebody out. Be great. Change the world. That's what we're here for. That's what we came to UCF for."
The brothers helped anchor UCF's 2016 and 2017 teams—including the Knights' 13-0 season—and have maintained their popularity on campus after leaving.