No, he doesn’t have Anders Holm’s charm or Russell Wilson’s national title, but don’t cast judgement on this year’s commencement speaker quite yet.
Just take a look at Jon Huntsman’s life and career, and it becomes evident why the senior class officers selected him for this prestigious position.
Huntsman hasn’t always been the pepper-haired, starched suit-wearing politician that he is today. Early ambition led the long-haired teenage “Jonny” Huntsman to drop out of high school and form a band known as the Wizards.
- http://youtu.be/kLr3jvImOdQ?t=5m45s
- On Late Night, Huntsman proves that he still had the magic, rocking out with the Late Night band to Johnny B. Goode “I thought I could make it big,” Huntsman said. “I wanted to be Paul Shaffer.”
Skip to 8:00 for Johnny B. Goode
After the band failed to make it big, ambition led Huntsman to Taiwan for a two year missionary trip where he casually learned to speak Mandarin, a skill he would later utilize as ambassador to China.
Returning to school, he earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania before entering into public service as ambassador to Singapore and being elected governor of Utah at an incredibly young age. Huntsman’s approval rating soared as high as 90 percent at times, and after his first term he was re-elected with an impressive 78 percent majority.
As a Republican governor, Huntsman came out in support of marriage equality, distancing him both from the Mormon church and his party. As co-chair of political action group, No Labels, he has pushed for the adoption of a form of “new politics,” based on problem solving, communication and collaboration. Above all, throughout Huntsman’s career in politics, he has demonstrated a commitment to his own personal beliefs, while still remaining open to compromise and understanding. This resolve is both a unique and refreshing quality in a politician — one who does not simply rally behind popular opinion or sing to the chorus.
And let’s not forget, Huntsman was voted one of 21 sexiest men in the country (older than 50), something that Badgers can obviously relate to.
Huntsman’s life experiences prove there’s no “right” path through life, as long as you follow the one you’re on with ambition and a steadfast adherence to your own beliefs. At a school where values and determination define the college experience, this is a message that should resonate with every future alumnus.
As Huntsman explained on stage at Stanford this past September:
“When all is said is done, you pretty much have a couple of words that are etched on your tombstone of life that kind of summarizes everything you’ve done — and it all seems to get right back to one core principle — service.”
Huntsman is a shining example of a politician who actually puts real public service above bureaucratic discourse, understanding over antagonism and values before labels.
We have an entire guiding philosophy built around this at UW, it’s called the Wisconsin Idea. While he might not have trekked up Bascom to class, rubbed Abe’s toe before finals or worn Cardinal and White to Camp Randall, we should be proud to call him a future honorary Badger.
I won’t be graduating alongside the departing seniors this May, but I’ll certainly be in the stands — for what will surely be a memorable commencement address.
Will Haynes (whaynes
[Photo via Wikimedia Commons]
