*Dwyane Wade returned to Milwaukee recently to receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Marquette University and serve as the school’s commencement speaker.
On Sunday, Wade spoke to nearly 2000 new graduates at American Family Insurance Amphitheater on the Summerfest grounds, PEOPLE reports.
“Today, we celebrate what you have accomplished as we should,” Wade said. “Tomorrow, wake up to begin the next leg of your journey. Your passion. I repeat your passion lies on the journey.”
The three-time NBA champion attended Marquette from 2001 until 2003. He noted that a poor ACT test score almost kept him from playing basketball at the university. Wade recalled the moment he received the test results.
“Not to my surprise, I didn’t pass,” he said. “I immediately became frantic, nervous, and scared.”
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He told the graduating class that he called former Marquette coach Tom Crean, who had been recruiting him for the university. Wade said, “My first thought was to call coach. My voice was trembling on the phone when he picked up and through tears, I said, ‘Coach I didn’t pass.’ “
While Wade was still in high school, Crean visited his home with a university cap and gown.
“He wasn’t recruiting me just because of my basketball abilities, but also because he believed that I wanted more for myself and my family,” Wade said. “Coach Crean recognized me as someone worthy, and was giving me a chance to prove myself.”
Wade went on to talk about solitude, self-awareness, and the journey to maturity.
“In these moments when I truly feel fear, I create space for solitude. In solitude, I find understanding and I create solutions … In solitude there is nothing that would get in the way of creating the life that you want, except you,” he explained to the graduates.
“As we become more self-aware, we achieve a better understanding of who we are,” Wade said. “We discover our values. Our character. What we consider to be right or wrong. We discover what drives us, what inspires us and motivates us. Through self-awareness we are given the opportunity to design who we truly want and deserve to be.”
Scroll up to watch his full speech via the YouTube clip above.
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