Bias for Action - Rady School of Management Commencement 2022

It's official. One of my big life goals was crossed off as I finished my MBA at the University of California San Diego, Rady School of Management. I was chosen as the 2022 student commencement speaker and had the honor of sharing some remarks with my peers. Below is my speech, written as I normally talk (aka some grammatical inconsistencies and no fancy words). There was a little ad-libbing here and there but the general gist is the same.

Congratulations Class of 2022! Have a bias for action and you will go far!

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June 12th, 2022

Thank you Dean Ordonez. Happy graduation day everyone! My name is Kim Pendergrass and I’m a proud member of the 2022 full-time MBA cohort.?

It’s amazing to look out today and see all of our programs represented in one place; our Masters of Finance, Masters of Professional Accountancy, Masters of Science in Business Analytics, Masters in Business Administration, and of course, our PhDs. It takes grit and determination to complete a grad degree, and even more so these last few years.

A huge thank you to our professors, faculty, and staff for their support, understanding, and patience. Zoom classes were challenging for all of us between the black boxes, and the “can you hear me(s)?” but I like to think it made us a little more resilient.

I also want to express gratitude to all of the spouses, partners, children, parents, and other family members and friends who supported us. Living with a graduate student isn’t easy. During my first two terms, I was tied up at random hours of the day and night working with group members in different countries. Balancing family and personal life with school and work became an extreme juggling act and I know some balls were dropped here and there.?

A special thank you to my husband Tim for your unwavering love and support, and to my family for their support. Graduate students don’t exist in a vacuum and no one here did it alone. So thank you to those who lifted us up.

Before Covid, I would have considered myself a long-term planner with short-term goals. I have a vision for my life and I know the rough steps I need to take to get there. It took a global pandemic to wake me up and help me realize that I was waiting for perfect circumstances that weren’t coming. Instead of globetrotting before starting an in-person MBA program, I was now navigating grocery stores, in a homemade mask searching for toilet paper and trying to pretend that zoom happy hours were an awesome social experience.

I wish I wouldn’t have spent so much time planning and waiting to tackle my dreams and goals. I thought I needed the right circumstances; more money, more time, a less hectic schedule… and so on. Two years in limbo really solidified for me that I do not want to wait anymore. The world of today is not guaranteed to be here tomorrow and unfortunately, we all had to learn that the hard way.

These last two years have taught me to have a bias for action. I define “bias for action” as making a decision and moving forward even when you don’t feel ready or have all the pieces you need.? It reminds me of Nike’s slogan “Just do it”.?

During my time at Rady, having a bias for action has changed my life. It helped me take many of the small steps needed to launch a business with a big idea. It also helped me prioritize time with family and friends, and not skip out on the small moments because I felt too busy.

I challenge you to have a bias for action too. No matter if your goals are big or small, I encourage you to take the first step to achieving them today. Don’t make my mistake of saying “it will happen someday soon”.?

So…go ahead and……

• Book the plane ticket to travel to that far away city you want to see
• Reach out to that old friend you lost contact with
• Start writing that book you always talk about
• Ask your boss for a raise, now that you’re an expert negotiator
• Or even, act on that crazy business idea

In one of my classes, we did an activity where we mapped out the river of our life. It helped me think about my life as a book with many chapters. I hope your Rady chapter has been filled with fun memories and great experiences.

I’ve heard our classmates reminisce about hiking up and down the Rady staircases, meeting up for drinks after class at Protector Brewing, learning how to become Radiant experts, competing in competitions like OpsSIMCom, munching on those the famous pandemic dinner salads, participating in karaoke nights and surfing trips, and working on the never-ending flow of group projects.

We’ve also had several babies born and some more who are about to be born. A huge shout out to all of our student parents and parents-to-be! Meeting each other's families during park socials and at our Birch Aquarium event was especially rewarding.?

One of the benefits of being a Rady Grad is the diversity of our networks. As our Rady School of Management chapter comes to a close, let's make some promises to each other:

• Make connections and intros for one another?
• Offer help unsolicited
• Ask for help regularly
• And of course, have a bias for action in our lives

We are now #RadyMade and I wish you all the best in the next chapter of your lives.

Congratulations class of 2022!?

Thank you!