Words to the wise (and those just average) | Greg Asimakoupoulos

Published 6:45 am Tuesday, June 2, 2026

So you’re about to graduate! Congratulations! As you probably know by now, I won’t be speaking at your ceremonies. I have a previous commitment. Besides, I wasn’t invited to speak. (Laugh here!) There are more deserving individuals worthy of that honor. However, if I had been given the privilege of speaking at your commencement, I would probably offer you the following advice…

This milestone in your life marks a lengthy journey of hard work. You’ve read more books than you expected. You’ve written more term papers than you thought possible. And you’ve taken more quizzes and exams than you thought you ever would.

But there is one big test you have yet to complete. It’s an examination that will last the rest of your life. When you walk across the stage to receive your diploma, someone will call your name. As they do, listen up. The mention of your name signals that you are deserving that long-awaited certificate of achievement. It will also begin the clock on what people will think or feel when seeing or hearing your name. And you alone can determine the outcome. That’s the test that still awaits.

I once saw a sign on a city bus that caught my attention. It was a challenge to employees to do their best every day they went to work. This creative motivational expression went something like this: “Every job is a self-portrait of the person doing it. So, autograph your work with excellence.” That memorable quote attributed to Ted Key is a call to recognize that how you approach a task (no matter how small or big) is a reflection on you. Your name is on the line whenever someone associates what you say or what you do with you.

The name our parents gave us when we were born was their gift to us. It calls to mind that we are part of a family with whom we share a common name. Our shared name comes with a wealth of past associations and connections. “Oh, you’re so-and-so’s kid? Awesome!” But that built-in credit isn’t bottomless. It’s always up for grabs. While our behavior and choices have the power to increase that credit, they can also deplete it. What we do and how we choose will bring glory or shame to our family’s name.

A legend about Alexander the Great and one of his soldiers illustrates this. A young recruit in Alexander’s army was overcome with fear and fled from the frontlines of battle. This deserter was caught running away and brought before Alexander. The general required the recruit to identify himself. “What is your name?” Alexander insisted angrily. The humiliated soldier whispered “Alexander, sir!”

Unable to hear the young deserter’s reply, Alexander asked again more forcefully. “What is your name, soldier?” To which the soldier responded a bit more audibly, “Alexander, sir!”

Not sure he had heard the disgraced soldier correctly, Alexander the Great demanded a third time, “What? What is your name, young man?” At that the embarrassed recruit stood at attention and boldly answered “Alexander, sir! My name is Alexander!”

The esteemed general, shocked by what he’d finally heard, replied, “Soldier, change your actions or change your name!”

With that in mind, remember you take your name with you wherever you go. Leaving the comfortable confines of a familiar campus and venturing out into a rather complicated world, your name will be put to the test. Whether you go on for further education or join the workforce, you will be autographing your performance on a regular basis.

Keep in mind that your actions and choices will not take place in a vacuum. They will impact how others view you and the family from which you’ve come. Be proud of your autograph. In the process make your family proud!

Guest columnist Greg Asimakoupoulos is a former chaplain at Covenant Living at the Shores in Mercer Island.