Bradford native and venture capitalist George J. Still Jr. shared some of his acquired wisdom with the largest graduating class at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford after commending them with a cheerful “well done!” on Sunday afternoon.
Donning their academic robes and regalia, hundreds of students gathered in the KOA Arena of the Sports and Fitness Center on campus to have their hard-earned degrees bestowed upon them. The graduating class numbered 342 students — the largest ever to graduate from the university, officials said.
Still, who is the son of Zenaide Still of Bradford and the late Dr. George Still, addressed the graduates, stressing the value of their new degrees as a key to unlimited opportunity and a fulfilling life. Still has spent the past 29 years as a venture capitalist and has directly led investments in 45 early-stage private companies.
Still was the sole venture investor in PeopleSoft Inc. which is the software system currently used by the University of Pittsburgh main campus as well as all of the regional campuses for their online student center used by both faculty and students. PeopleSoft software is used daily to keep track of student academic history, enrollment of classes and much more.
Still’s success came about partly from his enthusiasm to commit himself to the unknown in his ventures and in his philosophy about work ethic in his day to day life.
“Uncertainty can be exciting. Look for opportunities in unexpected places. Take the position of the underdog and keep your ego in your pocket. Get in the habit of underpromising and overdelivering,” Still said.
Still reminded the Class of 2013 that they have reached an exciting and scary point in their life at which they cannot turn back. He smiled and joked with students saying, “you are now full grown and have to take care of yourself. You can’t go back to Never Never Land like Peter Pan.”
On a more serious note he also imparted these words: “You must realize that you can make it on your own. You must discover your passion. Don’t pick a career because of the money or because your parents and friends think that is what you should do. People are the most successful and happy when they do what they love using their God-given talents,” Still said.
Still praised the current generation of graduates calling them adaptable multi-taskers navigating a changing world of ever social media, improving technology and scientific advancements.
“You are among the lucky few to live in this world. You have all opportunities open to you and there are more than ever before,” Still said.
Still said that “there is no nation that embraces risk like America” and that graduates will regret unexplored opportunities as “the fear of failure is worse than failure.” He related his experience with the risks of investments that he has made over the years calling it a “binary world of success and failure.” He explained that he was not always successful in turning dreams into companies, but that he didn’t give up because it was what he loved doing.
While having a prosperous career is important in the next chapter, Still also said that a career should not define a person, that the enjoyment of everyday life is much more crucial than financial success. He called humor a staple of everyday life telling graduates to laugh and be humble when things go well.
Still then referenced a line from his favorite poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling. “Meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.”
Still wrapped up his inspirational address to students with an energetic conclusion exclaiming, “Go begin a life that matters! Go Panthers! God Bless! and Good luck!”
