PORT ANGELES — Washington Supreme Court Justice Susan Owens used metaphors gleaned from her favorite sport to pitch a lifetime of wisdom to Peninsula College’s graduates Saturday.
Owens, the seventh woman to sit on the high court and a former Clallam County District Court judge, delivered the commencement speech to a gymnasium full of graduates, their families and other supporters.
About 180 of the 356 students who received degrees were present at the ceremony at the Port Angeles campus of the college, which also has branches in Forks and Port Townsend.
Owens’ approximately eight-minute speech was initially going to be titled, “Why bother?”
“But that’s not appropriate or inspiring for such a great day,” she said, joking that it would lead to questions such as: Why take on so much debt?
Instead, Owens chose to throw that out and use baseball metaphors to deliver 12 positive messages for the graduates to take with them.
They were:
• First, remember that everyone is a rookie at some point.
“Know what you do is an opportunity to learn and grow.”
• Second, everyone does dumb things in front of a crowd.
“Account from your mistakes and learn from them.”
• Third, don’t drop the ball.
“Be prepared.”
• Fourth, be ready for the curve ball.
“Think before you swing, but swing away.”
• Fifth, you can’t steal second with your foot on first.
• Sixth, don’t let being shortstop, stop you from accomplishing anything.
“There are a lot of opportunities out there no matter where you live.”
• Seventh, life is a game of averages.
• Eighth and ninth, what you do counts; what you don’t do doesn’t.
• Tenth, it’s good to be a pinch hitter.
• Eleventh, there’s a thin line between foul and fair.
• Twelfth, always have a home base.
“Always put family and friends first.”
Lastly, Owens told the graduates that education is not about the job that it provides.
“It’s about putting knowledge to work in your life,” she said.
Owens, who was elected to the state Supreme Court in 2000, also has served as a judge for the Lower Elwha Klallam and Quileute tribes.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
