The last lecture

I was forwarded a link recently to a a video clip from an episode of Oprah in which Professor Randy Pausch from Carnegie Mellon University reprized a lecture he did for his students called the last lecture. If you’re not familiar with the last lecture concept, it’s a lecture professors often give to their students at the end of the term as if it were their last lecture ever. The intent is to inspire students and share some life lessons.

We were blessed at the end of the summer to receive a last lecture from Professor James Bond, who was not likely to come back and teach at Seattle University again. It was inspiring on so many levels. (If only we’d known he flunked Property his first year at the beginning of the semester!) For Professor Pausch, however, the lecture was not merely academic; it very well could be his last lecture. Professor Pausch has pancreatic cancer and doctors have given him only a few months to live.

If you have 10 minutes, I recommend watching the lecture. It’s full of wonderful lessons, including my favorite:

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