John King to speak at commencement

4/30/10 - During his 2009 program "State of the Union," CNN anchor John King traveled to all 50 states-and on May 23, he'll be back in the smallest.King, a University of Rhode Island alum, will be returning to his alma mater to present the class of 2010's commencement speech and to provide some "words of wisdom" for this year's graduating seniors.

Since his time as an undergraduate, King's job has brought him to the front lines of history-from the Iraq war, to the Sept. 11 attacks, to the 2008 presidential campaign. However, in this time, he got the chance to reflect upon his years at URI and take the time to "build up an appreciation" for what he's learned.

"You spend so much time, college is kind of a blur," King said. "You probably underestimate at this moment how much this will help you."

Classes which students may find challenging "force you to discipline your mind and study," he said.

For King, some of his most important courses and professors weren't a part of his journalism major. It was actually a Shakespeare professor who "challenged [him] to think outside the box" and encouraged him to pursue journalism, King said.

However, he credits all of his professors, both inside and outside of his major, for encouraging him to get first-hand experience in his field.

"They were smart enough to say.there's only so much I can teach you, but you have to actually go do this for a living to find out if you're any good at it and if you like it," he said. "They give you some building blocks then shove you out the door."

For King, that "real world" experience came in the form of a student internship with the Associated Press in Providence, R.I.

After graduating, he nabbed a job with the AP, where he was up for his position against people with years of experience. He credits his "luck" in working with the AP to his willingness to prove himself-a piece of advice he'd pass along to the graduating class.

"If you trust yourself, don't be afraid to start a few rungs on the ladder below," he said. "You have to be on the ladder to climb the ladder."

In a tough job market, which was similar to what King faced when he entered the workforce, he said it's important for graduates to be flexible. While seniors may need to have a "plan b," whether it's graduate school, taking a year off or trying a different type of job, King said they should be optimistic about their future.

"If you have to delay your dreams, delay does not mean abandon," he said. "I know it's hard, but it's a time of transition.I think it's a great time to be young because things are starting to get a little bit better and opportunity is born of change-some things just take a while."

During King's more than 20 years in journalism, change is something he's had to be open to. He has had "eight or 10 jobs in the business," he said, and has had to adapt-moving from print to broadcast, when he joined the CNN team in 1997.

In his time at CNN, moving up the ranks from senior White House correspondent in 1999 to chief national correspondent in 2005, he interviewed some of the top members of the Bush administration one-on-one.

However, before he began traveling to the Middle East with former Vice President Dick Cheney, King was just a URI freshman from Boston, living in Browning Hall.

"The only good thing about Browning Hall was it was right across the street from the dining hall and next to the infirmary," he said.

In between his work study job cleaning bathrooms in the gym and contributing to the Cigar, King said he "had some fun" and met friends whom he still keeps in contact with today.

"When they find you on Facebook or send me an e-mail when they see me doing something stupid on TV, it's funny," he said. "Whether you go five or six years without contact there's still these bonds."

After living on campus his freshman year, he moved to Narragansett, R.I. and lived alone for a year for the first time in his life-a time in which he learned a lot about himself and his own self-discipline.

"The number one [thing about] my experience at URI, number one I just grew up," King said. "You come out of high school and think you know everything, but secretly you don't."

Though his work with CNN has brought him, literally, across the country, Rhode Island holds special memories for King, and is what he calls a "state of great character."

"The country is a complicated puzzle and Rhode Island has many of the pieces within it," he said. "You have the spectacular ocean and the stunning beauty of it and you can also have some gritty, blue collar working class communities. And yet, 10 [or] 15 minutes away, you can find rural parts of the state."

His time in Rhode Island and at URI was a "great training ground," for the journalist, who now anchors his own program, "John King USA," on CNN.

However, for all his success, King doesn't forget about the little things in life-and advises URI seniors to do the same.

"Success is not a paycheck, it's a smile at the end of the day," King said.