Denzel Washington gave Dillard University students four succinctly doable life goals in yesterday’s commencement address.

Sue Strachan reports for NOLA.com:

Denzel Washington gives Dillard University students four life goals in commencement speech

Denzel and Dillard: A successful partnership that on Saturday (May 9) made for a special commencement for Dillard University’s Class of 2015.

The commencement took place at the university’s Rosa Freeman Keller Avenue of the Oaks, where 218 students received diplomas for their degrees from the College of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, and Nursing. The highlight of the ceremony featured Academy and Tony award-winning actor Denzel Washington as the keynote speaker.

Introduced by senior class vice president Joy Semien, Washington took to the podium to impart four goals for graduating seniors, and for the audience, as well: “Congratulations to all of you… First: Put God first … Second: Fail big … a dream without goals, is just a dream … Third: You will never see a U-Haul behind a hearse … and Four: Say thank-you in advance for what is already yours.” He concluded with, “Don’t inspire to make a living, inspire to make a difference.” (Also during the speech, Washington very candidly said he once had a 1.7 grade point average in college.)

Afterward, Washington was bestowed an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, before he had to leave early to give another commencement speech at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas; like Dillard, an HBCU (historically black colleges and universities). Other luminaries who received Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters were Dr. Victoria H. Barbosa, David J. Dennis Sr. (’68) and Alden J. McDonald Jr., president of Liberty Bank.