Across the U.S., there are loads of graduations going on, many of them marking the end of students’ time in public schools as they move from high school to college – or perhaps just straight to the workforce. This rite of passage is nearly as old as time itself, and in many cases, graduating high school students are treated to a special commencement speech – if they’re lucky, one delivered by a famous person of some sort. That was the case at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island recently, where Ford CEO Jim Farley graduated himself years ago.
Yesterday I was honored to deliver the commencement address at my high-school alma mater, the Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island (@AbbeyRavens). An amazing ceremony filled with accomplished students & proud families. My advice to the graduates was to ask yourself this… pic.twitter.com/qAKtHtMSNF
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) May 26, 2025
“Yesterday I was honored to deliver the commencement address at my high-school alma mater, the Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island,” Jim Farley wrote in a post on X. “An amazing ceremony filled with accomplished students & proud families. My advice to the graduates was to ask yourself this question: ‘Who am I?’ Throughout my life I’ve asked myself that question – not to find a perfect answer, but begin a journey of self-reflection and growth. To know yourself, you first have to face yourself – your values, your fears & the choices that define you. Success isn’t about titles or external validation. It’s about staying true to what drives you, even when no one’s watching. Congratulations to the Class of 2025! And thank you, Portsmouth Abbey, for shaping the foundation of who I am.”
Farley – who is part of Portsmouth Abbey’s Class of 1981 – was a three-sport athlete in football, hockey, and golf. The executive was a member of the SENE championship football team and captained the SENE championship golf team in his Sixth Form (senior) year. He later graduated from Georgetown University and the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Comments
Giving them tips on how to fail as a CEO of a auto manufacturer
Giving valuable life advice on how to design garbage transmissions.
He did the graduates a disservice. Hopefully they’re smart enough to realize it
Jim Farley is really not that impressive at running Ford Motor Company. He put an excessive amount of resources on electric car development when the demand was not present. He always plays victim when Ford has issues.