Naidoo shared with the newly minted alumni the perspective his friend Lenny Naidu gave him over 36 years ago. Both young men at the time, Kumi and Lenny each faced exile for their activism. In one of their last conversations together, Lenny turned to Kumi and asked: “What is the biggest contribution we can make to the course of justice?”

Replying, Naidoo said, “I suppose to give your life. To demonstrate, be shot and killed, and die a martyr for a just cause.”

While such violence was common in South Africa at the time, Lenny challenged Naidoo to think beyond the obvious. “That’s the wrong answer,” he told Naidoo. “It’s not about giving our life, but about giving the rest of our lives.”

As Naidoo recounted, Lenny ultimately did both, dying by a politically-motivated assassination shortly after Naidoo left South Africa to live and study in exile in the United Kingdom.

But regardless of the length of his life, Naidoo says, what mattered most is that Lenny lived true to his principles. Returning to the graduates, Naidoo explained:

“I tell this story not to depress you, but to summon in you a sense of the capability that ordinary people have to make extraordinary change. I feel Lenny’s eyes on you today, and I wish you all to remember his powerful words. The struggle for justice is a marathon and not a sprint. Take care of yourselves to be able to run this marathon and pace yourselves. The world is now yours.  Play your role in looking after it well, and leave it a better, more just and more sustainable place than you found it.” 

The Class of 2024 will carry Naidoo’s mandate with them as they move into new spaces beyond the classrooms at Encina Hall.

Following the completion of their studies at FSI, five members of the cohort will be continuing their education in various programs, including the Stanford Doerr School, Stanford Political Communications, and International Relations at Oxford University.

Three members will continue with their military appointments in the U.S. Air Force and Navy.

Three will return to service in their respective national governments, including in the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UK Cabinet Office, and the Norwegian Policy Security Service.

Four will begin work for the United States government in a variety of departments, including the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, and as Foreign Service Officers in the U.S. Department of State.

The remainder of the cohort will continue into careers across the non-profit and private sectors, where they will continue to address challenges such as clean energy, climate policy, defense and security, human rights and immigration law, cyber policy, and educational work.

In a final blessing, Naidoo commissioned the students to stay true to the values and creative vision they have developed at Stanford as they move into the world.

“The true transformation our world desperately needs will be reached through our creativity. So go into the world and offer your creativity to the way things are done in the places you will find yourself in. Through your creativity you will touch hearts, build connections, and shift perspectives towards the change you want to see in the world."