Billy Joel Gives Commencement Speech At Alma Mater

Billy Joel has always proudly been on of Long Island's own and in case you missed it, he went back to where it all started to give the commencement speech at his alma mater, Hicksville High School. 

During the speech, he got unusually political, talking about the diversity of the graduating class and calling on us to remember that importance of immigrants coming to America. Joel also mentioned the small fact that he didn't actually graduate when he was supposed to but got his diploma eventually. 

The rocker's best advice for the graduating class of 2017 was, hold on to your optimism and "pick a job that you like, because if you pick a job you hate, your life's gonna suck. 

Why didn't Billy graduate on time? As the story goes, he was up late performing at a piano bar and he overslept the next day, missing an important English exam and leaving him one credit short of graduating. A quarter of a century later, he submitted some of his work to the school board and was finally awarded his diploma, walking at the commencement ceremony with Hicksville High's graduating class of 1992. 

Source: Newsday


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