Tom Izzo to LCC grads: 'Don’t be afraid to dream big'

EAST LANSING - Standing in front of around 500 graduates of Lansing Community College, Tom Izzo was taken aback.

“I have never seen this much blue in my arena," Izzo said, to laughs and applause from the crowd gathered inside the Breslin Student Events Center Thursday evening.

The head coach of Michigan State University’s men’s basketball team gave the keynote address for the college’s 59th commencement ceremony. Izzo praised the graduates for the work done so far but cautioned against thinking the hard part is over.

“Nothing is unobtainable,” Izzo said. “But you’re going to have a few more problems in the real world than in Disney World,” he said, referring to their time in college.

More:

6th-grade graduation pledge comes with LCC tuition

Bipolar diagnosis doesn't stop MSU student from graduating

Editorial: Success is being made at LCC

Izzo spent much of his time at the microphone regaling the audience with stories of his years in the Upper Peninsula. For the Iron Mountain native, the chances of fulfilling his dream of being a head coach at a premier university seemed slim.

Meeting John Wooden, who won 10 NCAA national championships as UCLA's basketball coach, and finding out he knew Izzo’s name helped him realize he’d achieved that dream.

“There are a lot of different ways to get to where you want to be,” Izzo said. “Don’t be afraid to dream big; dream real big.”

Jane Aldrich, an LCC graduate who reported and anchored for WLNS-TV for three decades, was honored by the college as its 2017 Distinguished Alumni. After graduating from Alma College with a degree in speech and theater, Aldrich said she tried getting a job as a broadcast journalist. A TV station manager told Aldrich she couldn't cut it. Aldrich started taking broadcast classes at LCC to prove to herself she could.

“There is so much good, so much possibility around the corner for you,” Aldrich said to the graduates.

Izzo gave the graduates one final homework assignment during the conclusion of his speech: write down their goals for the coming year.

Dominique Maysonet, who graduated with her associate degree in kinesiology Thursday, said her goal is to complete her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. She starts at MSU this fall.  

“I want to help girls and boys in sports understand proper nutrition and fitness,” she said.

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 orrwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter@wolcottr.