U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey told graduates at the University of Pennsylvania's commencement that life "is not about celebrity, it is about significance.''
The Democrat addressed the 5,000 graduates during Monday's ceremony in Philadelphia.
Booker says he is troubled by what he sees as a tendency to assign labels and make conclusions about people who have different points of view.
He asked whether we can be a nation that can disagree but still find that common ground, and told the graduates that the most valuable thing they can give others is their attention.
He says he believes the small things we do each day define us, saying "how we live our days is how we live our lives.''
Rather than focus on changing the world, he urged graduates to "do a little bit of good'' wherever they are.
For motorists, 33rd and 34th streets will be closed during the ceremony.
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It is anticipated that traffic in the University City area will be congested from approximately 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.
