Cyma ZarghamiBURLINGTON, Vt. -
The president of Nickelodeon, the popular children's cable channel, provided the final lesson for UVM graduates Sunday.
Cyma Zarghami, a former UVM student herself, delivered Sunday's commencement speech to more than 3-thousand grads. She told students to trust themselves, attack work and life with passion, be authentic, and try not to miss opportunities when the stars align. Zarghami says the character SpongeBob SquarePants does just that and represents the best aspects of the millennial generation.
"After just three years, it emerged as an icon of your generation. He represented pure optimism and kindness. SpongeBob was oblivious to the bad things in the world, just hoping he could be the best fry cook ever. Every day for SpongeBob was, and is, the best day ever and I hope today is your best day ever," Zarghami said.
After her speech, Zarghami introduced Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke, the voices behind the show's two primary characters -- SpongeBob and Patrick.
