President Barack Obama has some advice for graduates who are about to embark on the next chapter of their lives.
He says young people are growing up during a time of "great challenge" and "sweeping change" — and that the voices of cynicism and pessimism seem the loudest on television and in newspapers and blogs.
Writing in "Parade" magazine, the president says: "Don't believe them." He says Americans have a proud history of persevering through difficult times.
Obama carries his commencement message next Saturday to graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. In June he speaks at a high school in Kalamazoo, Mich. He's also given commencement speeches at the University of Michigan and Virginia's Hampton University.
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