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For the 3,245 Miami University students who graduated Saturday, May 10, on a sunny spring day, keynote speaker Robin Roberts decided not to deliver a traditional graduation speech for the 169th annual spring commencement that was held at Yager Stadium.

Instead, the co-host of ABC News' "Good Morning America" and cancer survivor opted to "speak from the heart."

Noting that it wasn't that long ago when she was sitting at her graduation ceremony at Southeastern Louisiana University, Roberts said she didn't know what she would be doing on the following Monday morning.

"But I did know that you have to put yourself in position to make good things happen," she said, adding that sometimes that means learning new skills to become more versatile.

Roberts said she knew in high school that she wasn't going to be a professional athlete and had to find something that would allow her to be a part of the sports world, so she went to a nearby radio station and offered to be the sports director. She said she applied herself and received full-time job offers to work in news, but she remained focused on going into sports broadcasting. She said ESPN offered her a job, but she turned them down because she felt she wasn't ready yet. Roberts went on to Atlanta, and ESPN offered her a job in 1990 that she accepted.

Later, Roberts felt that she "wanted to do more and venture outside of her comfort zone."

Over her 20-year career, she has covered sports as well as news and newsmakers on a wide array of topics of national and international interest.

"The bottom line — when I was sitting where you are, I had no idea I would be working at 'Good Morning America' co-anchoring with the incredible Diane Sawyer," she said.

Roberts reminded the graduates to put themselves in position, to be patient and persistent, to focus on solutions and not the problems, and to always keep family and friends close.

Miami President David Hodge presented Roberts with an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree. Miami conferred six certificates, 181 associate, 2,875 bachelor's, 168 master's and 14 doctoral degrees.

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