President Capilouto's Remarks at Big Blue U 2025: "We the Wildcats"

Good evening, class of 2029 and welcome to the University of Kentucky. 

For many of you, this is the first community you have chosen for yourself. 

And from the very beginning of our nation, we’ve been reminded of the power of a united community. 

There’s a reason the first three words of our Constitution are We the People. 

Those words and what they symbolize endure because they are intentional…collective…they signal action…

Those words helped build a nation. 

Here, you step into your own version of that tradition… tonight you choose to be We the Wildcats. 

We the Wildcats…three words that remind us that community is not an accident — it’s created through the choices we make for one another, day after day.

That commitment begins in small, ordinary choices: 

Sitting with someone new. Reaching out when you see a classmate standing alone. Lifting while you lead…

Choosing curiosity instead of judgment…an open mind instead of a closed door. 

Small acts, repeated, that add up to something powerful.

When we live this way, we discover that we are more alike than we are different. 

We can come together to build a community that is stronger, wiser and more compassionate than any one of us could be alone.

And this campus carries reminders of what it means to live as “we.”

Not far from here stands Memorial Coliseum, rededicated to honor nearly 10,000 Kentuckians who gave their lives in service. 

They were not much older than you when they said, ‘We must act’…their sacrifice reminds us that being ‘we’ carries weight — and responsibility. 

Outside stand monuments with their names, organized by county, etched in metal and lit at all hours. 

I encourage each of you to visit those monuments during your time here.

Kentuckians, find your county…read the list of names…pause, reflect or offer a prayer of your own…

Let it remind you that the choices you make — how you live, how you lead, how you care for your neighbor — are part of a much larger story.

Yes, you will face challenges in the years ahead…the world will feel heavy at times… 

Don’t let that paralyze you. Remember that you don’t have to carry it all, and you never have to carry it alone…

Turn to your people.

So tonight, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Big Blue Nation.

Remember that community is not something you find; it’s something you build, together.

And when your graduation day arrives, I hope you will look at your community and say with pride: “Look what we made possible for us.”

Welcome to Kentucky. Welcome to being We the Wildcats.