Pasquale “Pocky” Marranzino (Photo/Paul Daugherty, MA ‘93)

Pasquale “Pocky” Marranzino, president and CEO of Karsh + Hagan Communications Inc. in Denver, delivered the School’s graduation speech on May 6 in Macky Auditorium.

Congratulations. You made it. Give yourself a hand. Now you should give your parents a big hug. If you put yourself through school, give yourself a big hug, too.

It’s nice to be among communicators. My grandfather came to this country speaking English, Italian and Spanish. He was an interpreter and later became a Denver city councilman.

My father was an award winning journalist with the Rocky Mountain News for 33 years. I thought I had newspaper ink in my blood – I guess not, since I ended up an ad man. I asked some of you what you’d like to hear from me today. I got some very good questions from you. The rest of my speech today will answer a lot of them, but I thought I’d list a few of the really tough questions now.

What gives you an edge in life?

Two things: hard work and your attitude – surround yourself with positive people.

What are we working for?

You have to answer this question – money, recognition, fun, challenge. A philosopher once said that success is a journey. That’s true. I also believe that life and work are a journey. Enjoy the ride.

Is it wrong to settle for a job rather than pursue your ultimate dream?

At your age, right now, I would follow your dreams and go where your heart takes you. As you grow older, your focus will change.

Is it possible to make a difference and at what level?

Absolutely. My experience has shown that in any group the 80/20 rule applies. Twenty percent are movers and shakers who make a difference. Eighty percent, as Woody Allen said, just show up. I always chose the path of being the best I could be, which ends up as making a difference.

When I graduated from college, I naively thought my learning was complete. How wrong I was. My learning was just beginning.

So learning is your friend – get used to having learning around. Opportunity. There is great opportunity that lies before you. Four key factors will influence your life and your career.

Change. Get used to it. The rate that things change is accelerating. Most of you were probably born around 1983. Cell phones were used by the military and very few businesses. They were 10 times the size they are now. In 1983, we had a fax machine in our office. Now we have fax machines, voice mail, cell phones, DVR, DVD, VOIP, wireless, Tivo and the Internet. The Macintosh computer was introduced in January 1984. The last 727 airliner was produced at the end of 1983. So we’ve been through the 737, 747, 756, 767, 777 and, now, the 7E7.

The No. 1 record in 1983 was “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. So, Michael’s still in the news – some things never change.

Speed. You not only have to be good, you have to be fast. Technology has made everything faster. This is good. And this is bad. You will have to learn how to balance speed in your life.

Competition. It is global. And we will continue to compete on a global level. The good news is that out-of-college hiring is up 14 percent this year. But you are competing with 2003 grads, as well as cohorts in other countries.

Diversity. A diverse population is changing the face of America. By 2025, the U.S. Hispanic population will be 60 million. Hispanic advertising is growing four times faster than general market advertising. By 2050 the U.S. Asian population will triple.

So how do you go about getting a job? Remember the four P’s of marketing? – product, price, promotion and place. I’ve got four new P’s for you that will help you in your job search. Perseverance, patience, people, positive attitude.

Perseverance. It may take you a while. It’s work, so you need to spend some energy. You need a plan, and you need to execute your plan.

Patience. You may have to send out a hundred resumes to get four or five interviews. Don’t get down on yourself. Keep cool. A sports writer asked Babe Ruth how he hit so many home runs (and was told), ”Because I strike out a lot.”

People. Networking is important. Use the people you know. Don’t be bashful. Remember the more people you contact, the better chances you have.

Positive. Keep a positive attitude. My psychotherapist wife tells me that the No. 1 attribute to a happy life is a positive attitude.

You also need to figure out what you want to do and get your foot in the door – meaning you might have to take a job you don’t really want. Internships are a great way to start – you become a “known” quantity vs. strangers competing for the same job. It’s OK not to know exactly what you want to do right now. I worked for five years in four different jobs before I found advertising.

I want to expand on the 4 P’s a little – to give you some things I have learned about work – and life, for that matter.

One of my favorite all-time books is titled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” This book was written by Robert Fulghum in 1990.

Here is a synopsis of the Fulghum book: Share. Play fair. Don’t hit. Put things back. Clean up. Don’t take things. Say you’re sorry. Wash. Flush. Eat warm cookies. Live a balanced life. Stick together. Take naps. Be aware of wonder. Look.

I have taken some liberties with Mr. Fulghum’s book and applied his book to your career and your life.

Have passion. Figure out what is fun for you and passionate, and you will enjoy what you are doing. Find a job you enjoy and you won’t work a day in your life.

Be honest. You will be surprised where this will get you.

Keep your sense of humor. Life is short. Concentrate on the big things. Little ones work themselves out. A sense of humor translates into any language.

Balance. A lot of you had questions about balance. Fun is as important as work. Keep a balance. Smell the flowers. You need to recharge your batteries. Studies have shown that after a certain amount of hours at work, your productivity peaks and goes down precipitously.

Respect. Treat people as you want to be treated. Remember the Golden Rule.

Feed your spirit. There is a divine creator out there. Get in touch with your creator. I try to pray everyday.

Work hard. There is no substitute for sweat and hard work. There are no shortcuts. A great golfer was quoted once about why he was so lucky. “I make my own luck,” he said, “My definition of luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”

Thank you. Saying thanks is worth its weight in gold. And, we have a lot to be thankful for. Simplicity. K.I.S.S. You don’t need to make things more complicated than they already are.

Sell. I can’t tell you how important it is to be able to sell yourself, sell your work, sell your company. Develop your sales skills. Everyone needs to be a good salesman or saleswoman.

Life is like Oz – you know, the Wizard of Oz.

If we compared the first part of your life to the Wizard of Oz, you are in the scarecrow phase, and you’ve just been given a brain.

The next stage you will enter is the lion stage and you‘ll need courage to find a career, maybe start a family. Once you have courage, you hopefully enter the tin man phase and you’ll need heart. By that I mean that this great society of ours called the United States of America has given you opportunity. It has given you freedom. It has given you a lifestyle unequal to any other. As you progress in life, please do not forget to give back what you have received.

An ancient proverb says, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.”

So go forth, my young friends, and fish in good health and happiness. There is a gigantic sea of opportunity that awaits you. Good luck.