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22nd Century Tech's Anil Sharma recalls immigrant struggles at Mason ceremony
He encouraged students to continue learning throughout their careers, adapt to change and remain resilient in uncertain situations.
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Staff Reporter - Sat, 23, May 2026
- 02:10 EDT
- 12
Anil Sharma, CEO of 22nd Century Technologies / LinkedIn
Anil Sharma, CEO of 22nd Century Technologies, delivered the commencement address at an awards ceremony recognizing top students at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, where more than 100 Excellence Award winners and 15 Outstanding Students were honored.
Addressing students, faculty members, families and guests, Sharma congratulated the award recipients, noting that the students represented the top 10% of their academic programs.
“That is not just a statistic, it is a reflection of discipline, focus, resilience, and hard work,” Sharma said. He said students’ achievements reflected “late nights, pressure, uncertainty, failures, and the determination to keep going when things became difficult.”
Sharma, a first-generation immigrant to the United States, spoke about his own career journey and the challenges he faced after arriving in the country.
“I came here with ambition, but very little certainty,” he said. “No roadmap. No guarantees. No safety net.”
Sharma said his professional success came through “many long nights of problem-solving, moments of doubt, difficult decisions, and many lessons learned from failures and mistakes.”
He also discussed the impact of artificial intelligence, automation and digital transformation on the workforce, telling students they were entering careers during a period of major technological change.
“Some of the jobs you will have in your lifetime may not even exist today,” Sharma said.
He encouraged students to continue learning throughout their careers, adapt to change and remain resilient in uncertain situations.
“The future will belong to those who can learn faster, adapt continuously, think critically and stay resilient during change,” he said.
During the speech, Sharma outlined what he described as three guiding principles for graduates. He urged students to continue learning beyond their degrees, not to fear failure, and to support others as they advance in their careers.
“Failure is not the opposite of success, it is part of success,” Sharma said.
He also emphasized the importance of leadership and community impact, telling students that growth was “not making money” but “about impact.”
“The best leaders create opportunities, inspire others, and give back to the community,” he said.
Sharma acknowledged that graduates would face uncertainty, rejection and setbacks, but said those experiences would help shape their future.
“Every challenge builds resilience. Every setback builds wisdom. Every difficult moment prepares you for your next chapter,” he said.
Calling the recognition ceremony “not your finish line” but “your launchpad,” Sharma said the world needed “ethical leaders,” innovators and people capable of combining “business, technology, and humanity to solve real problems.”
He concluded by encouraging students to “dream bigger,” take risks, remain humble and continue working hard.
“Perseverance, focus, humility, integrity and critical thinking would be your best companions in this journey,” Sharma said.
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