Bill Cosby visited Lubbock on April 22.
Bill Cosby is just like any other 76-year-old. In his cargo sweatpants and sandals with socks, the comedy legend offered words of wisdom, and a little bit of rambling, to Texas Tech students and faculty on Tuesday morning.
Cosby, a comedian famous for his television work, visited Texas Tech this week for the Mentor Tech end-of-year banquet. Before his big speech at the banquet, Cosby did a miniature tour of Texas Tech, speaking at various locations on campus.
Cosby first walked in, Starbucks drink in hand, while being introduced. He jokingly waited to shake the woman’s hand who introduced him, while she was walking away. The crowd began laughing, and he made a classic Cosby face.
“I’m going to take a shot at some things, to see if I can’t get you to see more than you’re actually seeing now, from this place called college,” Cosby said. “I just want you to applaud if you have no idea, upon the act of receiving your degree, what your life is really about.”
The audience ruptured with applause.
Cosby, who has a doctoral degree in education, spent the next 30 minutes talking about college, and how to succeed there. He said he wanted to encourage students to do the best they can in classes, and find what they are truly passionate about.
He said going to college already sets students apart from people who only have a high school diploma, but that simply having a piece of paper saying you graduated is not enough.
“You’re supposed to study to know everything,” Cosby said. “Talk to the janitor. Who’s the best person around? They’ll tell you, the lady who does the bathrooms. Who the sloppy people are. They’ll tell you the ones not worth following to get a bottle of water. I’m saying, don’t worry about that. Just practice putting your mind, your heart, into each and every subject.”
Students and faculty members got to enjoy Cosby’s discussion, which had ticket-only admission.
Think about athletes, Cosby said. He said athletes practice and practice, until they are the best in their sport. Cosby said this is how students should approach studying and course work as well. He said when most athletes are on television, they talk about how to be No. 1. According to Cosby, this has to do with setting goals for yourself.
“If they want to play soccer, and they want to play, they’ll be out there practicing until they can’t see the ball anymore. Over and over,” Cosby said. “Swimming, over and over, and do it again. Track and field, ‘All right we got one more to go!’ Yet to sit, and be with a teacher, to go over something in math, to go over how many veins are in a leaf,” he sighs. “‘What’s the matter?’ Eh, the brain.”
Cosby next suggested every audience member has operable cancer.
“I wheel you down the hallway in the gurney to the operating room, we switch, slide you over on the table, and now they open up the chest, take your clothes off of you, start painting your chest,” Cosby said. “The man in the mask starts saying, ‘My name is Doctor So and So, I will be removing the tumor, and I want you to know that I know 74 percent of what I’m doing. And these people want jobs.”
Next, Cosby opened up the conversation for questions. He specifically said he would not answer any questions about show business, and only ones about education and students’ futures.
The first question asked was from a senior biology student, who has decided to take some time off before attending medical school. Cosby’s advice to her was to do it now, because time off is an excuse to never go. The student seemed pleased with the answer, and graciously thanked Cosby for the advice.
An engineering major asked Cosby if it’s wise to change his major.
The next question was from an engineering student, who loves what he does and tries his best, but still receives mediocre grades. He asked Cosby if he should pursue engineering or switch majors. Cosby told him to stick with what he loves, seek more help from tutors, and find out how he learns best.
The last question was a doozy for Cosby. The young marketing student asked Cosby to define success. Cosby initially said he could not answer that question, but then went into how success cannot be measured solely by career choices. He said family and love factor into success just as much as professional endeavors.
“The word for success is happy, not just because it’s a good song,” Cosby joked, referring to the Pharrell Williams hit single.
Cosby continues to instill wisdom in young people, 22 years after his only son on “The Cosby Show” graduated from college.
About Sarah Self-Walbrick
