Bobbie Chase encourages School of Arts and Sciences graduates to have “an extraordinary life” at 154th Commencement

Bobbie Chase, a comics and graphic novel publishing executive, delivered an inspiring speech to the graduating class of 2026 during the School of the Arts and Sciences afternoon Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16.

Chase addressed a full crowd in the Sports Arena for Buffalo State's 154th annual Commencement, during which the university conferred degrees on nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students over three ceremonies.

"What I want for every one of you-and I mean this-is an extraordinary life," Chase said. "Not a perfect one. Not a straight-line one. An extraordinary one. The kind you couldn't have predicted on the day you walked across this stage."

Chase has more than 40 years of experience in the publishing industry. Her most recent position was as executive editor of graphic novels at Wattpad Webtoon Studios, the publishing arm of a global company based in Korea that produces phone-based digital comics-the most popular global comics platform today. Prior to this, she spent a decade at DC Entertainment/Warner Bros., and prior to joining DC, she spent 17 years at Marvel Comics, rising from assistant editor to editor-in-chief of Marvel Edge.

Following is the full text of Chase's speech:

Thank you, President Durand, Provost Wall, Trustee Lewin, Council Chair Dobmeier, distinguished faculty, proud families, and-most importantly-the Class of 2026.

I have to begin with a confession. I am receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Letters today. This is, technically speaking, a doctorate I did not earn in the traditional sense-by which I mean: no dissertation, no qualifying exams, no crying alone in a library at 2 a.m. surrounded by empty coffee cups and the slowly dawning realization that you have made terrible choices. I am told this is the better kind of doctorate. Having now held one for approximately four minutes, I can confirm this is true. Thank you, very much, for this honor.

I should also mention that my brother, Dr. Anthony Chase, works here at Buffalo State-and he would like me to assure you that he had absolutely nothing to do with this. Tony, I love you, but I don't believe you for a second.

I'm here today to be honored for the lifetime of work I've put into my career-so, graduates, let's talk about careers.

You are stepping into one of the toughest job markets this country has seen in a long time. I'm not going to stand up here and tell you otherwise. What I will tell you is this: extraordinary lives are not reserved for people who started at the top. I know this firsthand.

I grew up in a very sheltered, very proper household. I went to an all-women's college-a Seven Sisters school-where I fancied myself quite the feminist firebrand. I had a degree in English. I had opinions. What I did not have was a plan.

So, my mother helped me pursue a job offer as a receptionist. And I took it. Because that's where you start-not where you stay.

From there, I sought out work in publishing. I applied to companies whose names I didn't recognize, hoping to get a footing somewhere in the industry. And it just happened that I landed at Marvel Comics, which was, at the time, one of the most male-dominated industries imaginable. I spent the better part of twenty years there, starting as an Assistant Editor, and became one of Marvel's Editors-in-Chief-the highest level a female editor had ever reached in the company.

None of that was the plan. Because there was no plan. There was just-the next thing. And the willingness to try it.

I worked on books that I loved, and edited other titles that kept me up at night. Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Batgirl became part of my family. There were rooms that I was meant to lead, but made to feel like a guest in. But, what I learned is that you can-sometimes slowly, and other times painfully-change things from inside the room. You stay, you get stronger, and you bring in other people behind you.

I want to offer you a reality check that I think is actually liberating: there are approximately 342 million people in the United States. Somewhere between 42,000 and 50,000 of them are CEOs. That is, at most, about one-tenth of one percent of us. So-and I say this with great affection-most of you are not going to be a CEO anytime soon. Most of us are not going to become overnight sensations. Most of us are not going to have everything figured out by thirty-or forty. Some of us-I won't say who-are still figuring things out considerably later than that.

Most of us are going to start as an assistant. Or a receptionist. Or whatever the entry point is in our field. And that is not a failure. That is a beginning.

What I want for every one of you-and I mean this-is an extraordinary life. Not a perfect one. Not a straight-line one. An extraordinary one. The kind you couldn't have predicted on the day you walked across this stage.

Be flexible. Be curious. Say yes to the thing that surprises you. The career I built was made of things I never expected to do-and I wouldn't trade a single one of them.

And finally: be willing to be uncomfortable. Growth does not live in your comfort zone-it lives just past the edge of it. Say yes to the assignment that scares you a little. Raise your hand for the project that stretches you. Introduce yourself to the person in the room you don't know yet.

To the families here today: I see you. I know what it took to get your graduate here today. The sacrifices, the encouragement, the sheer stubborn love. Take a breath. You did something remarkable. They did something remarkable. Whatever comes next-and wonderful things are coming next-it starts right here, today.

Thank you, Buffalo State University, for this incredible honor. Congratulations, Class of 2026. Go be extraordinary.

Photo by Mark Mulville.