More than 1,300 students graduated from West Virginia University in December.

Graduates were honored Dec. 14 at a special convocation at the WVU Coliseum. Interim WVU President C. Peter Magrath was the keynote speaker.

Magrath spoke about five lessons he has learned and encouraged graduates to remember them as they travel through life. He advised students to be themselves, not to take their family or friends for granted,strive for balance and the attainable,give to others andavoid the status trap.

The smartest approach to life and its challenges is to seek the good and the attainable instead of losing our way in an endless, frustrating search for the totally perfect,he said.We ought to be grateful for what we have and what we can have.

The full text of Magraths speech can be found online at http://president.wvu.edu/speeches/december_graduates_convocation_remarks .