Why Christopher Pan doesn’t regret giving the 'worst Ohio State commencement speech ever'

Why Christopher Pan doesn’t regret giving the ‘worst Ohio State commencement speech ever’

“Graduation speaker booed by entire stadium,” “Cringe-worthy speech peddling Bitcoin” and “The worst Ohio State commencement speech ever.” These are just a few headlines written about the speech given by Christopher Pan, a social entrepreneur, during the 2024 Ohio State University (OSU) commencement ceremony.

But the 1999 OSU alumnus wouldn’t change his speech nor message if given the opportunity to go back in time. “I don’t have any regrets because I did what I believe is right,” Pan tells NextShark.

Pan, the founder of service project company MyIntent.org, delivered a keynote address to more than 12,000 students and their families on May 5 at the Ohio Stadium in Columbus. As the son of Chinese immigrants and grandson of refugees, he has dedicated his life to community-building efforts, particularly focusing on emotional and spiritual wellness. He says his challenging upbringing as an Asian American who struggled to fit in has fueled his passion for this work. With professional experience at PepsiCo and Facebook, his journey into social entrepreneurship was motivated by a desire to go beyond conventional success and address what he believes the world needs more of: healers.

Pan was selected as the 2024 commencement speaker because the university wanted to highlight the achievements of an alum who had made substantial contributions to the OSU community. With his involvement in speaking engagements and recognition in the alumni magazine, Pan emerged as the top choice. He remembers being told by a senior vice president of the university: “Our community needs your inspiration more than ever. Thank you for modeling compassion, integrity and truly what it means to be a buckeye.”

In his roughly 17-minute speech, Pan centered his message on attaining freedom in financial, emotional and spiritual realms. He prompted audience participation by leading a singing exercise of the 4 Non Blondes’ 1993 hit single “What’s Up” and guiding them…

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