I know that one of your graduates spent months on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro searching for sustainable development models to bring to women and families and help them lift themselves out of poverty.Another of your classmates was studying in China last year when the devastating earthquake struck，and that has led to work ever since to deliver supplies and assistance to villagers in remote areas.International students have gone on to fight for human rights in Rwanda，build civil society in the nation of Georgia，run businesses and lead governments.And many of you，I know，used social networking platforms to make Barack Obama the President of the United States of America.（Applause.）
President Obama and I deeply understand how important it is for the young people of our country，but the young people of every country，to be given the opportunity to translate your beliefs and ideals into service and action，just as John Kennedy did when he created the Peace Corps and as President Bill Clinton did when he created AmeriCorps.This is in the tradition of citizen service.（Applause.）
So we need to figure out ways to prepare all of our institutions of government，including and especially the State Department，to harness the efforts of those who do not enter the Foreign Service but still engage in your own type of foreign service.Our State Department personnel are skilled，dedicated，passionate and effective.And for those of you still looking for jobs，we are hiring a new generation of diplomats.（Applause.）
I hope many of you will join our ranks in the Foreign Service and the Civil Service，but I know that not all will choose to become professional diplomats，and I also know that the State Department alone cannot tackle these great problems.So my message to you today is this：be the special envoys of your ideals；use the communication tools at your disposal to advance the interests of our nation and humanity everywhere；be citizen ambassadors using your personal and professional lives to forge global partnerships，build on a common commitment to solving our planet’s common problems.By creating your own networks，you can extend the power of governments to meet the needs of this and future generations.You can help lay the groundwork for the kind of global cooperation that is essential if we wish，in our time，to end hunger and defeat disease，to combat climate change，and to give every child the chance to live up to his or her God-given potential.（Applause.）
This starts with opportunities for educational exchanges，the kind of dorm room and classroom diplomacy that NYU is leading on.I want to commend my friend，your president，the trustees of this great university，for understanding and believing in the importance of educational exchanges.
You know，study abroad is like spring training for this century.It helps you develop the fundamentals，the teamwork，and the determination to succeed.And we want more American students to have that opportunity.That‘s why we are increasing funding for Gilman scholarships by more than 40percent.More than 400New Yorkers have used Gilman scholarships to spend a semester abroad，including nine students from NYU last year.
Now，of course，study abroad is a two-way street，and we should bring more qualified students from other countries to study here.NYU provides a prime example of what international students can bring to a campus and how they can benefit themselves and their countries.Over 700，000international students came to the United States last year，and NYU had the second largest number of any school in the country.（Applause.）
Now，the benefits from such exchanges are so great that I am committed to streamline the visa process-（applause）-particularly for science and technology students so that even more qualified students will come to our campuses in the future.We’re also doing more to marry technology with global service.That‘s why today I am pleased to announce that over the next year the State Department will be creating Virtual Student Foreign Service Internships to harness the energy of arising generation of citizen diplomats.Working from college and university campuses，American students will partner with our embassies abroad to conduct digital diplomacy that reflects the realities of the networked world.And you can learn more about this initiative on the State Department’s website.
But I know that you don‘t have to wait for us to create a new program.When you go home today，go online and find the website called Kiva，K-i-v-a，where you can help someone like San Ma，a mother in Vietnam who is seeking a microcredit loan to buy rice seed and fertilizer for her family farm；or log on to Heifer International’s site，and for less than the cost of a dinner out，you can donate a flock of geese to a hungry family in Asia or Africa；or help Wangari Mathai‘s Green Belt movement in planting trees and offsetting carbon emissions and empowering women in Africa.
Now，supporting these projects and others like them doesn’t require a lot of time or money.But for the people you help and the planet you protect，your participation can be not just a game changer，but a life changer.Global service also means promoting good governance.We need informed citizens，both here at home and around the world，to hold their governments accountable for getting results and finding solutions.
