05/30/2011
By
By Sonya Vartabedian, Daily News of NewburyportNEWBURY — Best-selling author Andre Dubus III tells today's college graduates not to worry too much about being a success. Instead, he hopes they achieve growth.
Dubus, who received the Chancellor's Medal of Recognition Saturday during UMass Lowell's commencement, told graduates to put their energies into pursuing something that exposes their unique self.
For Dubus, an English professor at UMass Lowell, that something was writing and reading fiction.
"Once you find that, once you're fortunate to find your authentic path, then you'll have more than a job," Dubus, of Newbury, said on Friday as he offered a preview of his speech. "There'll be more growth and generosity, and success will follow."
Dubus should know. While he's been pleasantly surprised by his success, he said it wasn't his goal.