Shadowing Practice: Jonny Kim | Harvard Alumni Day 2026 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
84 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
- Thank you, Will, for the very kind introduction, President Garber, Provost Manning, distinguished speakers, honored guests, and most importantly, fellow alumni.
2
- Whoo! - Whoo!
3
- Good afternoon.
4
I am incredibly humbled to be here with you all today on Earth, to see old friends reminisce of the past and ponder our future.
5
I've had the privilege of wearing different uniforms in my 42 years, from war-torn battlefields, to emergency departments, to cockpits and spacecrafts.
6
Through it all, I've made many mistakes and learned many lessons, but before I begin, I have a confession.
7
I'm a bit of a procrastinator.
8
I'm sorry, Mom, that never went away.
9
I finally sat down to write this after watching Conan O'Brien's recent commencement speech.
10
Perhaps to help me get over my procrastination, my lovely wife urged me to watch it together and between the laughs, his message of humility and impact over accolades really resonated with me.
11
Dang it, Conan, you're so funny and wise.
12
But his message was for the college graduates, we are alumni, we've got it figured out, right?
13
The truth is I certainly do not, and I struggled with what I could possibly offer such a diverse and accomplished audience, especially to our alumnus from the Class of 1946, Mr. Duby.
14
- Whoo!
15
- Sir, you should be up here, I want to hear what you have to say.
16
From one sailor to another, go Navy, and happy birthday.
17
Just six months ago, I was wrapping up an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
18
The ISS is a triumph of human engineering, but perhaps more importantly, it's a triumph of international collaboration.
19
Alliances across 15 countries have kept a sustained human presence in low Earth orbit for over 25 years.
20
And this collaboration continues as we set our sights on the moon and then Mars.
21
Let's give a round of applause to the engineers, scientists, and administrators that have kept that beacon of collaboration alive.
22
Orbiting our planet 15,000 miles per hour.
23
I witnessed our planet's raw majesty, epic storms, volcanic eruptions, vast oceans, and cities glowing like the constellations, all crowned by the vibrant auroras that paint the sky in colors beyond imagination.
24
Yet through it all, I never saw distinct borders.
25
I just saw a fragile, beautiful planet suspended in the darkness of our solar system.
26
The overwhelming realization that everyone you have ever known and will ever love shares the same spaceship we call Earth.
27
The overview effect is the coined term.
28
Sometimes I look out from the Space Station cupola window and relax my focus on the mission, and instead ground my focus right here with my beautiful wife and our amazing three children, knowing that beneath the clouds there were the very people that gave my life its gravity.
29
But you don't have to go to space to understand the weight of our shared humanity.
30
Long before I ever put on a spacesuit, it was here in the halls of the hospital wearing a white coat, or as an operator in the SEAL teams, that I learned the fundamental truth about service.
31
True service isn't about the uniform you wear, the title you hold, the altitude you reach, it is simply about the person next to you.
32
I am the son of immigrants who came to this great country to build a better life for their children.
33
And while the fall of the Twin Towers during high school certainly called within me an action to serve, my calling to become a Navy SEAL was for an embarrassingly simple reason, I wanted to be a superhero.
34
A little tongue in cheek, but as a kid, I was infatuated with comic superheroes.
35
I wanted to be like the incorruptible, self-reliant Batman fighting injustice.
36
But in the extreme environments I've spent my life as an adult, I learned that the solo hero myth is dangerous.
37
Whether you're relying on the marine next to you in a firefight, the nurse during a code blue, or your crewmates in the vacuum of space, survival demands absolute trust in others.
38
True strength is found in recognizing you cannot do this alone.
39
Being a Navy SEAL was one of the greatest honors of my life, and it gave me the tools to forge my own path and the chance to serve, albeit in the only way I knew how at the time.
40
But the price was high.
41
There was trauma, pain, and a darkness that enveloped me, burying my boyhood dreams of ever being a superhero for good.
42
That brings me to the first lesson I'd like to share.
43
Mistakes and tragedy can be the spark for new purpose.
44
The battlefield is unforgiving.
45
Decisions are made in split seconds with imperfect data.
46
Operating with the information I had and with the absolute intention of protecting my unit, I made a decision that took a life, and I was wrong, and despite being cleared by an investigation that I operated within the rules of engagement, nothing will take away that my actions caused irreparable harm.
47
I'm not the victim of this tragedy, I caused it.
48
And it's a weight I rightfully deserve to carry for the rest of my life, Perhaps driven by guilt or a Sisyphean mission of atonement, I pivoted to medicine, hoping to uplift others, but I wasn't ready to heal anyone.
49
In an effort to stay resilient, I had built layers of armor to protect myself, still trying to be that solo superhero.
50
But you can't heal the vulnerable without being vulnerable yourself.
51
The greatest gift this amazing institution, Harvard, has given me is not my medical education or the prestige that follows.
52
It is that the people at Harvard helped to pull me out of the darkness and into the light, and did it through something I had long considered a weakness, empathy.
53
To my classmates and professors who took time to understand how I got in the dark hole I was in and sometimes sit with me in it, thank you for being a part of my journey and for extending grace I may not have always deserved.
54
This taught me my second lesson: Empathy and vulnerability are superpowers that can heal.
55
True superpowers don't require us to put armor on.
56
They require us to take our armor off.
57
Remember the overview effect I talked about earlier, of how looking at our planet from space can give a macro view of our shared physical existence and that sense of unity it brings?
58
Empathy is the micro view of that same phenomenon, and extending grace and understanding to others is how we recognize our shared emotional existence, and begin to build human connection, which leads to bridges.
59
Learning this forced me to reexamine other virtues I thought I had understood, like loyalty.
60
In the SEAL teams, we use brotherhood as a metaphor of the unbreakable trust that every teammate will surrender their ego to prioritize the mission and team above their own lives.
61
As a young SEAL, brotherhood meant absolute, unconditional loyalty.
62
Today, I realize that placing unconditional loyalty in humans, fallible by nature, is an impossible burden.
63
Our unconditional allegiances are best reserved for our shared ideals, to moral and ethical values, to Veritas, and if of faith, to God.
64
Because whether we are navigating the vastness of space, setting our sights to the moon or Mars, or facing the uncertainties of tomorrow, right here at home, it ultimately comes down to treating each other with respect and kindness.
65
It is precisely during these times, hard times, that our character matters most.
66
No matter what new technology comes our way or how much AI takes over, there is one thing that it will never be able to replicate: Integrity, humility, trust.
67
These aren't just lessons I want my own children to live and learn.
68
These are lessons I am still actively trying to live out.
69
They are our moral compass, our North Star.
70
As I said, you don't need to wear a uniform, carry a gun into battle, save a life, or blast off into space to serve or understand our shared humanity.
71
Service shows itself in the quiet, unseen acts of kindness and everyday grace.
72
If you ask me today who my superhero is, I'd say my mom.
73
- Yes! - She faced her hardships in life, business, and health with a courage, strength, and faith in God that rivals the toughest warriors I have ever known.
74
Despite having many reasons to be called to a world that was sometimes unkind to her, she remained compassionate, generous, and above all, morally courageous.
75
I lost my mom to cancer about a month ago.
76
- Ah!
77
- And my whole life, I've looked to fictional characters or out into the world for heroes to emulate when my biggest superhero was always right there by my side.
78
Mom, I love you, and I wish I had told you that you were my superhero.
79
To my fellow alumni, excuse me, to my fellow alumni, I leave you with a call to action: Be the superhero you wish to become.
80
When you walk through the Dexter Gate on your way out, look at the inscription from Charles Eliot, "Depart to serve better thy country and thy kind." Always lead with your heart.
81
Take off your armor.
82
Exercise empathy, especially towards people you disagree with.
83
It is the only path by which we can coexist, leaving this fragile, beautiful spaceship we call Earth better than we found it.
84
Thank you. - Whoo.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
C14
Education gap: The root of inequality
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C12
Bill Gates Harvard Commencement Address 2007
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C12
President Alan Garber | Harvard Alumni Day 2026
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
C136
Noah Eckstein Delivers the Senior English Address | Harvard Commencement 2026
University StudentsWorking Adults
C16
Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do? Episode 01 "THE MORAL SIDE OF MURDER"
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
C243
Natalie Portman Harvard Commencement Speech | Harvard Commencement 2015
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C1Harvard Thinking: Who should take GLP-1s?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C1Harvard Orator Eunice Alison Nyang’or Mwabe | Harvard Commencement 2019
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
C15
145 sentences
ENGLISH SPEECH | TIM COOK: Serve Humanity (English Subtitles)
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C16
57 sentences
rory's graduation speech
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C12
1043 sentences
I Wrote a NEW Sci-Fi with Project Hail Mary Author Andy Weir
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
236 sentences
【日英字幕】2026ハーバード卒業演説 自身のハーバード学生生活から人生の教訓まで、ユーモアを交えて語るコナン流感動の卒業スピーチ
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
225 sentences
Conan Delivers The State Of The Podcast | Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C16
261 sentences
The Human Element
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C127
70 sentences
6 Powerful Life Lessons from Taylor Swift | NYU Commencement Speech 2022 Highlights
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
126 sentences
Snoop Dogg - USC Marshall 2025 Commencement Guest Speaker
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
273 sentences
Hank Green Address to MIT Class of 2025
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
108 sentences
2022 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking: Cyril Junior Dim
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Context & Background
In the inspiring setting of Harvard Alumni Day 2026, Jonny Kim delivers a heartfelt speech reflecting on his extraordinary life journey from a Navy SEAL to a medical doctor and astronaut. His narrative touches on themes of humility, the importance of community, and the lessons learned through both triumphs and challenges. With humor and sincerity, Kim connects with his audience, sharing personal experiences and profound insights that resonate deeply with all, making his talk a powerful reminder of our shared humanity and the importance of service to others.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
To enhance your English speaking skills, especially in casual or formal gatherings, consider these key phrases extracted from Jonny Kim's speech:
- “I am incredibly humbled to be here with you all today.” – A polite way to express gratitude when addressing an audience.
- “I witnessed our planet's raw majesty.” – A descriptive phrase that emphasizes awe and appreciation for nature.
- “True service isn't about the uniform you wear.” – A thought-provoking statement about the nature of service and contribution.
- “Mistakes and tragedy can be the spark for new purpose.” – An encouraging reminder that challenges can lead to personal growth.
- “You can't heal the vulnerable without being vulnerable yourself.” – A powerful assertion about the importance of empathy and shared experiences.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
The shadowing technique is an effective way to practice English listening and speaking skills. Here’s how you can utilize it while watching Jonny Kim’s speech:
- Watch the Video: Start by watching the video without sound. Pay attention to the context, facial expressions, and gestures to grasp the overall message.
- Listen Carefully: Play the video again, this time focusing on Kim's spoken words. Note the intonation and rhythm of his speech.
- Repeat in Real-Time: As you play the video, try to speak simultaneously with Kim. Use the shadowspeak method; mirror his phrases, tone, and pacing to enhance pronunciation.
- Pause and Practice: Pause after key phrases or sentences. Repeat them aloud to reinforce your memory and pronunciation.
- Reflect and Apply: After completing the video, think about how the phrases and expressions can be used in your own conversations. This integration helps solidify your learning and boosts confidence.
By following this structured approach, you not only improve your language skills but also connect with the deeper themes of the speech, making your practice more meaningful. Embrace the journey of learning English with YouTube and engage in shadowspeaks to elevate your proficiency!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've had · I've made · have kept |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was infatuated · is found · are made |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.