Zinke: Hold true to legacy of Montana

U.S Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke urged Montana State University-Northern graduates of the Class of 2017 to be leaders and stay true to the values of the Treasure State Saturday in his commencement address at Montana State University-Northern.

"You are about to enter an exciting period for our country. My generation will turn the mantle of leadership over to you," he said.

A native of Whitefish and a retired U.S. Navy SEAL, Zinke served as a state senator and later occupied Montana's only seat in the U.S House of Representatives before he was sworn in last month to be the first Montanan since statehood to hold a position in a presidential cabinet.

In his nearly seven-minute speech, Zinke told graduates that when he was in Ccongress he would often tell his colleagues that Montana spans an area equal to the distance from Washington, D.C., to Chicago plus 2 miles.

"That is how big Montana is," he said.

He added only that, despite having a population of about 1 million people, Montana's voice matters because of those values it represents.

"Montana has a brand: Big sky, honest, hardworking, dedicated patriots, but fair," Zinke said.

Zinke told the graduates that when they go through life they should be leaders and remember where they came from as well as the values and obligation of being a Montanan.

"Tell your friends and your colleagues about Montana," Zinke said. "Tell them why you believe what you do and defend our legacy."

He added that, whatever their aspirations are, the graduates should know they can go further, something Zinke illustrated through his career in both elected office and government.

"If you would have told me that I would have been a congressman, a (state) senator and the secretary of the Interior I probably would have bought you a beer and we would have laughed," he said.

Zinke said he doesn't think he is better than anyone else but credited his advancement to hard work and really good friends.

Though they might not be the best at something, Zinke suggested, graduates should make sure they know who is and surround themselves with good people "because if you surround yourself with really good people, you are going to become one of those really good people."