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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Urges Harvard Grads To Build World Of 'Purpose'

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) — Facebook's CEO returned to Harvard Thursday, telling graduates that it is up to their generation to create a purpose for today's world, to care about others, to fight inequality and strengthen the global community. He is the youngest person to ever give the commencement address.

"Change starts local. Even global changes start small — with people like us," Mark Zuckerberg said after sharing anecdotes about graduates like David Razu Aznar, a former city leader who led the effort to legalize gay marriage in Mexico City, and Agnes Igoye, who grew up in conflict zones in Uganda and now trains law enforcement officers.

"And this is my story too. A student in a dorm room, connecting one community at a time, and keeping at it until one day we can connect the whole world," said the 33-year-old billionaire, who received an honorary doctorate degree on Thursday, 12 years after dropping out of Harvard to focus on Facebook.

Mark Zuckerberg Harvard
Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the commencement address at the Alumni Exercises at Harvard's 366th commencement exercises on May 25, 2017. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images)

Zuckerberg, who like the graduates is a millennial, started Facebook in his dorm room in 2004. What began as a closed networking site for Harvard students is now a global communications force with nearly 2 billion members.

Zuckerberg follows another famous Harvard dropout, Bill Gates, who spoke before its graduates a decade ago. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who dropped out of Reed College in Oregon, gave Stanford's commencement speech in 2005, reminding students to "stay hungry, stay foolish."

Besides launching Facebook, Zuckerberg also met his wife, Priscilla Chan, at Harvard. Chan went on to become a pediatrician. Together, the two formed the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropic organization focused on advancing science and education. They have also pledged to give away 99 percent of their massive wealth.

Graduate Emma Morse enjoyed the speech. "Very authentic and it was cool that he referenced Harvard and kind of his time here as well" she said.

Thomas Wheelen, another graduate, agreed. "It was a beautiful speech and I thought it was very poignant and very personal," he commented.

On Thursday, Zuckerberg received an honorary doctoral degree from the university, along with nine other people including the actress Judi Dench, the composer John Williams (known for "Star Wars," ''Harry Potter" and many other scores) and Somali human rights activist and physician Hawa Abdi Dhiblawe.

"If I get through this speech today it'll be the first time I actually finish something here at Harvard," Zuckerberg said. He did.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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