ANAHEIM (CelebrityAccess) Manager Jim Guerinot, who shepherded Orange County acts like The Offspring, Social Distortion and No Doubt, gave the commencement speech for the graduation ceremony at his alma mater, UC Irvine, in California June 14.

Guerinot earned his B.A. in English at UCI in 1985, nine years after dropping out of high school. Guerinot talked about his travels from UCI to A&M to passing on being the youngest president of Universal Records and the formation of his Rebel Waltz.

Guerinot, currently managing Robbie Robertson among others, was the longtime manager of Nine Inch Nails until the two parted ways in 2013, and he managed Gwen Stefani after the breakup of No Doubt. He is also known for NIN’s practice of discouraging secondary ticket selling with the simple effort of having ticket holders be walked into the building before they can resell their tickets out front.

Guerinot went to Fullerton College then became UCI’s concert commissioner, booking shows at Crawford Hall and the Sound Stage with bands like The Cure, Oingo Boingo and Red Hot Chili Peppers. He’s taught music history classes at schools – from elementary to high schools – around Orange County.

The message is simple and universal: there will be stumbles and tests along the path of life, but don’t give up.