"Keep your eyes on something bigger and better than you," he said. "You want to be able to leave a legacy," he added later.
Leaving such a legacy means honoring one's goals in the community while spending time with one's family, West said.
West also spoke of the need to support the larger community. He said he hoped to attend the Million Man March, scheduled by black leaders in Washington, D.C. this fall.
He said he will attend in hope of fostering a sense of community and does not agree with the divisive views of some organizers.
In the final words of his speech, West indicated to students that in whichever vocation each pursues, there is "no guarantee."
"We might fail...[but] we can leave it just a little bit better than we found it," he said