Good piece to remember for next time!
http://www.upworthy.com/this-is-what-happens-when-we-touch-objects-instead-of-people?c=ufb1

It's Time

Martin Luther King once said, “And now through our moral and ethical commitment we must make of it a brotherhood. We must all learn to live together as brothers - or we will all perish together as fools.” Hello Class of 2012, our time is finally here. College is an experience that only comes once in a lifetime. It’s the transition from being a teen to becoming an adult. It’s the place to find your inner self and grow as an individual.  When a person in a high school, its like an experiment to figuring yourself out, exploring a new environment and ultimately preparing you for the future. When you get to college, it’s putting that to the test. You’re put into reality and it is your decision to figure out what you want to do with your life.  

I experienced and encountered many things within my service learning class that I took this semester. I learned about issues and stories of individuals going through many struggles. Before taking this class, I did not know about many of these events and occurrences. I was also able to understand a community where many don’t have as many opportunities as others and are doing their best to keep themselves up. I learned what the meaning of connection and community meant and how they intertwine. The only way I was able to fully understand these concepts was through experiencing these communities and talking to individuals that have gone through or helped others deal with this. Experience is key.

Many people go through life not even realizing half of the things that occur in this world. They think the problems they deal with are the worst but they don’t even consider people who go through actual struggles trying to make sure they can afford a place to live or food to eat. We were all given an opportunity to do something with our lives. We have the chance to become what we were all working towards. It’s that time to face reality and be what you want to be. Congratulations Class of 2012.

higher education

to my graduating class of 2012, you have done what most people cannot do. you have gone for higher education, a right man has , but that he chooses to avoid. you are the next leaders of the worlds, the innovators, the designers, the creators. what you do from here on will determine the fate of man kind. you , with your experience can decided whether you want to help thy neighbor, or let him lay where he falls.

Not as a student of Dominican, but as a student of life. your goals and aspirations will guide what you do with your selves. but as a wise ethics teacher once said, what you do does affect others, you can save the life of one, or that of a thousand. you can help your self or you can help the world.

with your high education you now have the ability to decide. to decide how you want this world to be. to be a fine community where each person helps each other, or the kind where you fend for your self. do you want to take the way of discovery channel, educating and entertaining, or do you want to go the way of MTV telling people you can be successful in life by being a moron. you have obviously chosen the right path by going to school. but remember a wise man once said “Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!”

Keep the Memories Alive

Graduating Class of 2012, we finally made it!  From our first days here together, we began to learn new things, most of the academic things probably forgotten, but the memories we've made and the life lessons we've learned will always be remembered.  Think back to your first few weeks in college and what your life was like back then.

Now, think of any experiences that you have had throughout your college experience that have changed your life in some way.  For myself, I was able to volunteer at Bahia Vista throughout college for some of my classes and I learned just how much people, especially college students, are affected by technology and how that affects our connection with one another.  So the point of that is put your iPhones down, get off Facebook, and pay attention to my speech.  But really, look around you, at your friends and classmates.  How many of them do you really know?  I hope that during your college experiences, you were able to meet people and experience things that have changed your outlook in a positive way.

So take all of the memories and the friends that you have made and take them with you into the next chapter of your life.  Whether you're going to medical school, getting a job right away, travelling, or just relaxing, don't leave the good behind.  Take it with you and remain connected, not just through technology, but remember the importance of personal, real connection by meeting up with your friends and classmates and keeping your relationships alive.

Good luck graduating class of 2012.  I hope the best for all of you!

Proud to be a College Graduate

(I actually wrote this speech a few weeks ago as I was one of the candidates for Senior Class Speaker). 

Good morning esteemed trustees, faculty, staff, families, friends, and of course, to my fellow Seniors.  Today, we are going to be college graduates.  From the day I moved into Pennafort Hall my Freshmen year, I instantly looked forward to meeting my fellow classmates. I look out upon you all, and four years filled with eventful memories begin flooding back.  I start recalling Fanjeaux Student Union socials, club meetings, mass every Sunday with Father Bob, home games at Conlan and on the field, jazz concerts, dance recitals, and school dances.  I think it’s safe to say that the deer have walked most of us to class at least once in the past four years, or maybe even chased you if you weren’t so lucky. 

No matter how you got to Dominican, whether you entered as a Freshmen, transferred from another school, or decided to go back to school and applied under the Pathways program, you decided that this school was the precise choice to help foster your goals and aspirations.  During our time here, we have each, whether consciously or unknowingly, filled at least one of the four pillars of the school.  You have each earned the title of college graduate through these pillars.

Here’s a break down of what I mean exactly…

It is only at Dominican where study remains the core of the institution.  That’s the whole point of school right?  We memorize every single PowerPoint slide that our teachers posted up on Moodle hoping that it will all be on the upcoming exam worth 40% of your grade.  Well, Dominican takes it a step further with the small teacher to student ratio here.  We are awarded for our studies by forming special bonds with our teachers, and possibly job references for life.  If you were even luckier, your professor may have secured a job for you after receiving your diploma today.  Regardless of what your plans are after today, you have received and taken advantage of a well-rounded education, and you all worked diligently to receive a baccalaureate degree.  

It is only at Dominican where service is seen in many shapes and forms.  Some of you may have participated in a Service Learning class, traveled with Campus Ministry on an Alternative Spring Break trip, supported a cause sponsored by your academic department, or been a leader on the Ambassadors, ASDU, the Sienna Leadership Team, or PSAAC.  Your participation in these activities has made these respected organizations sustain and thrive.   Maybe some of you started your own community service club with your friends or academic department.   For those of you who have done this, know that your work has not gone unnoticed and that you have made an impact on Campus Life.  The service each of you has provided to this school is what makes Dominican, Dominican.  This institution saw to it that the service you partook in would enrich and give you a worldly perspective once you enter the real world.  Whichever one it is, each of you has represented Dominican proudly to our neighbors, Marin County, and the rest of society. 

It is only at Dominican where community actually means something.  Even if you leave here today not remembering the name of someone you always passed by on your way to class, the familiarity of their face reminds us that we are a close-knit community.  No one is a stranger once you enter the Dominican vortex.  Behind every research project that was assigned here, there was a professor, classmate, mentor, roommate, or friend cheering us along the way.  With any club sponsored bake sale outside of Caleruega Dining Hall, there was a student who would happily donate a dollar for a delicious treat, despite complaining how much their tuition is.  This is also the kind of place where you’re invited to dinner at President Marcy’s house one day, and administer her flu shot in the Nursing Assessment Lab the next, which I had the pleasure of doing so during the Fall Semester.  We may even see some of you Ambassadors moving on up in the Dominican work ladder as counselors recruiting new potential students.  Now, all these things are what I like to call keeping it in the family. 

It is only at Dominican where I can reflect happily about my time here.   This university has given each of us opportunities that we probably couldn’t get had we opted for a larger school.  What I have always admired about our class is that we are filled with go-getters.   I look forward to our class reunion, and re-meeting you all, whether you become a successful businessperson, a wonderful educator, a nurse in a magnet status hospital, an award-winning performer or world-renowned artist, a flourishing journalist or radio jockey, a researcher for a respected company like the Buck Institute, a traveling activist, or a Masters’ student enhancing your already multifaceted Dominican baccalaureate degree.  

Rapper Kanye West once proudly stated that he was a college dropout.  Well, no offense to Kanye, but today, we are outdoing him.

Dominican University of California, Senior Class of 2012,

we have all rightfully earned the titles of college graduates!

Final Goodbye

Hello, my name is Tiffany Phan and I'm honored to be selected to give your final speech before you all go off to your own journey and begin a new chapter. As I may ask for a brief moment where you guys can think of an experience back during your years in Dominican where it impacted you the most? Now ask yourself this, was it something that was out of the ordinary? No matter what your answer was, I know for a fact that it was something unexpected, where someone or yourself went out of the way to develop it. 

Communication to yourself and to the people around you is essential. To get connections, we must communicate, to develop knowledge, we must communicate with others, and then pass it on. It's just like a repetitive cycle over and over again. Now the question is, what do you do with that communication? Would you just tap the person's shoulder in front of you and share it, or would you go out and make a change of what you hear? Relatively to you, my graduating class of 2012, through the years at Dominican, and the knowledge and experiences that you gained, what will you do with it as you move forward ahead into the next chapter of your life? Nurses, are you going to fold your patient's beds just like you did in lab ten million times? Psychology majors, are you going to judge your patient's problem and what their implementation should be through the processes of what you learn in your classes? Dance majors, are you going to remember the four basic posture moves in ballet? What are you all going to do with the knowledge you gained? Will you just stop absorbing more than you already know? My advice, don't. The more you communicate to others, the more you will pass your knowledge and gain some new perspectives as well.

This is my small advice to you, Graduating class of 2012. I hope you all cherish your memories here at Dominican, and will prosper well into your new life. Thank you!

Commencement 2012: Making a DIfference from the Inside-Out

Growing up, we are all instilled with morals and values that we learn from a young age. Whether it be through family, inter-personal relationships, religion, or social institutions we gain a sense of self-concept that influences how we perceive ourselves and how we see the external environment. There is no same path that any one of us have travelled to get where we are today, yet it is true that we have all gone through the process of forming self-concept which are our internalized perceptions that is what makes us unique, and is also what makes us similar to others.

As we continue to progress in our lives, most of us hold strong to the values we’ve had ingrained in us. Our values are relatively stable over time and to some extent are resistant to change, yet there are some experiences in which we may question our morals and reform our vision of self-concept. This shift in self-concept has been something that has happened to me as a student of Dominican. You see, through my participation in service learning I’ve had the chance to connect with hidden communities in our society, listen to the voices of those who whisper within our community, and understand where they come from, and in doing so I have come to question my perceptions. I have learned that my previous interpretations of the external world in regards to these faceless communities have been somewhat ignorant to the fact that we must make our road towards the future by listening to the voices of the nameless, the invisible, and the title-less people in our community. I have become more aware of the fact that there is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about, and the reality is that, we should first care about each other above and before anything else. 

During your years at this institution, think of a time when you have also challenged your own self-perceptions. It’s something that ironically calls for your concentration to come away from your own sense of self, which is a challenge on its own, yet this way we can see the world for what it really is. Here at Dominican we have been led by leaders who have given us the tools to re-sculpt our self-concept, and in doing so we become the leaders of the future. Leaders who can show compassion and remorse for others, leaders who understand that wisdom is available in the people of our communities, and leaders who can ultimately contribute to the globalization of resilient communities.

Graduation marks a time of special transition for us as we come to acknowledge the past and seek to look forward to the future. We can finally rest assure knowing that the leap of faith we made to come here four years ago has paid off, and now we set foot into a wider unknown. Be confident in the tools you have to re-sculpt yourself in this timeless world and congratulations for making it here today!

-- Taki