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
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