(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!
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