Good morning and hello to the proud parents, distinguished faculty, staff, mentors, and friends. Thank you all so much for joining me and my fellow graduates on this very special occasion.
I believe that today is made even more special for the Class of 2024 since, as you can see from the little masks on our tassels, we had a rather unique start to our college journeys. Most of us graduated high school in 2020 without experiencing the kind of graduation that we are experiencing today.
When we started college, we had no idea what it would look like. Many of us, myself included, did a good chunk of our first year completely over Zoom. This is what makes today special. So, congratulations to us, the Class of 2024, the “Covid Class” – despite everything, we made it!
I would like to divide the rest of my speech into three observations that I have made during my time at Denison that I believe we can all relate to.
My first observation is about the variety and richness of perspectives that I have encountered at Denison which is unparalleled to anything I have ever experienced in my life.
I have learned from the creativity of art majors in science classes. I have appreciated every time a fellow international student has shared a part of their culture with me. I have felt your passion at every Involvement Fair where you explain, again and again, the mission and purpose of your clubs and organizations – joined under the umbrella of wanting to make Denison a welcoming place for everyone. I have read your articles as you tirelessly work to make the world a more just place and I have watched your talent in awe during the many exhibitions and performances.
What I have said doesn’t even begin to cover what each and every member of the Class of 2024 has to contribute. I hope to have shown that Denison is anything but a place that you come to just study. It is this knowledge, gained from being around such richness in perspective, that makes us autonomous thinkers and discerning moral agents. It is this diversity in thought that allows us to appreciate what it means to live in a democratic society. And most importantly, it is the things that we learn from each other, every day, that captures the essence of being in a liberal arts institution.
My second observation is about the perseverance that the Class of 2024 has shown. Think back to August 2020. We were the first class to start college during the pandemic. Never once did we let that fact deter us from making the absolute best out of our college experience. Even when we weren’t allowed to socialize inside our rooms, we took walks outside as a way of making new friends. Even though most of us had been quarantined for months, we were brave enough to strike up conversations with strangers at classes and during lunch.
We made friends that turned into family at a time when socializing came with a list of caveats. We adapted to technology as it was being generated. We got vaccinated at a time when there was so much misinformation being spread.
To quote Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Now to misquote him, it was the age of 8 a.m. Zoom classes, it was the age of masked smiles. It was the epoch of social distancing, it was the epoch of eating behind plexiglass at Curtis. It was the season of virtual hugs, it was the season of online friendships. Most importantly, it was a winter of despair that we, as a class, created into the spring of hope that we find ourselves in today.
My third and final observation is that each and every one of us is ready for whatever life has to offer as we leave The Hill today. When we were first starting at Denison, we were full of uncertainty and excitement. I bet those are the same emotions swirling around within us today. I am sure there will be many different phases in each of our lives where we will find ourselves on the precipice of such change and experiencing these same emotions. However, remember the perseverance that I spoke about a few minutes ago? That is a part of us.
The resilience with which we have approached our time here at Denison is something that will forever stay with us as we navigate the challenges and opportunities that come our way. Moreover, each new phase of our life will lay down another layer to our foundation that we will continue to build upon.
So today, as we move on to the next phase of our lives, I hope that we leave with the comfort that we have the knowledge of the past and the agency of the present to inform the choices that we make in the future.
I would like to end on a personal note. It was 8 p.m. in Kolkata, India, and I was about to enter my first-ever college class. It was a hybrid communication class called Rhetoric and the Common Good. However, except for me and another girl from Vietnam, everyone else was in person. As Dr. Jeffrey Kurtz admitted me into the meeting, I found myself projected on a screen, halfway across the world, in the middle of Ohio. That day, even though I was in the physical comfort of my childhood bedroom, I found myself more out of place than ever before. Four years later, as I humbly stand before you all today, I can confidently say that I have never felt more at home.
Thank you and congratulations.
