One of the things that I say to every 乐播传媒 student I meet is that, whatever it takes, know yourself and know yourself well.

Engage in the critical self-reflection that鈥檚 necessary to really know who you are, who you鈥檝e been, and who you want to be. So often we go through the motions of life not thinking about what exactly we鈥檙e doing and why exactly we鈥檙e doing it. And then we wonder why we feel unfulfilled.

Life is hard enough 鈥� why live it with less intention, meaning, and purpose than we have to? It can be difficult to look inward and think deeply about our whys. Sometimes it鈥檚 because we鈥檝e never done it so we don鈥檛 know how, sometimes it鈥檚 because we鈥檙e worried about what we鈥檒l find or not find. And yet, it鈥檚 through knowing the whys that we find clarity, direction, and focus.

As you reflect on your own lives and next steps, and because you don鈥檛 all know me yet, I thought I鈥檇 share a few thoughts and confessions that you may find helpful 鈥� or at the very least sufficiently amusing. I hope you鈥檒l get a sense of my whys as well as who I am, who I鈥檝e been, and who I want to be.

You may (and probably should) ask for advice and guidance from others, but you should always be the final arbiter of your own destiny.

To start, I鈥檒l confess that I鈥檝e always wanted a tattoo. Of course, my pain threshold is pretty much non-existent, so it still hasn鈥檛 happened yet. But I鈥檓 only 42, so there鈥檚 still plenty of time, right? Specifically, I鈥檝e always wanted a tattoo of a compass, on the back of my neck, with the needle pointing upward. It鈥檚 because I know that I am my own true north 鈥� and you are yours.

You may (and probably should) ask for advice and guidance from others, but you should always be the final arbiter of your own destiny. As soon as you relinquish your decision-making power, you take a back seat to what could be an amazing journey of your own design. Even if you run into challenges along the way, don鈥檛 let anyone else take the steering wheel. All of the bumps and detours 鈥� they will test you. How you respond to them and what choices you make ultimately contribute to a narrative, a story, a life that’s truly yours.

If I listened to everyone鈥檚 鈥淵ou must do this鈥� or 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 do that鈥� 鈥� I鈥檓 not sure I鈥檇 feel quite as empowered as I do at this point in my life.

I鈥檒l confess that I don鈥檛 know how to drive, so I really should avoid all car and road references since I honestly have no idea what I鈥檓 talking about. I used to have the line: 鈥淚鈥檓 so excited to learn how to drive in Maine鈥� in my bio. Six months ago, I specifically asked my colleague Sheila to remove that line. At some point during the pandemic, I decided that I simply don鈥檛 care enough. I鈥檓 a free and independent spirit 鈥� a Sagittarius born in the year of the horse 鈥� so not knowing how to drive has definitely limited how far I鈥檝e been able to go. 

However, I鈥檝e been able to see more of the world without a license than most would ever think possible. More importantly, I have other things that I鈥檇 rather do with my time. As this crazy and intense year has shown us, you never know what life will bring, so you need to figure out what your priorities are, separate from what everyone else has to say. If I listened to everyone鈥檚 鈥淵ou must do this鈥� or 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 do that鈥� 鈥� I鈥檓 not sure I鈥檇 feel quite as empowered as I do at this point in my life. For now, my priorities are: finding community, building relationships, and making friends. And y鈥檏now what? They all have cars!

I鈥檒l confess that I鈥檝e always been afraid of public speaking. I literally cried when I had to memorize two lines for my fifth-grade play 鈥� a play that neither I nor my classmates nor our parents remember the title of three decades later. In school, I hated getting randomly called on in class. At work, I hated making presentations, especially to strangers. I either talked way too fast, jumbled my words, or sounded like a robot. Or some combination of all three.

Unlike driving, though, public speaking is something I鈥檝e always wanted to get better at. I mean, it literally shows up in every aspect of my personal and professional life. And if I鈥檓 being completely honest, I know that 1) I have a dramatic streak and 2) I鈥檓 a bit of a ham.

When something matters enough, you鈥檒l do what you need to. And even if it鈥檚 not always the best show, try to make it your best effort.

So I took a deep breath and then a deep dive straight into the fear. While I was in grad school, I became a fitness instructor, because what could be more terrifying than having 30 people staring at you, in a wall of mirrors, for 60 minutes? On one occasion, I completely crashed and burned on a routine. No one knew what was going on 鈥� including me. It was an epic fail, but no one got injured (thankfully) and the entire class was really supportive. And despite the embarrassment, even I couldn鈥檛 help laughing about it. 

When I worked at Penn, I signed up for Acting 101. We could take one class for free every semester and this was the motivation I needed. I still remember the shock 鈥� and thrill 鈥� of being able to memorize 10 whole minutes of dialogue with my scene partner Adriana, a junior who was incredibly patient whenever she sensed my anxiety level rising. I can鈥檛 say public speaking has gotten that much easier over time, but I鈥檒l own all of the progress I鈥檝e made since that fifth-grade play. When something matters enough, you鈥檒l do what you need to. And even if it鈥檚 not always the best show, try to make it your best effort.

I鈥檒l confess that I hate grass. Especially live grass. With bugs. I grew up in the urban jungle of New York City, where I spent more time on concrete pavement than dirt roads. My family was poor, so I never had the chance to go to sleepaway camp or get exposed to nature in a way that was deeply impactful. So it meant a lot to be able to go away to Dartmouth for college. I couldn鈥檛 wait to escape the noise and pollution of the big city for the fresh air and mountains of New Hampshire. I also love snow, so I was always so excited for the first snowfall of the year. Of course, when the snow melts and spring arrives, the grass comes out. 

You may have people who dismiss you for your quirks and idiosyncrasies, but the ones who love you are the ones who鈥檒l allow you to be who you are and make space for your strange and special qualities.

So when I say I hate grass, I really mean it. I hate walking in it. I hate sitting in it. I don鈥檛 even like the smell of it. One spring, my best friend, Derek, really wanted me to watch him play ultimate frisbee on the green. Of course, I immediately said no. And he knew exactly why. It鈥檚 not like he鈥檇 never teased me about it, but he certainly never made me feel bad about it either.

So what did he do? He found the biggest blanket he could find. In my fuzzy memory, it seemed as big as a 10-foot square. He laid it out on the grass and had me sit right in the middle of it. Just me in a sea of blanket. You may have people who dismiss you for your quirks and idiosyncrasies, but the ones who love you are the ones who鈥檒l allow you to be who you are and make space for your strange and special qualities. No strings attached.

I鈥檒l confess that I love shooting. Ever since I met my first-year hallmate Doug, who shot and hunted regularly with his family in Montana, I鈥檇 really wanted to try it. Of course, it鈥檚 not something everyone wants to do and back then I wasn鈥檛 sure about doing it on my own 鈥� I mean, it鈥檚 not really a city girl hobby. So when I visited my friend Victor from grad school at home in Texas, he made sure the local shooting range was on my itinerary.

Like Doug, he鈥檇 also grown up shooting, so he was comfortable showing me the ropes. Despite being petite and lightweight myself, to everyone鈥檚 surprise, I preferred shooting the .45 鈥� a higher-caliber gun 鈥� where I could feel the weight and recoil more intensely. I also hit the bullseye multiple times from 100 yards away. 

For a long time, I used to ascribe that to beginner鈥檚 luck, but after shooting more regularly, I realized that I鈥檓 pretty good. It鈥檚 because I鈥檓 careful, and focused, and committed. Over the last six years, I鈥檝e taken group classes, gotten private lessons, and worked on my accuracy and precision. During the pandemic, I even got the chance to shoot a rifle, which had been on my to-do list for some time. 

For me, being able to shoot isn鈥檛 about causing harm or inflicting pain. It is however about flipping the script on who I can be and what I can do.

Let鈥檚 be clear. As a 5-foot-2-inch Asian woman, I navigate a multitude 鈥� a multitude 鈥� of gender and racial stereotypes every single day 鈥� ones that constantly frame me as quiet, passive, and weak. And whether the world admits it or not, these stereotypes exist, and they persist, and they continue to impact how others experience me and how I experience them. And because I don鈥檛 subscribe to all of the assumptions, presumptions, and norms applied to me, I simply want everyone to know that I鈥檓 a boss. For me, being able to shoot isn鈥檛 about causing harm or inflicting pain. It is however about flipping the script on who I can be and what I can do. Whenever I have the chance, I make it a point to challenge the expectations of the world. I strive to be and do more because I know that I can.

I鈥檒l confess that I鈥檓 terrible at poker 鈥� and anything that requires deception. I wear all of my emotions on my face 鈥� from delight to disdain, from glee to gloom. I can鈥檛 bluff, I can鈥檛 lie, and if you deserve it, I definitely won鈥檛 hesitate to give you side-eye. Whether I鈥檓 extremely excited or deeply disappointed, I don鈥檛 want to hide it. At the end of the day, authenticity is my deepest of values, and all I ever want is to be wholly me. I want to say what I鈥檓 thinking and what I鈥檓 feeling. I don鈥檛 ever want people to wonder what鈥檚 on my mind.

You have to accept your voice for what it is and what it can do. Embrace it, own it, and use it 鈥� hopefully to make the world a better place.

Of course, that hasn鈥檛 always won me favors, or friends, or followers. Not everyone wants to hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth, especially when it鈥檚 criticism. You can always work on your diction and framing, your timing and tone. At some point though, you have to be comfortable with your voice and saying what you need to say. You may not always get the response you want and you have to figure out how to navigate that possibility, but you have to accept your voice for what it is and what it can do. Embrace it, own it, and use it 鈥� hopefully to make the world a better place.

I hope these confessions have helped you get to know me a little bit better and what I care about. I share them with you earnestly because I want you to be comfortable embracing all of the ways that you鈥檝e grown, all of the ways that you鈥檙e still growing, all of your strange and special qualities, and all of the people who love you for them.

As I like to say, there鈥檚 nothing between the lines 鈥� what you see is what you get. But if a summary would be helpful, here鈥檚 what I hope you heard:

• Believe in yourself and write your own story. There鈥檚 only one author.
• Set your own priorities. Do what you want. Achieve what you want.
• Embrace your fears and become a better version of yourself in the process.
• Find people who love you just the way you are. Keep them around.
• Be fierce and exceed the expectations the world has for you.
• You have one life, one truth, and one voice. Do good with them.

I鈥檓 so excited for what the future will bring you as you find your meaning, your purpose, and your pathway. I hope that you鈥檒l keep us updated as you imprint yourselves on the minds and hearts of those who have the honor of meeting and knowing you.

Cheers to your success in the world!

Each year, the graduating class at 乐播传媒 elects a member of the faculty or staff to speak at Baccalaureate, held the day before graduation.

This year’s speaker was Francisco “Franky” Urueta, a member of the college’s Facility Services staff.

Well-known at 乐播传媒, Urueta is a custodian who works the late-evening shift in one of 乐播传媒’ busiest academic buildings, Pettengill Hall, where he always makes time to greet students with a kind word and his signature fist bumps.

Video by Theophil Syslo

As Multifaith Chaplain Brittany Longsdorf said in her introduction at Baccalaureate, Urueta is “living proof that the smallest kind gesture can transform someone’s day, someone’s entire college experience, and someone’s life.”

An Apache Native American, Urueta used his address to talk about his path from California to Maine, and he urged the seniors “to give positive energy to people” so that “they give you positive energy back.”

Baccalaureate Address by Franky Urueta on May 25, 2019

I am so honored to be asked to speak to y鈥檃ll today.

But, to be honest, I鈥檓 kind of an ironic choice for a college graduation speech. Yes, I study higher education 鈥� or, what鈥檚 known by researchers as 鈥渃ollege access and success.鈥� But my own college experience felt like anything but 鈥渟uccess.鈥�

I attended a school much like yours: It is a small, selective, private liberal arts college in northern New England. I arrived with high hopes; college, after all, is supposed to be a one-way ticket to adulthood, to a good job, to happiness and security and meaning. For me, though, it was none of those things.

My first year was tough. I was far from home and miserably homesick, yet I knew I couldn鈥檛 go back. I hated my own pre-orientation wilderness trip. It seemed like everyone else already knew one another, and four days without a shower was about three days too many. Campus wasn鈥檛 much better. Two feet of dirty laundry covered our dorm room floor, and it was often hard to find someone to sit with at dinner. I spent my time studying for biology tests that I鈥檇 go on to fail and trying to find a sport I was good at or a club I enjoyed. By the end of my first year, the only thing I knew for certain was that I would not be pre-med.

The more time I spent in college, the bigger and more complicated the world seemed to grow.

Over the next three years, I wandered from major to major; I landed in psychology only because I ran out of time to drop it and move on to something else. My jobs and extracurricular pursuits were just as varied; I sold fruit at a farmstand, I did snake demos for a local museum, I took a drawing class. The more time I spent in college, the bigger and more complicated the world seemed to grow鈥攁nd the less sure I was about my place in it.

Associate Professor of Education Mara Tieken, who delivered the 2018 Baccalaureate Address, teaches her Short Term course, “Community Organizing for Social Justice,” on May 9, 2018. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Junior year, after more than a few anxious phone calls from my parents, I identified something of a career path. I would get my teaching certificate, and I would spend my senior year doing my teaching practicum at a local school. This came as a complete shock to my family: I hated public speaking, my own K-12 experience wasn鈥檛 the happiest, and my dad was still holding out for engineering. But after taking one education course, it seemed to me as if a life in education would be interesting and urgent and necessary 鈥� and, besides, I just needed a plan.

How was it that my college classmates and I could have so much while my students could have so little?

I began my practicum teaching in a poor rural community about 45 minutes from campus. I quickly discovered that while my fifth-graders were smart, hardworking, and deserving, there are winners and losers in the struggle for educational resources, and somehow, they were on the losing end.

And I, it turned out, was making out pretty well. So while my fifth-graders often came to school hungry, back on campus I had five dining halls where I could eat as much as I wanted. While this elementary school couldn鈥檛 afford computers in its classrooms, back on campus there were more computers than students, all with free printing and free software and free maintenance. While the school鈥檚 PTO would hold bake sales to purchase more books, back on campus I had access to a nine-story library, well-known for its ample collection and for the privacy and seclusion of its many aisles, which students often used for pursuits more recreational than academic.

How was it, I wondered, that my college classmates and I could have so much 鈥� more, in fact, than we would ever need 鈥� while my students could have so little? How was it that this college had so many books and supplies and staff and buildings, while this tiny rural school couldn鈥檛 give all of its students pencils? It鈥檚 not like they鈥檇 get the opportunity for this kind of college education later; without basic resources, my students would not have the academic preparation they鈥檇 need to get them to college. This wasn鈥檛 fair 鈥� and I was going to do something about it. I was going to be a teacher.

By the time I was sitting where you are today, I had a major I knew I wouldn鈥檛 use.

But the problem was, I was a pretty bad teacher. Perhaps this was most clear on my first day of teaching alone, without the assistance of my mentor teacher. The day ended when my math lesson dissolved into student-led rebellion, counting blocks began flying across the classroom, a student went missing, and someone called the principal.

Associate Professor of Education Mara Tieken observes as students in her Short Term course, “Community Organizing for Social Justice,” break into small discussion groups. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

We found the missing student handcuffed to a tree outside 鈥� it鈥檚 still not clear to me why he had handcuffs, but apparently he would rather chain himself to a tree than suffer another minute in my classroom. Teaching was hard, it turned out, and just because I liked kids and went to a good college and wanted to teach didn鈥檛 mean I was any good at it. I had a lot more to learn.

So, by the time I was sitting where you are today, I had a major I knew I wouldn鈥檛 use. I had an understanding that the field that I wanted to go into 鈥� education 鈥� had some major inequalities. I had remarkably few ideas for what to do about those inequalities. And I had a growing fear that my teaching could actually make things worse. In short, I would leave college with more questions, more doubt, and more uncertainty than I had when I arrived.

But maybe none of this rings true for you. You are, after all, the 乐播传媒 Class of 2018, and, after spending four years with you, I know that you are a talented, brilliant group. You have many reasons to be proud.

You entered 乐播传媒 in the fall of 2014. You trickled in: some arrived early for team training and long hours in the weight room, others came for AESOP and days of mountains and kayaks and campfires. Finally, you were all here on campus, spending your first night together. September was a blur: dinners with your JAs, the scramble for classes, the occasional less-than-informed conversation about your common read, The Remedy.

You survived your first winter, with its apocalyptic snows, and you witnessed your first Puddle Jump, questioning, perhaps, the good sense of 乐播传媒鈥� older students. After a beautiful Short Term and a blur of a summer, you were back again, and now you were thinking about a major and maybe getting settled into a club or a campus job or fieldwork in Lewiston. And then it was junior year, and many of you were gone 鈥� scattered in universities and communities across the globe 鈥� and others stayed on campus, digging deeper into interests and commitments right here, at a place that was, maybe, starting to feel a bit like home.

Associate Professor of Education Mara Tieken, who delivered the 2018 Baccalaureate Address, teaches her Short Term course, “Community Organizing for Social Justice” on May 9, 2018. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

And then, suddenly, it was senior year, a year of projects and capstones and long hours in the library, in the lab, in the field. Time with friends and classmates felt a bit sweeter, maybe a little more precious, because now, it was clear, this time was limited. You knew that soon, you鈥檇 be sitting right here.

Maybe my story 鈥� my college experience of questioning, of floundering, of indecision 鈥� rings true.

Now you have four years of memories. You鈥檒l remember binding your thesis and practicing for Sankofa and climbing Mount David to watch the sunrise. You鈥檒l remember paint parties on the Library Quad and late nights in the Den during finals week and the hammocks that hang like cocoons across campus on the first warm day. And you鈥檒l remember people: classmates and professors, deans and teammates, Commons staff and friends.

And maybe your 乐播传媒 experience is just this neat, filled only with these kinds of memories and, of course, your many, many accomplishments; that list truly was impressive.

Or, maybe my story 鈥� my college experience of questioning, of floundering, of indecision 鈥� rings true, at least in part. I鈥檝e heard about a few tests that were failed, classes that were slept through, deadlines that were missed. Maybe you didn鈥檛 get the part, or you were cut from the team. Maybe you, too, jumped from major to major, and your transcript now shows no discernible pattern of anything. Maybe you鈥檙e still questioning what you want to do; maybe there is no post-graduation plan. Maybe you鈥檙e feeling a little caught between places right now, no longer so sure where 鈥渉ome鈥� is. Maybe college was a bit harder and more uncomfortable than everyone makes it out to be.

Seventeen years ago, I was right where you are today, perched on the eve of graduation, trying to make sense of college. I didn鈥檛 understand it then, and, even now, as someone who studies higher education, I still don鈥檛 fully understand college, our complicated experiences of it, and the benefits and costs it carries. And, if the many, many, many weeks it took me to write these words is any indication, I really don鈥檛 get it.

This skill 鈥� the ability to live with uncertainty 鈥� has served me better than any other skill I developed in college.

But I do know this.

During college, I learned how to make mistakes. I learned how to listen, and I learned how to learn from others, including the handcuff kid 鈥� Cody 鈥� who taught me how to be a more responsive, more aware, more caring teacher. I learned how to love questions, how to know what I didn鈥檛 know, how to ask for help, how to live with uncertainty. And it is this skill 鈥� the ability to live with uncertainty 鈥� that has served me better than any other skill I developed in college. Because the uncertainties keep on coming. They come as you try to build a home and a family and a community, they come as you try to support yourself and those you love, they come as you try to figure out your values and how to live them.

And here鈥檚 the other thing I learned: I learned that an elite college education 鈥� even one that was sometimes uncomfortable and spotted with failure 鈥� is an extraordinary privilege. It brings resources and opportunities: books, computers, labs, travel. It confers long-term advantages: better jobs, higher salaries, better health, improved civic engagement. And it means benefits it probably shouldn鈥檛: I was hired into my first teaching position without an interview, solely on the college name at the top of my transcript. This is what privilege looks like.

You are members of an elite group. For every 100 ninth-graders, only 20 will graduate on time and earn a bachelor’s degree within six years鈥� time, and only the smallest fraction of these degrees will be from highly selective schools.

And this college pipeline is raced, classed, and placed in all sorts of ways: students of color, poor students, and rural students are much less likely to enjoy these opportunities than white students, wealthier students, and suburban and urban students.

I think that we talk about college all wrong.

We live in a very unequal world, and I was reminded of this every day of my teaching practicum and every day of teaching since then. A relative few have access to the kind of educational opportunity that you and I lucked into, and so this privilege brings with it responsibility…and, for me, this meant a responsibility to ensure that my students have the same kind of opportunities I had.

I think that we talk about college all wrong. We suggest that college is about certainty, about answers, about figuring it all out. We suggest that, tomorrow, you will step off that stage into adulthood, a fully formed, confident, knowledgeable adult.

That鈥檚 a lie. College is more about questions than answers, more about confusion than certainty, more about the mistakes than the successes. And, honestly, things don鈥檛 get much clearer after college; we鈥檙e all just muddling through, trying to figure things out, learning as we go. But, hopefully, 乐播传媒 prepared you well for this. We taught you to chase the questions and run headlong into challenge, and you have 鈥� in the studio, in the lab, in the community.

Just because you don鈥檛 have it all figured out doesn鈥檛 let you off the hook.

So don鈥檛 worry too much if you haven鈥檛 found the right job, figured out the next step, or decided what you want to be when you grow up 鈥� and, if you think you have, be ready to change your mind. If you do what you鈥檝e been doing 鈥� staying curious, exploring, asking questions 鈥� you鈥檒l be fine. Your education is not finished.

But just because you don鈥檛 have it all figured out doesn鈥檛 let you off the hook; you have a responsibility. Because here鈥檚 the other problem with how we talk about college. We talk about it as if it鈥檚 an individual commodity, a resource for you, and you alone, to use and to enjoy. But education is a public good 鈥� a society鈥檚 obligation and a society鈥檚 resource. And you, too, are the recipient of an extraordinary amount of educational privilege. No matter your path to 乐播传媒, you are now one of the lucky winners of the educational lottery 鈥� and so you have a responsibility to use this privilege not just for yourself, but for others, too.

Some of you are well-aware of this privilege, and you鈥檝e already been struggling with how to think about it and what to do with it; for others, this awareness is new.

And I can鈥檛 tell you how to use this privilege or what, for you, this responsibility will mean. That鈥檚 your question 鈥� your uncertainty 鈥� to wrestle with. And I know you will; you鈥檝e already started.

So yes, college brings complexity and responsibility, questions and commitments. And that is exactly why it is such fantastic preparation for the rest of life.

Thank you. Class of 2018, I will miss you.

All you need is love, said the Beatles. But, as the Bee Gees noted, no one gets too much love anymore. Which brings us to the college’s annual Baccalaureate service, held the day before Commencement, this year on May 27.

Both a service of gratitude 鈥� for relationships, for learning, and for transformation 鈥� and a service of reflection, Baccalaureate is, at its heart, also an expression of love and community among students and families.

Here are 13 quotes about love and community, explicit and implicit, from the service.

1. ‘That we may carry with us forevermore’

“We collectively ask that these brilliant students, deeply rooted in 乐播传媒 mission and experiences, be blessed with irrational joy, lasting friendships, purposeful work, and continual curiosity as they blossom and flourish in the years to come. May we all find in this celebration of art and word and reflection a moment of transcendent connection that we may carry with us forevermore. Shalom. Salaam. Amen. May it Be So.” 鈥� The Rev. Brittany Longsdorf, Multifaith Chaplain, Invocation

Seniors cheer at Baccalaureate on May 27. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

2. ‘Enduring truths we must keep close’

“As 乐播传媒 students, we need not look any further than our college鈥檚 mission statement for those enduring truths we must keep close. We can be, and indeed must be, transformed by our differences, civically engaged, lifelong learners, and stewards of the wider world away from this place, not just while we are here.” 鈥� Jamo Karsten ’17, Affirmation of 乐播传媒 College Values

3. ‘My love for the sofas at 乐播传媒’

“It鈥檚 not surprising that when I mention my love for the sofas at 乐播传媒 that I get the weirdest looks. I mean, it鈥檚 a weird thing to talk about. No one ever says, ‘Gosh! College was the best four years of my life. The sofas were the hallmark.’

“On the surface, these simple pieces of furniture seem to be commonplace, but to me they represent the wonderful memories that I have come to hold so dear to my heart. They represent the insanely supportive and loving community that I have worked to build for myself. Knowing that it won鈥檛 be as readily available as sitting down and waiting for people to join me on a sofa makes it hard to say goodbye.” 鈥� Brennen Malone ’17, Moments from Our Years at 乐播传媒

4. ‘Taking a minute to move polepole’

“Ten minutes after I arrived in the Kilimanjaro airport, I learned my first Kiswahili phrase: polepole, meaning ‘slowly, slowly.’…There is a picnic table at 乐播传媒 I sit on sometimes, watching classmates and friends rushing to their next class, hurrying to finish their last paper or beginning their second workout of the day. Much of the time, I have been doing these things as well; however, I have been thankful when I get a chance to sit on the picnic table, connecting with old friends and taking a minute to move polepole.” 鈥� Amy Katz ’17, Moments from Our Years at 乐播传媒

The seniors process and recess through an arch adorned with prayers, poems, and blessings offered by family members. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

5. ‘It’s gametime’

8 p.m., Garcelon Field, opening day for the 乐播传媒 men鈥檚 soccer team.
The first day of classes is tomorrow.
Yet, none of this is distracting my team and me with the task at hand.
I can feel the butterflies kicking in.
The excitement is almost uncontainable.
The ref blows the whistle, the first ball is kicked.
Finally the time has come.
It’s gametime.

鈥� Luke McNabb ’17, Moments from Our Years at 乐播传媒

6. ‘Friends who are eager to cheer you on’

“I can鈥檛 think of many other communities where I could approach people I barely know, ask them to run a lot while not sleeping, and get, not hasty rejections, but genuine and enthusiastic yeses….

“It’s now 2 a.m., we鈥檙e 19 hours and 140 miles into the relay, and we鈥檙e dancing in the middle of a highway in New Hampshire. Nate Dana is running his longest stretch of the race, and we鈥檙e waiting for him to run past us so we can cheer him on. It鈥檚 a clear night and the stars are shining. Nate鈥檚 headlamp can just be seen down the road. To me, this has been my 乐播传媒 experience: meeting and making new friends who are eager and ready to cheer you on.” 鈥� Celine Pichette ’17, Moments from Our Years at 乐播传媒, describing organizing a team to run a 24-hour Ragnar Relay from Bretton Woods to Hampton Beach, N.H.

7. ‘Have loved and held each one of us’

“For years, [our parents and guardians] have loved and held each one of us. They have aided us in our journey of finding our sense of person and in navigating the world in all its complexity and contradiction. When we leave the shelter of 乐播传媒, the presences of all who have loved and taught us will prevail to guide us.” 鈥� Denali Nalamalapu ’17, Introduction to Parent and Guardian Reflection

8. ‘Inspired for a lifetime’

“Most importantly, I could sense that 乐播传媒 had further imprinted on them the skills to learn, love, and be inspired for a lifetime. The 乐播传媒 narrative is inextricably part of their narratives. 聽The skills cultivated here are the skills for a lifetime.” 鈥� Deborah Weatherbee ’76, P’17, Parent and Guardian Reflection, on behalf of fellow parents and guardians

9. ‘Growth, change, and movement’

“The breadth of human experience, the freedom to learn, and the depth of discourse available at 乐播传媒 have helped my daughter to mature as a quiet scholar.” 鈥� Usha Reddi P’17, Parent and Guardian Reflection

Seniors reach out to one another during Baccalaureate on May 27. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

10. ‘We love you always!’

“I look at you and your fellow graduates with hope for our future. Hope that you will go forth and effect change. Hope that you do good and leave this world better than the world you inherit. Hope that you lead by examples of kindness and empathy, courage and conviction. Support each other. Make your marks. Be strong. Be committed. We love you always!”聽 鈥� Adrienne Reedy P’17, Parent and Guardian Reflection, on behalf of fellow parents and guardians

11. ‘We must be genuine’

“To summon further understanding, we must be genuine and hope that others know we are 鈥� and hope that they are, too. And abide by what we all have come to know in life: You can鈥檛 judge a book by its cover, or a student by where they are from, or a person by their appearance. We know this, especially at 乐播传媒.” 鈥� James Reese, Associate Dean for International Student Programs聽 Baccalaureate Address

12. ‘Let us teach by being ourselves teachable’

“Take heed, dear Friends, to the promptings of love and truth in your hearts. Seek to live in affection as true Friends in your communities, in your families, in all your dealings with others, and in your relationship with outward society. The power of God is not used to compel us to Truth; therefore, let us renounce for ourselves the power of any person over any other and, compelling no one, seek to lead others to Truth through love. Let us teach by being ourselves teachable.” 鈥� Alex Ulin ’17, Interfaith Blessing (Quaker), joined by Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, and in tribute to Buddhism

13. ‘As fast as I can’

My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand,
I’ll be there on the double
As fast as I can.

鈥� The Senior Band, performing 鈥淎in’t No Mountain High Enough,鈥� by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson

Connections among generations of 乐播传媒 people have strong presence here. And that鈥檚 what we will talk about today 鈥� about the 鈥淩ivers and Roads鈥� connecting us, as the senior a cappella voices have just sung.

For four years, you have lived in a place of much history and meaning. Much of that comes from the place where you are, quite literally. Scan the Quad from the Gomes Chapel to Parker, Hathorn, Coram, and Carnegie. Where you sit right now 鈥� and where you will graduate tomorrow 鈥� carries great meaning.

Here on this step, I talked to a grad who was passing by. She recalled how her father wanted her to go to a great school to match her talents. So while she was at the Admission Office for her interview, her father found his way to the 乐播传媒 steam plant 鈥� his profession at another college 鈥� and talked to the employees there. He did this at every school she visited.

When she nervously encountered him after her interview, she was relieved and thrilled to hear him say, 鈥淵ou can go here.鈥� He had learned, he told her, that the students 鈥渟ay hello to everyone and treat the staff with respect. It鈥檚 OK for you to apply here.鈥� That鈥檚 the story she tells about 乐播传媒. Her mother, also excited to have returned to campus, was standing with us as she told me. It was a powerful moment, and it happened right here.

Associate Dean James Reese delivers the Baccalaureate address on May 27. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

You sit facing Coram, where plays were conducted on this platform in the 1920s and 1930s framed by the building鈥檚 features designed with performances in mind. One graduate in the Class of 1936, Owen Dodson, was known as a great student director, as several of you are.

He went on to become the celebrated chair of the Howard University drama department, and he was anthologized in many works for his plays and poetry. We now know that renowned author Toni Morrison considered him a primary mentor. He walked this Quad and directed on this stage, and we wonder if inspirations from this place went on to become conversations that he and Morrison shared.

The entry for Owen Dodson ’36 in the 1936 Mirror.

Benjamin Mays, Class of 1920, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had such a close connection that they agreed that whoever passed away first, the other would deliver the eulogy. Sadly, it came to be that Dr. Mays

had to do that for his close mentee. It has been said that King鈥檚 work 鈥� and history itself 鈥� may have been a bit different without Mays presence in King鈥檚 life. Benjamin Mays and he encouraged King to make that same connection in his young life for purposes that would benefit us all.

I love the story of the 1963 乐播传媒 graduate from New Hampshire who asked permission of his Army sergeant to leave his post to go downtown in Washington, D.C., in August 1963 to listen to this young black minister who was going to speak at the Lincoln Memorial. That was the 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥� speech. He said that conversations at 乐播传媒 prompted him to make that decision to ask to go. And he said it changed his life.

All these people are connected here. It is a spirit, and a set of sentiments, and a set of expectations of engagement that pervade the place.

Justice, participation, equality, honor, and connection indeed fill 乐播传媒. When we struggle with circumstances, as we have recently, we are stretched and sometimes we are not sure what to do or think. Stand by the thoughts you are continuing to discern, and be genuine in what you say. And be an interested and careful listener.

To summon further understanding, we must be genuine and hope that others know we are 鈥� and hope that they are, too. And abide by what we all have come to know in life: You can鈥檛 judge a book by its cover, or a student by where they are from, or a person by their appearance. We know this, especially at 乐播传媒.

乐播传媒 was one of the schools to accept students. 鈥淏ecause of that, I have never forgotten 乐播传媒,鈥� she said.

In the early 1990s, famed author James Michener came to 乐播传媒 for a tour of the Olin Arts Center and the campus. With him was his third wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, who happened to be of Japanese ancestry. On the tour, it was reported that she asked many questions about 乐播传媒, and at the end of the tour she was asked about her interest in the college.

She explained that her parents were Japanese immigrants, and that when the U.S. entered World War II, her family was moved to an internment camp in California. There, the elders of the camps asked the U.S. government if college-aged individuals in the camps could be allowed to leave and enter college, if accepted.

Much to my surprise, I learned that the government said yes, thanks to strong urging from some college presidents in the West and from Quakers, among other groups. Then she said that 乐播传媒 was one of the schools to accept students (乐播传媒 enrolled five). 鈥淏ecause of that, I have never forgotten 乐播传媒,鈥� she said.

I was almost transfixed: They were speaking as if they could have been right here on the 乐播传媒 campus.

We have high expectations at 乐播传媒. They were put in place, along with other defining principles, by our founder. I visited with a group of older people from another college a few years ago, and they were talking about life on their campus and their love of their school.

They said they enjoyed how men and women attended school together, how all the organizations were open to everyone, and how there were no fraternities or sororities. They enjoyed having the engagement of faculty and staff, including exchanges after evening lectures, and how that was the spirit and nature of their campus. I was almost transfixed: They were speaking as if they could have been right here on the 乐播传媒 campus.

乐播传媒 founder Oren Cheney also had a major role in the founding of Storer College, in 1867.

I was visiting a campus in Harpers Ferry, W.V., and speaking to some of the remaining living graduates of the Alumni Association of Storer College, an institution founded for freed slaves in 1867 thanks to the influence of Oren B. Cheney, the founder of 乐播传媒. That institution held on until 1955, and they will have their 150th anniversary in October. Importantly, several 乐播传媒 grads over many decades went there to teach, and as I engaged more with the graduates that day they started to recall how several teachers and administrators were from 乐播传媒.

Storer had its glory days. One was May 30, 1881, when Frederick Douglass visited the campus and delivered his speech on John Brown and freedom. Another was Aug. 17, 1906: the second meeting of the historic Niagara Conference 鈥� which would become the NAACP in 1909.

During that meeting, W.E.B. Dubois led a moving commemoration of John Brown. Importantly, 乐播传媒 people were there that day. I also have identified that Storer has a stained glass window in their chapel that says, 鈥淟ewiston.鈥� Every 乐播传媒 grad must see and be moved by that window.

Frederick Douglass and Oren B. Cheney were close friends, and Cheney attended Douglass鈥檚 funeral and was reputed to have offered some of the highest remarks about Douglass at that occasion.

A slave who escaped the South, John Dungee later studies at Maine State Seminary.

Douglass was friends with abolitionist , who once helped an escaped slave, John Dunjee, travel the Underground Railroad to Canada, where Dunjee remained until after the Civil War. (Dungee escaped from the plantation of John Tyler, the 10th U.S. president, and Dunjee鈥檚 children have said that he was Tyler鈥檚 grandson. In his presidential campaign, Tyler had to answer questions about fathering boys to sell in slavery.)

By September 1866, Dunjee was here on this Quad, enrolled as a student in Oren Cheney鈥檚 new school, the Maine State Seminary. I鈥檓 sure that Dunjee arrived here due to the close connection between Douglass and Cheney.

My own family has a story about being descended from John Tyler鈥檚 plantation in Virginia. When I was 12, a great aunt told me the story, and I chose to ride off on my bike rather than listen to her wild tale. But after reading the story of John Dunjee and his bona fide connection to Tyler and his trek to freedom and to here, I decided to return to pursue our family story, and now we seem to be just one bill of sale away from demonstrating that Aunt Alma was speaking with accuracy about being from that same plantation.

Bob Moses is a noted civil rights figure, and many would say his work matched that of King鈥檚. When Bob Moses came to 乐播传媒 to speak of his experiences in the 1960s, I asked him how he had chosen to go to Hamilton College. He smiled and said that when he graduated from high school in New York, he only applied to two colleges: Hamilton and 乐播传媒. 鈥淭he only reason I went to Hamilton was because they offered me $300 more than 乐播传媒.鈥� So 乐播传媒 was only $300 from playing an even larger role in the civil rights movement.

On a Reunion weekend some years ago, an African American graduate of the Class of 1938 asked if I could gather some students so she could chat with them. I did as she asked, and we had a nice conversation.

Forty-five minutes into the chat, I could not wait any longer 鈥� I had to ask about her name, Ellen Craft Dammond, because there鈥檚 a famous slave-escape story of a fair-skinned woman, Ellen Craft, who dressed as a white man and, with her husband, William, as her attending 鈥渟lave,鈥� took a train and a ship to freedom in Philadelphia. Was she, Ellen Craft Dammond, related?

鈥淵es,鈥� she said, 鈥淓llen Craft was my great-great-grandmother.鈥�

The 1938 Mirror yearbook has this portrait of Ellen Craft Dammond ’38.

Ellen Dammond loved 乐播传媒 and immersed herself in the place and in the debate program. Googling her alongside a student a couple years ago, there she was in a picture from 1936 sitting with a great smile and spirit. Seated next to her in the photo was none other than Owen Dodson 鈥�36.

She went on to work in civil rights activities after 乐播传媒 and raise a family. Her daughter, who is very fond of 乐播传媒, said that her own civil rights contributions connected with Bob Moses and they became great friends and did significant work for our society.

Baccalaureate is about the spiritual. Our 乐播传媒 spirit, drawn from the various global philosophical practices and beliefs, forms the connections we feel toward each other. Some experiences even touch on the nearly divine, as this next story illustrates.

I was in Honduras, and four days into my stay, I started yearning for oatmeal. So my wife and I went to a store, and since I speak a little Spanish, I found the oatmeal after five minutes. As I reached up, someone grabbed my arm. I turned to my right, and there was a 乐播传媒 graduate. 鈥淒ean Reese, what are you doing here?鈥� she asked. I looked at her and said, 鈥淗eidi, what are you doing here?鈥� She said that she was in the Peace Corps, working in a village two hours away. 鈥淭his morning, I decided to get on the van and come in to the city so that I could get some oatmeal.鈥�

I have nephew who graduated from Harvard. He said to me, 鈥淯ncle James, Harvard is a good school.鈥� (Let me pause and let you know that I am sharing, to you who have been there, that Harvard is a good school.) He said, 鈥淯ncle James, Harvard is a good school, but it does not have the Spirit of 乐播传媒.鈥�

So here we are, and we know the 乐播传媒 spirit in its many vivid forms. In 1973, a 乐播传媒 team was set to depart town after a loss in a holiday basketball tournament in Connecticut. But then, the tournament directors paid the 乐播传媒 pep band to stay for two more days.

I encourage you, as alumni, to continue your 乐播传媒 conversations with spirit of interest, engagement, and cooperation. One 乐播传媒 grad stated that she misses the 乐播传媒 conversations, the ones, she said, where you intentionally try to get the thoughts, insights, and feelings of everyone in the group, and where you continue to try to meet people.

I have enjoyed all of my conversations with the students over the years and with those many exchanges, some stand out each year.

Mary Grace Schwalbe ’17 will recall that during the opening of the Senior Thesis Exhibition at the Museum of Art, I could not help but stare at her work. I asked her about a particular painting, specifically where she got the wood frame. 鈥淐hase Hall,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 saw it just sitting there in a room, ready to be thrown away.鈥� She asked to have it and decided to use it as a part of the show. The frame had been a part of a billiards cue rack for decades, and she recognized that this age-old, spirited piece and expression of history needed to be preserved.

Some of you are matched up with other 乐播传媒ies. That鈥檚 fine. But the rest of you are not safe just because you will walk across this stage tomorrow.

Spirit 鈥� do as my father does and wear a 乐播传媒 hat in the airports, and experience the joy of someone stopping you and asking how you know 乐播传媒. 乐播传媒 people are everywhere.

Some of you are matched up with other 乐播传媒ies. That鈥檚 fine. But the rest of you are not safe just because you will walk across this stage tomorrow. I have been to three 乐播传媒 weddings of alumni who did not attend 乐播传媒 at the same time: They met at 乐播传媒 club meetings and activities!

I love sharing with our international students the metaphorical meaning of Dorothy鈥檚 line in The Wizard of Oz, 鈥淭oto, I鈥檝e a feeling we鈥檙e not in Kansas anymore.鈥� They love to learn the explanation, and say that they understood its meaning once they arrived here.

But there鈥檚 another line from the film that I will share for today鈥檚 theme of circular connections: 鈥淚t was a place. And you鈥nd you鈥nd you…and you were there.鈥� 聽Yes, it鈥檚 you 鈥� gathering and sharing among each other, in a strength and manner that鈥檚 been one over the ages and, indeed, has made you feel that this is much like home. A student from Saudi Arabia told me that 鈥渂ayt鈥� in Arabic means home. As she was making her decision about college, she thought of that, and it led to her choice.

Dodson, Craft Dammond, Douglas, Moses, King, Mays, Cheney, and now you are intertwined with each other in this home. All were drawn here, or have been informed by conversations and exchanges conducted and strengthened right here.

I conclude by asking you to give the best of yourself, just as you have these past years at 乐播传媒. Giving our best is the spirit that prompts everyone to perform well on this stage today. It connects with Dr. Mays, who said, 鈥淲hatever you do, strive to do it so well that no person living, and no person deceased, or no person not yet born could do it any better.鈥�

乐播传媒: Freedom, brilliance, strength鈥dd your adjectives to the list, go forth, and do all that you wish and know you can achieve from all of the sharing and the connections you have made and will continue to make.

Held the day before Commencement on the Historic Quad, the annual Baccalaureate Service provides an opportunity for graduating seniors and their guests to reflect and celebrate, to rejoice and give thanks.

Photographs by Phyllis Graber Jensen and text by Doug Hubley.