Hobart and William Smith Colleges

19 May 2019 Commencement 2019: Open Doors, Seek the Highest Good

Take a leap of faith. That is how this great, flawed country came into being, said Hobart and William Smith Colleges 2019 Commencement speaker Dorothy H. Wickenden 76, L.H.D. 14,executive editor ofThe New Yorkerand former HWS Trustee.

In her address during the 194th Commencement of Hobart College and the 108th Commencement of William Smith College, Wickenden pointed out that most people who eventually find what theyre looking for in life have found that a failure now and then fuels achievement. Fromthe storyof Dr. Elizabeth Blackwells admission toGeneva College, asHWSwas knownin the 1840s, to Harriet Tubman and theabolitionmovement, tothe challenges of climate change, to theMarch for Our Lives rallies in response to gun violence, Wickendenhighlighted theways thattimes of fear, bigotry and injustice bring opportunity.

Every generation has terrors to stare down, she said. My great great grandparents had the Civil War; my grandmother a single mother of four the Great Depression; my parents, World War II; the Baby Boomers my cohort had Vietnam and Watergate. Amidst such challenges, she advised graduates, the best way to find yourself is by leaving yourself behind. Move out of your safe spaces, beyond self-care and selfiesDont shrug and say it cant be done shake off apathy and inertia. Seek the highest goodWe need to open doors, not shut them, and recall what all Americans have in common.

This year, the Collegesawarded degrees to 247Hobart students,248 William Smith students and12masters candidates,as well as oneCollege Experience Certificate through the HWS and ARC partnership program. The Colleges also awarded honorary degreestoEdward A. Froelich 55,a retired senior supervisory analyst and vice presidentatPershing LLCand a longtime HWS philanthropist; and in absentiaGloria Robinson Lowry 52, who graduated fromWilliamSmithas president of her class and the Colleges first African American alumna, before going on to a long and distinguished career as a fifth grade teacherin Pasadena, Calif.

[HWS Commencement 2019 Coverage]

In his valedictory address,Interim President Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. 12emphasizedtheengagement of the Classes of 2019, the waysgraduateshave demonstrated thatvigorous debate must be matched by vigorous compassion, and that vigorous compassion must always be accompanied by vigorous action. Because that is how change happens.

During their time on campus, McGuire said, this years graduateschallengedtheir peers, the faculty and staff, the Trustees and administration, the institution itself. You have challenged Hobart and William Smith to reflect on our historical values and to make necessary strides to more fully realize and implement those values in our contemporary moment.You have used your voices, and the experiences and ideas from your work these past years, to make the members of this community more aware, more willing to be vocal, more willing to listen.

In her speech, William Smith seniorJemma Roche 19 reflected on the relationship between failure and identity, recallinghow a failing grade onan essay during her first year showed her how Iam not just a number, but an individual, an essential part of a community. In learning about myself I learned that I must not give up or be afraid to ask for help because I cant always do things on my own. There are peoplewho will provide support and guidance because we all mean something. We all mean something to HWS.

Hobart senior speakerAlex Kerai19notedthat we all bring our own unique perspectivesto this world and we will take them with us into our broader communities after graduation. By continuing to absorb different kinds ofinformationfrom classes and people, textbooks and newspaperswe can foster tools which help us to make a difference. A fewdedicated people can change the world, but a community ofinformed,activecitizens canshape it for the better.

During the Commencement ceremony,Thomas S. Bozzuto 68,chair of the Board of Trustees,presented theannualTouching the Future award,which celebrates and honorseducators from elementary, middle and high school who have had an impact on current HWS graduates.This year, the CollegesrecognizedTina Hartounian, culinary arts teacherat San Fernando Senior High School in San Fernando, Calif.,whowas nominated byher former studentWilliam Samayoa 19.