Members of the Class of 2024 and honored guests, before we continue with today’s ceremony marking the completion of your undergraduate degrees, let’s take a quiet moment to breathe deeply and reflect more fully on what a wild ride the past four years have been. Not that any of you graduating seniors will ever forget how you started your college careers in the midst of a global pandemic.
You arrived on a campus that felt strangely empty, as upperclassmen attended remotely and the rest of you practiced social distancing. Many of you have told me about the isolation that characterized those early days as you existed in a six-foot bubble, living alone and unable to eat or gather together in large groups. And then, after a couple of months, you, too, had to leave this place you had worked so hard to get to, transitioning to remote learning for the rest of the academic year. When you did return as sophomores, it sometimes felt like starting from scratch as you went through the process of making friends and forming community all over again.
And form community you did. Over the last few months, I have had dinner with 200 of you at Cromwell Cottage – my house. Let me say first to all of the families that are here – you have wonderful young adults. It has been a true delight to get to know your students and to hear about their experiences during their time at Kenyon – what they valued, what they enjoyed and also what was challenging. I have learned a lot about Kenyon in those conversations. So, thank you for letting me into a piece of your senior year. It was an honor and no one enjoyed it more than our dog Milo who was certain that each of you came to the house to play with him. He is going to miss you dearly and sends his congratulations!
So, COVID may have sidetracked the start of your college experience, but clearly you have embraced the rest of your time on campus, throwing yourselves into your classes, your research, your performances, your extracurriculars and your volunteer work. You have gone on to win athletic honors — individually and with your teams — as well as numerous distinguished academic awards, including the Fulbright, the National Science Foundation Graduate Research fellowships and the Goldwater Scholarship. Your accomplishments are a testament to how you’ve made up for lost time.
But here’s what’s most impressive: Not only did you find your way back here and to this special kind of liberal arts education, you found your way back to each other. In the many conversations we had over those senior dinners, I heard a common theme again and again: how the relationships you’ve built and the community you’ve forged here in Gambier are among the most important aspects of your experience at Kenyon. Your connections to one another and to your professors are rich and deep. Treasure them. The state of your friendships is strong. Sustain and nurture them. Not just because research shows that having good friends will lead to a longer, happier life but because there is no friend like a Kenyon friend.
All of this is a tribute to you — your ability to pivot, adapt and evolve — and one of the secrets of a liberal arts education. A Kenyon education.
During your time here, you’ve gained skills that cut across disciplines. You’ve learned to think critically, problem solve collaboratively, synthesize complex information and communicate effectively, especially through writing. My message as you prepare to leave this special place is to embrace that. Don’t underestimate yourselves and the tools you now have at your disposal. Lean into what Kenyon has prepared you to do — which is, really, anything you want.
More than anyone, you understand that the world can change in unexpected ways — and trust me, you’re ready for it. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed as you begin the next stage of your journey. Some of you have told me that you are anxious about what comes next, that you feel pressured to make the “right” decision. That is, of course, natural. But the truth is, all you can do is make the next best decision for yourself right now, knowing that it will inform the next one and the next one and the next one.
I remember being in your seat years ago, thinking I had the next 25 years planned out. I was a journalism major back then with dreams of becoming a producer for “60 Minutes.” I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that I never would have guessed that I would be a college president standing up here telling you about what your next steps in life might look like. I suspect that many of my college friends would not have believed that either. But like me, you will likely have a conversation or a chance encounter or an experience that will change your trajectory or ignite an unknown passion. It might lead you to more education, to a new city or to a job that looks very different than what you might have imagined. Be open. I went from being a journalist to becoming an epidemiologist and now I am here. Your journey will be unique to you and it will take you to places that you can’t quite imagine sitting here in Gambier. I have a dear friend who has asked me at different points when I was making an important decision – are you scared? And, when I have answered “yes,” he has said to me: “Good. Being scared means you will be challenged and you will grow.” So, I say to you: If you are feeling a bit scared or worried, embrace it. I am confident it will take you in bold new directions.
Your liberal arts education was designed to prepare you for a multitude of possibilities. You don’t need all the answers right now. You have an abundance of talent and passion. Your job is to figure out how you want to apply them in a way that makes your life meaningful and makes a difference in the world. And, after talking to so many of you, I am confident that you will do both.
As I said during my inauguration, a guiding principle of my life has been to show up no matter how complicated life may get. That’s what you’ve done during your career here at Kenyon: You showed up, ready to put in the work — whether in person or remotely, in good times and in difficult, soul-searching ones. You showed up, eager to embrace the discomfort of constant learning and growth, of not always being right, of being moved in unexpected ways.
And as you move forward, you will need to continue to show up — for Kenyon, for the liberal arts, for the world, but most importantly, for each other. This family that you’ve worked so hard to create during your time here, it was built to last a lifetime. Embrace your peers often. Honor them always. Show up for them, now and and in the future. Life will get busy and your world will get infinitely bigger, but it should never get too busy or too big for you to make time to share in the joy of a friend’s wedding or to offer support in a time of sorrow.
And know that — no matter where life’s journey takes you, no matter how far away you roam — Kenyon will show up to cheer both your small steps and big leaps. I hope you’ll return to Gambier often and look forward to seeing you at reunion weekend! Congratulations!