Commencement Remarks
May 22, 2005
by Vivek Mahapatra, Class of 2005 President
Thank you very much President Fergusson for that introduction.
I have a confession to make. The tassel bothers me. I spend too much time concentrating on its movements, wondering if it’ll swing into the speaker’s mouth, and to minimize that concern on your part, I am going to move it back just a little bit. I hope there is no adverse symbolic effect to this action…
Before I begin my address I feel it most appropriate to thank my family without whose sacrifices I’d never have had the chance to be here. Mom, Dad, and Bhaiya, there are no words to describe what you mean to me and I love you all beyond belief. I request your blessings and those from all of the elders in our family in the continued efforts I make throughout my life. And Dear, I love you.
Good Morning faculty and administrators, parents and guests, and most importantly the fearless and disoriented Class of 2005.
Four years ago we met one another, wide-eyed and somewhat apprehensive, as we ploughed through Freshmen orientation week, getting ourselves more accustomed to the Vassar way of life… hopefully after this past week of disorientation, the class council has succeeded in getting us all prepared for the explosion we’ll experience in a few hours, when the 2005 Vassar bubble floats away from Poughkeepsie and pops us out into the real world… I personally, cannot wait to see where we all land, but wherever it is, I am more than sure that we will hit the ground running.
During the first week of our freshmen year, we were unfortunate enough to witness the true forces of evil at work, as two planes found their way into NYC and destroyed the symbolic twin towers. Huddled together, whether it was in our student fellow groups, our dorm parlors and multi purpose rooms, or in the Villard room watching the live telecast, we were bound together by this sad thread of uncertainty, experiencing the most helpless feelings of fear, not knowing what tomorrow would bring. We had just left the safety of our own homes and moved into a new place which we were hoping would one day become our alma mater, but… we didn’t even know what tomorrow would bring? Or where would we be? Would we have the chance to experience this education for which we worked so hard? There were no answers – the world seemed to draw closer to the edge of a cliff beyond which all else ceased to exist. And it was there and then, in those first few weeks and months that we picked ourselves up and truly understood the meaning of seizing the day – of going with our gut. Of making every last moment count, because we saw the real ‘what-if.’ It was no longer a mystery in our minds that we could nonchalantly joke about. We were watching the world fall apart around us, but we knew that we had to make it through. For one another and for ourselves - 2005, our experience at Vassar has been so unique, and each point by which it was marked has given us the continued strength to become the leaders we truly are.
As my father wrote in his graduation letter to me, “It has been a long journey. Storms of insufficiency have tried to break us, tempests of uncertainties have attempted to cripple us and blizzards of inadequacies have tested our grit... but none of us has ever faltered, fallen or failed. The odds have strengthened our courage and the hurdles have fortified our resolve.”
Our response to the world has been honed so acutely that when the tsunami hit Asia this past December, we were able to setup and fundraise over $8,000 through various campus activities involving faculty and students alike. All the classes of Vassar came together and in this joint effort, involving all the different administrative offices as well, we were able to not only raise money but also awareness through the sale of blue “hope” bracelets made in the same fashion as those to raise awareness for general cancer and breast cancer research. We have a few of these bracelets left, and I have an appeal for you, family and friends of Vassar… At this point we have exactly $8,600.00 and in a few weeks we are going to cut a check to Aid Lanka Kids, an organization setup to deal with rebuilding the basic infrastructure needed to house, feed, and educate children. Our personal contacts in this group have guaranteed that our participation will reach those affected, and we are hoping that in a few years, through coordination with other student-led relief groups in other campuses, we may have the opportunity to visit the affected regions and lend our support. So I ask you to help us break the $10,000 mark– there are over 3000 people here today – even a $1 from everyone will reach this goal. Go to the North Atrium of Main Building in front of the Campus Activities Office immediately following Commencement and there will be a donation box set up, waiting - hopefully we can build a school. As a liberal arts college, I can think of no better way to give back to the world than to assist in the further education of those who deserve a second chance.
So, the world continues to change around us. Having been born in India and raised in Thailand, I have had the chance to swim through a melting pot of such diverse cultures that I have never needed to question each taste that I have chanced upon.
Vassar has helped breed tolerance and acceptance in a different way altogether – coming in freshmen year to a 70/30 ratio of female to male was quite the experience, not that I’m complaining. We have all had to continually go outside our boundaries to become more wholesome individuals… after all, it’s not everyday that you enroll into a college with an on-campus porn magazine!
So really, we should not feel as powerless as we might, when we step out into the “real” world with our jaded Vassar-analytical mindset, of how to make a difference and be a ripple in the oceanic expanse of humanity. All we have to do is try: In our four short years at Vassar, we’ve witnessed more than most people experience in a lifetime; global disasters, gross human rights’ violations, the up-rise of terrorist activities, declarations of war, a change in the papacy of a church, a call for the reformation of the United Nations, and at our very own Vassar turf, the resignation letter of our current president, after 20 long years of service to Vassar. President Fergusson, on behalf of 2005, I would like to congratulate you on everything you’ve done for all of us and wish you the best of luck with the future. In a way next year will be your senior year at Vassar, and so as departing seniors and soon-to-be-alums, I wish you the best of luck and ask that you really seize all the opportunities Vassar has to offer – maybe take a few trips with the Outing Club, join an intramural sport, or go skydiving in Rhinebeck… the sheer rush of free falling through the skies of the Hudson river valley should clear your mind and set you on your way… Now since I started with the thank you’s, I would like to take this moment to say thank you to the senior class council for all your hard work, especially Simon Craven, Brit Murray, and Sara Pawlowski. The rest of you know who you are and you should really pat yourselves on the back. Terry Quinn, without your guidance and support we would’ve been lost. Daisies and Ushers, you’ve been the best little brothers and sisters we could’ve asked for. The office of Campus Activities, Jeff and B’n’G, Susan [and College Relations, Cathy] and the Development office, Kenny and his bartenders, Alice, Maureen, and the food staff, Don, Dennis, Betty, and the rest of Security… - the list goes on. But needless to say you’ve all been integral to our success with your assistance and patience.
2005, we owe it to ourselves, our friends, and our families to grab the world by its ears and shake it up. There is so much that needs change. We’ve been talked to about passion, following our gut, and making the most of our Vassar education. We’ve been instructed to seek a goal and die hard. To expect the unexpected: Who knows, one day you might find yourselves stuck in the freight elevator of a five-star hotel, calling your parents, asking for advice, and hoping that security hears your screams through the floors, as I had the luck to experience earlier this year with some other members of our class. We made it through, luckily – I think it might have something to do with liability issues for a 5-star hotel when its elevator gets stuck with 5 students in it… but either way, we’re now that much smarter and hopefully stronger – cherish the time you have.
We have a duty as Vassar graduates to change the world. In our four short years, our lives have been filled with anecdotes that we’ll eventually be asked to stop repeating to our grandchildren.
We’ve lived through the housing crunches, and the living situations of senior year. I’m sure we all have our horror stories. We’ve watched the college grow and change, and experienced 3 sunlit founder’s days, and 1 muddy, wet festive founder’s day which we not only braved through – we actually enjoyed it. We saved Serenading, revived the wandering keg, and started our own traditions – Whether future generations of students studying in libraries will enjoy the true festivities of Primal Scream or not, at least we know that we left our mark on the school in the barest way possible; 2005, we’ve really displayed our varied colors, sizes, and shapes…
Earlier this year, I was asked to write a quote describing 2005. Overwhelmed by that task I had to take a few days just enjoying the company of the various quirks that make us who we are and I realized there can be no defining characteristic unless it is filled with unpredictability, initiative, uncertainty, and perseverance. An odd combination to most, but to 2005, it seems to be an almost perfect recipe to great work and even better enjoyment. And so I said:
2001: the largest Vassar class enters, somewhat unsure, a bit insecure, but raring for a challenge.
2005: we pack our bags, prepared for a world unknown – smarter, stronger, jaded, and more diverse than any other class to graduate
The Vassar bubble, now popped, leaves us, 674 Vassarions the chance to tackle the world beyond… but it is the world that needs to brace itself for us!
Good luck 2005, and a heart-felt note of warm thanks to-everyone-from-everyone for carving the last four years into an era in our lives, more than just an experience, grander than a mere memory. With the diversity that made this class dynamic enough to conquer Vassar, the world now rests as our playground.
As the quote says, I believe the world is now our playground and we know back in the day that the rules of the game change as we want them to. We just have to step up to the challenge. As Phillip Brooks said, “Life comes before literature, as the material always comes before the work. The hills are full of marble before the world blooms with statues.”
It rests upon our shoulders to mold the marble that covers the hills into statues that will be semblances of integrity, posterity, and strength.
And as one recently graduated Alum reminded me to comment, 2005, your future is so bright, I gotta put my shades on…
So as a farewell I say to you, class of 2005, today is the first day of the rest of our lives… and as the song goes, every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. I salute you Class of 2005, and was honored to represent you as our president. We may not be able to revisit our moments at Vassar, but we can be sure that they will be treasured in our hearts forever... with the past as a photograph we constantly reminisce as the present goes by bit by bit, tick by tock...
So now we ride forward with the wind against our faces, and the future in our hands, left alone in the smoggy streets searching for ourselves, and hopefully in that labyrinth of mist we call life, we shall bump into each other. Let us part with a smile and leave imprints on the sands of time as we walk across the shores of school and into the ocean of opportunity. Keep on smiling Class of 2005.
Thank you.