YOUR TURN
It’s your
turn. For the first couple of decades of
our lives, we prepare. We become
educated – formally and informally – about facts, ways to think, solve
problems, live in society and in close relationships. It seems like we’re always getting ready for
the next big thing.
That process
of preparing and educating ourselves doesn’t end when we leave our formal
education, but expectations and obligations do change. Fairly or not, society now views you as a
fully formed adult, not someone preparing to be one. Now it’s your job to earn a living, contribute
to society, lead in your community, take a place at the grown-up’s table. That sounds like an abrupt change, but you’ve
been transitioning into that role for years.
During your
“first” Trinity years, I’ve been with you as a representative of that large
body of alumni who have had the same experience at the same place you
have. It may seem we’re separated by
many years, but the most important part of a Trinity education was the same in
1970 as it is in 2014. You’re an alumna
or alumnus now (please don’t say
you’re an “alumni” – that’s plural and you’re singular in many ways), in the
same way we are. Welcome!
It’s daunting
to face the prospect of being someone else’s mentor and support, to be the buffer between others and the
larger world, rather than to have a
buffer. To do rather than prepare. But
it’s also exhilarating and
rewarding. You know you have skills, but
now you get to use them – in fact, you have
to use them. And you can. It’s like learning to pack a parachute before
a first jump: It sounds good in theory, but will it really open? Yes, it will.
And that feeling of accomplishment every time you employ an acquired
skill more than compensates for the feeling of being constantly obligated.
As you have
successes – and you’ll have lots of
them – think about how your years at Trinity prepared you for those
successes. That didn’t happen only in
the classrooms. It happened in the
hallways, in dorm rooms, in social clubs, on playing fields, in a professor’s
office, in the library. Ask yourself,
“Would I have been able to accomplish this without my time at Trinity?”
Your degree
is SO much more than letters after your name and a nice diploma. That’s not what you’re earning. You’ve earned recognition for all the skills,
the knowledge, the judgment, and the wisdom you acquired in four years. Those of us who love and support Trinity
realize what our four years meant in our lives, and we want nothing more than
to ensure that others have that same valuable, wonderful opportunity. It’s your turn to be congratulated on your
achievement, it’s your turn to thank the people who supported you in so many
ways and helped you acquire these skills, and it’s your turn to use what you’ve
learned to better your own life and the lives of those around you. After all, you’re a graduate of Trinity
University. Congratulations!
Geary Reamey
Alumni Sponsor
Alumni Sponsor
