2020 Winter Commencement Ceremony (School of Business & Technology) Fitchburg State University
[Music] [Music] congratulations to the class of 2020 from your commencement committee you did it graduates i am so excited and proud of you congratulations on your journey at fitchburg state university and i know that in the future you are going to fly and make a huge difference in the world i just wanted to take a moment to tell you how proud i am of you for achieving your goals in graduating you did it on behalf of everyone in it we look forward to watching you change the world congratulations to the class of 2020. yahoo congratulations to our main december masters [Music] to you alex scotland jackson aaron melis diana perella nick prine oliver titus xander white adriana keefe and matt foster [Music] i think what my friend freddie was trying to say is congratulations graduates we're so super proud of you to all the student athletes out there congratulations go falcons just spread your wings [Music] so higher [Music] waves [Music] is [Music] hello and welcome to fitchburg state university's 124th commencement exercises this is a ceremony without precedent for a group of graduates without peer on behalf of our entire university community i am sorry that we're not celebrating together today in person as we had envisioned we had hoped that following the disruption to our academic year caused by the covet 19 pandemic we would be able to return to the campus with your parents loved ones and friends to recognize your many achievements unfortunately that is not the case however we gather virtually today to pay tribute to you all the life of a university is marked by events that start and end academic terms today we mark the end of the fall 2020 semester and salute a cohort of graduates who have proven themselves ready to adapt to any challenges presented to them congratulations hello graduates of the class of winter 2020 even though we're not all gathered together today know that we're proud of you even more than you know i'm also confident that those that supported you along the way are very proud of you as well and i hope you'll take a moment to express your gratitude to them graduating from college is a major achievement and i know that success did not happen by accident each of you earned your degree you worked hard and were often challenged by difficult classes and on occasion were also tested by trying events outside of the classroom some of you balanced your studies while working a job and perhaps were even responsible for supporting the well-being of your family and for many of you you're the first in your family to earn a higher education degree regardless of your situation many of you were required this past spring to evacuate campus and conclude the last half of that semester in a remote format none of us would have ever imagined that possibility at the beginning of the academic term for that i thank you for your patience and flexibility and commend you for your perseverance under those most difficult of circumstances for some of you that spring semester was the last time you had the opportunity to take a class on campus together we all learned the chat function in zoom and google and eventually developed muscle memory when required to unmute ourselves when it was our turn to speak i know that each of you has learned something about yourself your character and your capabilities during this unprecedented time and the important lessons you experienced will have great applicability for how you respond to events that will confront you in the future you're transitioning into a very different world from the one that you had been planning for just months earlier it's strange how unplanned and uncontrollable circumstances can have such a dramatic impact on one's life it does provide insight however into the importance of being agile flexible understanding and compassionate you find yourself today trying to navigate in the midst of a health crisis uncertain financial future political polarization and ongoing issues of inequality and injustice it is at times chaotic stressful and often fatiguing in many ways how you respond to this current situation will define your generation this is not the first time our nation has encountered great uncertainty nor experienced circumstances that posed great challenges one month before abraham lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation he wrote a message to congress which included the statement the dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present the occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion as our case is new so we must think anew and act anew if our world is going to get better it's going to be up to you you will be the ones to determine how your generation will set our course this is your time and we need you more than ever you are well trained and possessed the talent and skills to do great things and no generation has been better positioned to make meaningful change we need poets and scientists artists and engineers business people and philosophers and most of all creative thinkers that are willing to share their ideas even if initially they prove counter to conventional thinking for you this is an opportunity to disrupt and reshape the future for all of us now and for the betterment of generations to come if you're passionate about something speak out defend your position tell the world if you don't no one will hear you the word commencement is derived from a 13th century french word meaning beginning or start while we tend to think of commencement as an end in this case the celebration of an earned degree i hope you'll also think of commencement as a celebration of a new beginning as graduates you begin a new chapter in your lives for which there is great promise please know that we're always here to support you and that fitchburg state university will always be your home i look forward to hearing from you and learning about your many accomplishments in the years to come good luck class of 2020. good evening my name is caroline anderson and i'm the valedictorian of the december 2020 graduating class thank you all for attending this online ceremony to celebrate the fitchburg state university class of 2020 i am both honored and humbled to stand before you as the valedictorian of the december 2020 graduating class i will admit i was intimidated to write this speech especially during a pandemic and i wasn't certain of the final words of wisdom to offer as we conclude our time here at fsu but i acted like a proton and thought positively yes i did have to include a science joke in this speech all joking aside first to all the faculty who have enlightened us with their knowledge and the family members who have supported us throughout our lives i offer a heartfelt thank you i want to give special thanks to my amazing family and my advisor dr elizabeth gordon who have guided me throughout this important stage in my life to my fellow students we have done it we have finished our final classes here at fsu and are ready to depart on our path into the future many of us will take different paths in life but we will all be connected together as falcons as many of you hear on a daily basis these times are unprecedented however each and every one of you here has found the strength to continue through these trying times and for that i commend you i don't think many of us saw ourselves spending our last semester on zoom in our pajama pants we face uncertainties but take a moment to celebrate yourself we all still achieved an amazing accomplishment by being here today we have embraced fsu's motto and persevered as a final note i would like to share a quote with you all noted author bob goff once wrote embrace uncertainty some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have a title until much later during these uncertain times you may not know how things will pan out in the future however some of the most uncertain times in our lives can define who we are later in life it may seem difficult now but the most rewarding experiences can come when we are not expecting it thank you all for joining us and congratulations to the class of 2020 let today be about you hi my name is michelle tilden and i am the graduate student leadership recipient of 2020. first thank you to dr james alicatta for nominating me i am honored to be selected for this recognition i would also like to thank my parents who instilled the values of education in me and to my husband who gave up space for me to spread out papers research materials computers notebooks and so on when determining what i would speak about i thought of the varied people who would be listening how would i find something that could apply to everyone partaking in today's commencement the word that came to mind for me was success how do you define success is it by the salary you earn the material goods that you acquire the circle of people you surround yourself with i think that the definition has as many meanings as there are people who are listening today as a teacher and a self-described lifelong learner i've put together seven life tips for success i hope these bits of knowledge that i've learned and try to embrace every day help you to feel success in your day-to-day life here are the seven tips for success s slow down it is okay to say no sometimes especially when you feel you are close to overload you unplug and reconnect with nature you will feel much better c count your blessings every day it will change your perspective and your mindset c chat with a trusted friend know the people who you can count on in a time of need or just to share a laugh e empathize with others when we aspire to understand we are in turn understood s seek to be a continuous learner and keep your mind engaged s stay the course even when the road is bumpy or you encounter many detours take those opportunities as learning moments and try to find the value in the alternative path you've been presented the lessons are most often found in the detours i hope these tips lead you to a joyous successful life congratulations to all of the graduates [Music] and let me be amongst the many to congratulate you on your wonderful achievement it has been my pleasure to get to know so many of you i want to give a big shout out to you and all that you've been through and all the best is yet to be another big shout out to my own son alex cochran class of 2020 sumo laude congratulations all i just want to say to all the fellow graduates what is this semester or next um always thrive where you go no matter what career you choose always thrive and remember where you came from this is the place where you build and this is a place where you build your success so always remember that and go forward in life my colleagues and i in the counseling services office extend you congratulations on your achievement and wish you tremendous success with all that the future brings we recognize and admire the perseverance and the resilience that has brought you to this point you found a way to keep going in profoundly difficult circumstances know also that you have inspired us it was your strength that helped to sustain us through these challenging times again congratulations be well as you go forth and bring that same passion and perseverance in all of your pursuits after richberg state i am so proud of your accomplishments and look forward to welcoming you as a new alum of fitchburg state university congratulations congratulations class of 2020 you did it so proud of you this was a tough year and you persevered hang in there wishing you nothing but the best and again congratulations my name is jason smith and i'm the assistant dean for student success i want to congratulate the class of 2020. your college graduates it's amazing we're so proud of you and the fact that you were able to complete your degree in what has been one of the most unpredictable and unprecedented times in our history is truly astounding i'm really excited to witness you going out into the world and seeing the change that you create it's really meaningful that you are a part of the falcon family we hope you stay in contact congratulations this is well-deserved out calling ready to go [Music] on behalf of the board of trustees and the entire fitchburg state campus community it is my pleasure to welcome you to the winter ceremony of our university's 124th commencement exercises mark twain once said the two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why today is one significant mile marker as you travel towards the day you find out why it is a day to take a moment and celebrate yourselves today the entire campus community acknowledges your tenacity and all that you have accomplished to arrive at this great occasion year 2020 has been described in many ways ferocious exhausting and last month the college dictionary declared lockdown its word of the year this word was chosen because it was a unifying experience for people across the world everyone playing their part in combating the spread of covid19 for you the graduates lockdown was not just a unifying experience it was an unexpected and unwelcome hurdle on the road to this day i would like to suggest that the 2020 word for you is the motto engraved on our university seal perseverance you persevered amidst this generation defining pandemic and all the other challenges you face to complete your degrees today we not only celebrate your achievements we salute you for your resolve so for the graduates celebrate the end of this long and difficult road but your journey by no means ends here as you move forward take the critical thinking skills and expertise honed in your studies at fitchburg state and apply them to new endeavors and new adventures the future will certainly hold more challenges but you have been well prepared by your experiences at this institution whatever goals you set for yourself seek them knowing you have the knowledge and the determination within you to achieve them mark twain also said the secret to getting ahead is getting started you have not only started you are well on your way to productive and successful futures in a few minutes you will see your name and the names of your fellow graduates on this screen savor the moment we are all celebrating with you from near and far congratulations greetings graduate to the school of business and technology i'm keith williamson dean of the school and on behalf of my colleagues i want to congratulate you on this tremendous achievement you should be proud of yourselves we've set a very high bar for you and you've met or exceeded our expectations thanks to to your families and friends who supported you on this journey i'm sure they too are proud of you again congratulations on this great achievement and good luck and go falcons on behalf of the school of graduate online and continuing education it is my pleasure to congratulate you on behalf of the faculty and staff on this wonderful achievement given all that's happening in the world you have demonstrated resilience and persistence and these are skills that will serve you well in your next adventure congratulations class of 2020. i'm very grateful that you chose fitchburg state to complete your mba and i hope that you learned well and that you'll be able to take whatever you learned into your future careers and as you continue what you do now i'd like to wish you well as you go forward and i wish you all the best 2020 is a very unusual a difficult year but i'm so happy that you all have made it through congratulations on your graduation and the best wishes for your next adventure thank you we wish you all the best and please keep in touch with us we wish you a good luck and we definitely are going to miss you best choices for the future congratulations platform 2020. you guys
are destined for greatness you're going to do awesome out there and i wish you the best of luck bye-bye we are so proud to be part of your journey and hope you keep in touch wishing you all the best life paths to offer and like a true falcon may you continue to soar well done graduates the honors program congratulates new commonwealth honors scholars curtis kendall and rebecca rouleaux [Music] feel like [Music] i [Music] is stay [Music] here love you [Music] now [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] never tired of looking down and if it [Music] [Applause] [Music] a ever dryer just spread your wings [Music] keep on climbing farther and it don't stop higher [Applause] don't stop [Music] just spread your wigs [Music] [Applause] keep on turning further don't stop [Music] don't wait wait until summer don't be stuck on the outside but we'll be here for one another we're ready to fly ready to fly [Music] follow your intuition go turn around and run the revolution starts inside the revolution starts tonight make it a new position so you can finally find yourself don't be left upon the shell jump in the wishing well don't wait wait until summer don't be stuck on the outside and we'll be here for one another we're ready to fly we're ready to fly ready ready [Music] [Music] ready to go ready i'm [Music] now i can fly [Music] feel like [Music] i [Music] is stay [Music] here love [Music] you [Music] now [Music] [Applause] [Music] never tired of looking down and if it [Music] [Applause] [Music] a ever dryer just spread your wings [Music] spread [Music] keep on climbing farther and it don't stop higher [Applause] [Music] stop [Music] like never before [Music] is [Music] [Applause] turning is don't stop [Music] don't wait wait until summer don't be stuck on the outside we'll be here for one another we're ready to fly ready to fly [Music] follow your intuition go turn around and run the revolution starts inside the revolution starts tonight make it a new position so you can finally find yourself don't be left upon the shell jump in the wishing well don't wait wait until summer don't be stuck on the outside and we'll be here for one another we're ready to fly we're ready to fly [Music] to the class of 2020 is my privilege to welcome you to the fitchburg state university alumni association you are joining an elite group of more than forty seven thousand proud alumni from coast to coast and around the world these graduates have helped pave the way for you today and provide an incredible networking and support opportunity for you as you transition through your career the class of 2020 embodies our institution's model of perseverencia perseverance all of you have faced and overcome incredible challenges to get here today be proud of what you have achieved and know that the ability to adapt and overcome will serve you in all your endeavors in the future always remember what you learned at fitchburg state both inside and outside the classroom know that all of us are forever bonded by our shared experiences of this great institution and remember that your alumni association is here for you today and will be with you in the future as you will forever be a part of the fitchburg state family from all of us including freddie falcon congratulations everyone has the moment everyone has the time anyone can make it happen anyone can go change don't let it pass [Music] won't [Music] it's gonna be [Applause] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] don't let it go [Music] our time you
2020-12-21 02:52
